I am an Assistant Research Professor at Penn State University and an IPM Specialist with the USAID Innovation Lab for Current and Emerging Threats to Crops (CETC).

My work bridges entomology, climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture, with a focus on the early detection and management of invasive pests that threaten global food security.

Driven by applied science, I collaborate across Asia, Africa, and the U.S. to design and implement strategies that strengthen crop protection and farmer livelihoods. My projects integrate field surveillance, pest modeling, and farmer-led innovation to translate research into actionable impact. My research also investigates the chemical ecology of plant–insect interactions, examining how plants use volatiles and hormone-regulated pathways to defend against herbivores, and how these cues can be leveraged for field monitoring and IPM.

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Research Focus:

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Developing and refining ecologically sound pest control strategies.

• Chemical Ecology & Plant Defense: How plants deploy volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hormone-mediated pathways (e.g., jasmonate, salicylate, ethylene) to detect herbivory, signal neighbors, recruit natural enemies, and prime defenses—translating these cues into lures, traps, and behavior-based control.

• Invasive Species Surveillance: Monitoring and modeling pest establishment and spread under changing climates.

• Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Building adaptive systems with science-based interventions and digital tools.

• Global Collaboration: Leading cross-border teams to deliver sustainable, data-driven decision support.

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My research contributes to improving crop resilience, reducing pesticide dependency, and empowering growers to adapt to emerging threats. Through multinational partnerships and participatory approaches, I strive to create a more secure, equitable, and sustainable agricultural future.