Jessica Spencer

Jessica grew up in High Point, North Carolina and attended NCSU, graduating with majors in Biochemistry and Biological Sciences in 2004. After working with mosquitoes, termites, ants, and other insects while at BASF, then with human chromosomes at Lab Corp, and finally with mice and cytokines at the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center she finally decided that if she wanted a career working with plants she would need an advanced degree. She was accepted into the NCSU graduate program in Plant Breeding, obtaining a Monsanto Fellowship.  She graduated with her Master’s in Science in 2012 and moved to Naples, Florida to work as an assistant sweet corn breeder with Syngenta.  Missing her home state more than she reckoned, opportunity knocked just as she started searching for jobs back home. A friend let her know that Dr. Hudson Ashrafi was looking for someone to fill the position of Research Associate in Castle Hayne, managing the traditional breeding side of his Blueberry Breeding program.  Jessica now resides in Wilmington NC, working at the Castle Hayne Horticultural Crop Research Center where she manages all stages of the blueberry breeding program from the greenhouse to the field.  She hires temporary labor and interns to help harvest and evaluate berries, care for plants, and wok on tissue cultures in the lab.  You can contact her at jaspence@ncsu.edu for more information.