Professor Anderson’s main contribution is to understanding the structure and biology of small disulphide bonded peptides of plants such as proteinase inhibitors, defensins and cyclotides. She discovered that proteinase inhibitors, specific for different insect gut enzymes are produced in the female sexual tissues of plants and act to protect the tissues against insect attack. She discovered that these tissues also express defensins which protect them against fungal infections. She carried these discoveries to a practical outcome. She used the genes encoding these peptides to create transgenic plants and demonstrated their enhanced resistance to insect attack and fungal disease in the field.