Anna Dobritsa is an Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Genetics. She studies plant reproduction and development and uses genetics as a tool to understand molecular mechanisms of interesting biological phenomena. In particular, her lab studies formation of pollen walls, which are beautiful and functional structures that protect sperm cells inside pollen grains. We use this process as a model to address questions of how cells form complex extracellular materials and how they decide which surface regions should be covered with these materials and which regions should be protected from their deposition.