University of Hawaii Monika A. Ward graduated from the Institute for Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences and Medical University of Poznan, Poland, with a Master and a PhD in Biological Sciences (Reproductive Biology). Her graduate studies focused on the genetics of human male infertility. She did her post-doctoral research at the Institute for Biogenesis Research, University of Hawaii, working with Ryuzo Yanagimachi on establishment of the non-conventional methods of mouse sperm preservation. During this time she became a recognized expert in assisted reproduction technologies (ART) in the mouse. After finishing her post-doc she remained in Hawaii and established her own laboratory. She is now an Associate Professor and is leading a lab investigating key processes in mammalian reproduction such as sex determination, spermatogenesis, male meiosis, fertilization, and male infertility using primarily mouse as a model. Her current research goals are to advance the understanding of the roles of mouse Y chromosome genes in spermatogenesis, fertilization, and development. She is also interested in chromatin remodeling during spermiogenesis, particularly the consequences of the defects in this process on reproductive success and well-being of produced offspring.