Professor Chris Weldon presented his inaugural lecture “Using insert behaviour and temperature responses for precision pest management and African food security,” on 2 April. He was joined by friends and colleagues from the Department of Zoology and Entomology to celebrate this milestone marking his promotion to full Professorship.

His talk highlighted the significant role even the smallest insects play in shaping food security. It drew on his research that focuses on flies and how to inform sustainable management practices that can reduce reliance on pesticides but also facilitate the beneficial use of flies. These projects include studying the traits that make fruit flies destructive and invasive pests, the role of flies as crop pollinators, the biology and management of mosquitoes and other blood-feeding flies that affect human and animal health, and the use of flies for bioconversion of organic waste to promote a sustainable, circular economy.

Chris completed his PhD at the University of Sydney in 2005. He then completed Postdoctoral Fellowships at Macquarie University and Stellenbosch University before joining the University of Pretoria’s Department of Zoology and Entomology in 2012. He is the current President of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa and a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. In FABI, he is a member of the Citrus Health Programme and a Mancom member.

(Photos: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences)