Amara Dunn has been hired as the new Biocontrol Specialist with the NYS IPM program. Amara completed her PhD in Plant Pathology at Cornell in 2014 under the direction of Christine Smart.  Dunn’s thesis was entitled, “Towards Improved Management Of Phytophthora Capsici: Biology Of And Management Tools For The Pathogen“.  She will start in her new position on June 1, and her primary office will be in Barton Lab on the Geneva campus.

The Biocontrol Specialist is to work in both agricultural and community settings and collaborate with NYSIPM staff and other Cornell University faculty and Cornell Cooperative Extension specialists to facilitate and lead statewide demonstration, implementation, and research activities on biological control as an IPM strategy. Examples include biocontrol for fruit, horticultural or livestock pests, and for turfgrass, landscape or urban pests. Pests may include insects, disease pathogens, weeds and vertebrates. This position addresses the needs of statewide and regional IPM program planning to cooperatively implement biocontrol solutions in diverse agricultural and community settings. It also addresses the need for impact documentation, evaluation of pest management practices, applied research, and development of educational programs and materials. This position requires multidisciplinary knowledge including, but not limited to, the fields of entomology, plant pathology, agronomy and horticulture.