Adjunct Members
Yulin Gao
Born: 1979 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Integrated Pest Management, Chemical Ecology
E-mail: gaoyulin AT caas.cn
Website: click here
Bio: Professor Yulin Gao (China), born in 1979, is a Professor of Entomology at Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). He obtained his Ph.D. degree in agricultural entomology from the CAAS Graduate School and Institute of Plant Protection in 2009 and has been appointed Full Professor at Institute of Plant Protection of CAAS in 2018. Now he serves as Deputy Director of National Center of Excellence for Tuber and Root Crop Research, CAAS. His work focuses on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in potato crop and has promoted potato IPM in China and elsewhere. Apart from IPM implementation and maintenance in potato, he has been conducting studies on chemical ecology, biological control, insecticides resistance management and invasion biology. He has published more than 150 research papers on international peer-reviewed journals, including 3 papers in Annual Review of Entomology; and also co-edited several books among which (1) Gao YL, Hokkanen HMT, Hokkanen IM. 2020. Integrative Biological Control-Ecostacking for Enhanced Ecosystem Services. Springer Press, 248 pp. and (2) Alyokhin A, Rondon SI, Gao YL. 2022. Insect Pests of Potato: Biology and Management. Second Edition. Elsevier Press, 501 pp.. He is Executive Editor of the well-known international journal Pest Management Science, editorial board members of other several international journals including Journal of Pest Science, Entomologia Generalis, Journal of Economic Entomolgy, Environmental Entomology, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, and Council Adjunct Member of the International Congress of Entomology. He served as awards committee member of the International Branch for the Entomological Society of America (ESA), and also serves as convenor of Global IOBC Working Group for “Biological Control of Insect Pests in Potato, Tomato and other Solanaceous Crops” and the Global Vice-President of International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC).
Gudbjorg Inga (Gia) Aradottir
Born: 1972 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Insect behaviour; insect-plant interactions; sustainable crop protection; innovation in entomology
E-mail: gia AT royensoc.co.uk
Website: click here
Bio: Gia Aradottir (Iceland / United Kingdom) has a PhD from Imperial College London and an MBA from Warwick Business School. She has over 20-year experience as an entomologist, having worked at The Institute of Natural History in Iceland before moving to the UK and working at NIAB, Rothamsted Research and the Natural History Museum in London. Gia’s academic research centres around sustainable agriculture, with a special focus on cereal aphids, host selection by aphids and insect resistance in wheat. Working to elucidate the aphid-plant interaction her research group identified resistant wheat varieties from ancestral wheat varieties, showed how feeding behaviour of aphids on susceptible vs resistant wheat plants differs and in turn how the plant chemistry changes in response to aphid feeding varies depending on susceptibility. In addition to her academic research, Gia currently works as a consultant supporting scientists and organisations progress innovation in agriculture. She is passionate about the transfer of knowledge to practise and innovation and a keen supporter of the recent increase in entomological innovations. She is a trustee and treasurer for the Royal Entomological Society, convenor of the Wheat Initiative Pest Expert Working Group, a member of the International Plant Resistance to Insects Steering Committee and an Honorary Professor, Agricultural Genomics Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China.
Rosemary Sang
Born: 1953 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Arbovirus Research and Medical Entomology
E-mail: Rsang AT icipe.org
Website: click here
Bio: Arbovirus research scientist with background in Medical Entomology (PhD) and Medical Virology (MSc) and over 35 years’ experience in field and laboratory studies on arboviruses and their vectors. Has been member of the Ministry of Health, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)’s Centre for Virus Research, engaged in vast collaborative effort with other organisations including US Army medical research unit (USAMRU-K) in Kenya and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology’s (ICIPE) Martin Luischer Emerging Infectious Diseases laboratory. Worked with and mentored strong arbovirus research teams to conduct extensive surveillance and ecological studies that have expanded knowledge and understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of arboviruses of public health significance in Kenya and the region. Has been involved in arbovirus disease surveillance, discovery, outbreak response and intervention activities for many years. Supports national, regional and global efforts in arboviral infections research planning and prioritisation, evaluation and emergency response. Has contributed extensively to capacity building through training and mentorship at Universities in Kenya and South Africa. Has published widely with over 100 journal articles and contributed to 2 book chapters. Was elected fellow of the African Academy of Science (AAS) in 2014.
Emmanouil Roditakis
Born: 1972 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Integrated Pest Management and Agricultural Pharmacology
E-mail: eroditakis AT hmu.gr
Website: click here
Bio: Professor Emmanouil Roditakis (GR) is the Head of the Department of Agriculture at the Hellenic Mediterranean University. Roditakis graduated from the Department of Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Athens (1995) and completed his doctoral degree at Bath University (1999) as a Marie Curie scholarship Fellow. Since 2004 he worked for the Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Demeter and in 2020 he was elected as Associate Professor of Applied Entomology and Pharmacology the Hellenic Mediterranean University. His work is focused on the evaluation of the efficacy levels of novel pest control schemes, in combination with in-depth investigation of insecticide resistance phenomena and establishment of resistance management tactics. Development of alternative pest control approaches, including beneficials, entomopathogens, minerals, plant extracts etc. within a fundamental but also applied concept is another axis of his research activities. Roditakis serves as Subject/ Associate editor of prestigious scientific journals, organizer of seminars / info-days and scientific advisor of Governmental entities (Region of Crete). Finally, he is a long standing member of the European Congress of Entomology Praesidium (2014) and former Chair of the ECE2023 held at Heraklion Crete, Greece.
Alvin M. Simmons
Born: 1957 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Plant-Insect Interaction; Integrated Pest Management
E-mail: email: alvin.simmons AT usda.gov
Bio: Dr. Alvin M. Simmons (USA) is a Research Entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS). He serves as the lead scientist for entomology research at the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. His overall research focuses on sustainable approaches to mitigate problems from whiteflies. His research interests notably include host plant resistance, insect behavior and bionomics, biocontrol, cultural control, and insect-plant-virus relationships. He is also the coordinator of the USDA, ARS, Minor Use Pesticide Program for Food and Ornamental Horticulture that conducts research to assist in registering safe and effective control agents on specialty crops (such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and floral crops) and minor use on major crops. He served as the 2020 President of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), Co-chair of the 2016 International Congress of Entomology, and is a Fellow of the ESA and a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society.