Upcoming Webinars
Investigating the ecology of Culicoides biting midges: The big problem of tiny vectors
Wed, Oct 30, 2024 - 10:00 - 11:00 AM PDT
About the Speaker:
Bethany McGregor, PhD
USDA-ARS
Dr. Bethany McGregor is a research entomologist with the USDA-ARS in the Arthropod-Borne Animal Diseases Research Unit in Manhattan, KS. Dr. McGregor received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2012 and a Master of Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2015. In 2019, she received a PhD in Entomology from the University of Florida, where her research focused on Culicoides ecology on Florida deer farms and implications for the transmission of viruses impacting deer. From 2019-2020, Dr. McGregor was an ORISE postdoctoral fellow with the CDC, where she pursued several projects, including a study investigating the vector competence of mosquito and midge species for Oropouche virus. Since joining ARS in 2020, Dr. McGregor’s research has focused on the ecology of Culicoides biting midges, with current foci in larval habitat characterization, host and sugar feeding ecology, virus-vector interactions, and field pathogen surveillance.
REGISTER HERE
Evidence based control of mosquito vectors, in an insecticide resistance landscape
Tues, Dec 3, 2024 - 10:00 - 11:00 AM PDT
About the Speaker:
John Vontas, PhD
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology & the Agricultural University of Athens
John Vontas is the Director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) and Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA). He received his PhD in Insect Genetics from the AUA (1997). Subsequently Marie Curie fellowships allowed him to work at Cardiff University (1998-01), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (2001-02) and IMBB (2002-04), as a postdoctoral researcher. He was appointed Lecturer at AUA (2004-08) and Associate Prof Department Biology University of Crete (2008-13). He worked at the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC) in 2013-2014. He returned to Greece in 2014, as Professor AUA and Researcher at IMBB. His research focus on the control of mosquito disease vectors and agricultural pests, with emphasis on the molecular analysis of mechanisms by which insects develop resistance to insecticides. He teaches in national and international courses and has supervised >40 PhD students and Post Doctoral Researchers, some pursuing careers in academia and industry, worldwide. He has published over 250 papers and was among highly cited researchers Clavirate in 2021 and 2022. He has given a large number of invited talks worldwide and organized many international conferences and symposia. He is member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and member of the Board of Directors of the EU Life alliance. He is Associate Editor in Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology and Editorial Board member in several top-tier journals in his field. He is panel member at the ERC and many funding organizations in Europe and worldwide. He has coordinated >30 major projects, raising a total budget of >40M€.