I currently serve as an Assistant Professor at the University of Guam, where my work integrates research, teaching, and extension outreach.
As part of my teaching responsibilities, I offer the following courses:
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AL 345: General Entomology (Fall semesters, odd years)
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AL 109: Insect World (Fall semesters, even years)
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AL 430: Scientific Photography
Stay Tuned for research updates
Assistant Professor @ University of Guam 2025 April- present
Post Doctoral Research in the US - 2023 June- 2025 April
I was in Tennessee, U.S. to study the ecology of flat-headed borers with the goal of developing effective management strategies. My research included investigating the impact of cover crops and irrigation on flat-headed borer damage in maple trees, as well as evaluating different traps for capturing adult borers in the field. Additionally, I received specialized training in identifying the Chrysobothris femorata species group.
I studied the diversity of parasitoids associated with Chrysobothris species in the southeastern U.S. We reared 18 species of parasitoids from Chrysobothris-infested logs.
I also studied the diversity of parasitoids associated with Japanese maple scale. In Tennessee, we identified three parasitoid species from this pest:
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Pteroptrix chinensis
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Aphytis hispanicus
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Marlattiella prima
Post Doctoral Research in Israel- 2020-2023
Project-1: Foraging Ecology of Potter Wasp
Females of the potter wasp Delta dimidiatipenne collect Heliothis nubigera from the surrounding vegetation and place them inside their mud-constructed nest cells to provide for their offspring. However, it has been observed that females frequently collect caterpillars that are already internally parasitized by the gregarious parasitoid wasp Copidosoma primulum. In such cases, the potter wasp offspring’s food supply may become depleted, and they may fail to complete their development, while the Copidosoma primulum offspring mature but remain trapped and eventually die within the mud cell.
This raises the questions:
Why do potter wasp females continue to bring parasitized caterpillars into their nests? Can they distinguish parasitized from
non-parasitized caterpillars ?
Project-II: Widow Spider- Parasitoid Interaction
The brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus, is a hazardous and highly invasive species globally. One of the suggested mechanisms enhancing this spider’s invasiveness is its lower susceptibility to natural enemies, in particular, the egg sac parasitoid wasp Philolema latrodecti. This wasp is known to attack the egg sacs of the brown widow spider, as well as those of white widow spider which is native to Israel.
We compared wasp development success in egg sacs exposed to increasing wasp densities. We found higher developmental success, with both more and larger parasitoids developing in the egg sacs of the native host species, L. pallidus, compared to the invasive host species, L. geometricus.
Research Associate (2020) - Indian Institute of Science
During my brief time at the Center for Ecological Sciences, IISc, Bangalore, I explored the diversity of nest architecture in mud wasps to understand their intrinsic bioengineering principles.
We tested the integrity of these mud nests by soaking them in water. To our surprise, the nests maintained their structure for over a week!
As a Senior Research Fellow - Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
After completing my Ph.D., during my research at the Insect Museum of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, I traveled extensively throughout India for insect collections. During these expeditions, we discovered and made several new insect records.
Some notable finds include:
Volucella, a bee-mimicking hoverfly genus, and Monoceromyia, a potter wasp-mimicking genus, both reported for the first time in South India.
Saturnia cidosa, a moth reported for the first time in India.
Ph.D research in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
The objectives of my Ph.D. were as follows:
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Documenting parasitic hymenopterans associated with rice ecosystems in India.
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Measuring the diversity of collected parasitoids using diversity indices.
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Rearing host insects to establish plant-herbivore-parasitoid relationships.
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Identifying collected parasitoids through morphological characterization.
During the study period, parasitoid individuals representing 11 superfamilies, 28 families, and 174 species were collected.Field experiments conducted to evaluate the efficiency of six different parasitoid collection methods—sweep net, yellow pan trap at ground level, yellow pan trap at canopy level, Malaise trap, suction trap, and light trap—revealed that the yellow pan trap placed at ground level was the most effective for trapping parasitoids.
I have also described a new species in the family Evaniidae Prosevania austrina sp. n.
Master's research
I evaluated the efficacy of profenofos and hexithiazox against major tea pests and quantified the pesticide residues to determine the safe waiting period after applying these chemicals. Additionally, I assessed the safety of these pesticides for the predominantly available parasitoids in the tea ecosystem.
