 I study what causes plants to flower when they do. Specifically, I look at this in legumes, which are plants like beans, peas, as well as clover and alfalfa. And these are an incredibly important group of plants, both economically and in our food supply and also ecologically, one in three plants in the world is a legume. I look at the genes which are expressed inside the plant, which help the plant interpret the signals that the environment gives it. When the signals align, signals like the length of the day and the temperature, the plant can interpret this as a good time to flower, which then does so, which maximizes its ability to reproduce. Personally, I work at the very theoretical end of research, but we work closely with a wide range of scientists, and this field has broad applications, both in understanding how plants will adapt to climate change, as well as developing new varieties of plants which increase yields and ultimately profits for the New Zealand economy.