Pest control expert joins Wye's research team

For immediate use
6 May 2003

An expert in natural pest control is joining the research team at Imperial College Londons Wye campus.

Dr Matt Thomas has been appointed Senior Lecturer in Agrobiodiversity in the Department of Agricultural Sciences at Wye. He was previously Research Fellow and Programme Leader at the NERC Centre for Population Biology and CABI Bioscience.

Originally from Hereford, Dr Thomas took a first degree in zoology and environmental studies at Cardiff. He became a postdoctoral scientist at Southampton studying conservation of natural enemies of cereal aphids before joining the NERC Centre in 1991.

At Wye, Dr Thomas's two key research areas will be how intensive farming affects biodiversity and natural pest control and use of pathogens, rather than insecticides, to control pests including locusts and mosquitoes.

Dr Thomas said he is looking forward to many new challenges at Wye. "I am excited to be given the chance to continue fundamental ecological research within a first-class agricultural research establishment and, in time, to making a major contribution to that establishments future success."

Dr Thomas is joined at Wye by his wife, Nina Jenkins, a microbiologist and two young children.

For further information contact:

Wendy Raeside
Tel: 01207 594 2624
Email: w.raeside@imperial.ac.uk

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