Almendra received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco in Peru by studying the population structure of potato late blight pathogen Phytophthora infestans in collaboration with the International Center of Potato. Before arriving at CSU, Almendra was trained in molecular biology techniques to study host-pathogen interactions between tomato and Phytophthora capsici at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland. She also collaborated on crop breeding projects to confer resistance against P. infestans and Papaya ringspot virus at the Peruvian Institute of Agrarian Innovation, and microbiological screening of blueberry endophytic-fungi with biocontrol activity against Botrytis cinerea at the Peruvian University of Cañete. Almendra completed her M.Sc. in Plant Pathology at CSU by investigating the weed biocontrol potential of the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis against the creeping thistle, Cirsium arvense. Her current research focuses on Fusarium spp. and their pathogenicity against conifers.