I completed my BSc. (Botany and Food Science) at the University of Free State in 2001 and my BSc.Hons (Botany) in 2002.

In 2009 I joined Forest Molecular Genetics programme as a Research Assistant for the DNA Fingerprinting. This facility provides high-throughput DNA marker analysis for genetic mapping and genome-wide association for most Pinus and Eucalyptus species grown commercially in South Africa. Analyses include individual identification, clonal verification, parentage analysis and species discrimination.