David Fang is a Supervisory Research Geneticist and Research Leader of the Cotton Fiber Bioscience Research Unit, USDA-ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He leads a team to study cotton fiber development using biochemical, genetic, molecular and genomic methods and technologies. His research interests focus on two aspects: 1) identification of superior fiber alleles and quantitative trait loci based on the analysis of MAGIC populations, and use them in breeding with assistance of DNA markers; 2) elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of fiber development especially elongation and secondary cell wall thickening through comparative analyses of fiber mutants and their respective wild types. Prior to the current position, he was the Molecular Cotton Breeder, and Director of Molecular Cotton Breeding at Delta and Pine Land Company. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1990 from Huazhong Agricultural University, China.