Kelly’s research focuses on Asian Soybean Rust (ASR), a major fungal disease of soybean caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi. One side of her research focuses on identifying and cloning novel sources of genetic resistance to ASR from wild legume species. The other side of her research focuses on understanding how ASR manipulates the host plants’ physiology to cause disease through pathogen-secreted proteins, i.e., effectors. Her research aims to understand the dynamics of host-microbe interactions and translate this into durable crop protection strategies in the field.