Prof Robbie Girling
| Name | Prof Robbie Girling |
|---|---|
| Email Address | robbie.girling@unisq.edu.au |
| Job Title | Director (Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems) |
| Qualifications | BSc Reading, PhD University of East Anglia |
| Department | Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems (Operations) |
| Affiliations | Centre for Crop Health |
| ORCID | https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8816-8075 |
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Biography
My research focuses on investigations into the ecology of insects found in both agricultural and forestry ecosystems and my specific areas of expertise are in plant-insect interactions, and insect behavioural and chemical ecology.
I study the ecological interactions of insects that are either pests or that provide beneficial ecosystem services (pest regulation, pollination etc). One focus of my research is to develop our understanding of how anthropogenic factors impact on these insects and the ecosystem services and disservice that they provide. This can be through changes in land use management, or as a consequence of pollution, particularly ground-level air pollution.
My other research focus is on developing our understanding of the ecological processes and interactions that occur amongst pest and beneficial insect species and to use that knowledge to contribute to the development of agroecological approaches for pest control This includes: i) the enhancement of natural biological controls (conservation biological control), ii) the development of tools for Integrated Pest Management, and iii) the evaluation of changes to pest and pollination services and disservices provided by novel farming system approaches, with a particular focus on temperate silvoarable agroforestry.
Employment
| Position | Organisation | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director of the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems | University of Southern Queensland | 2023 | |
| Head of Department of Sustainable Land Management | University of Reading, UK | 2020 | 2023 |
| Deputy Director of the Graduate Institute for International Development, Agriculture and Economics | University of Reading, UK | 2019 | 2023 |
| Professor of Agro-ecology and Sustainable Agriculture | University of Reading, UK | 2022 | 2023 |
| Associate Professor of Agro-ecology and Sustainable Agriculture | University of Reading, UK | 2019 | 2022 |
| Lecturer of Agro-ecology and Sustainable Agriculture | University of Reading, UK | 2015 | 2019 |
| Principal Researcher in Crops and Agroforestry | Organic Research Centre, UK | 2013 | 2015 |
| Research Fellow | University of Southampton, UK | 2009 | 2013 |
| Research Fellow | University of Sussex and Natural Resources Institute, UK | 2008 | 2008 |
| Post-doctoral Researcher | National University of Ireland, Maynooth | 2007 | 2007 |
| Post-doctoral Researcher | University of California, Riverside, USA | 2004 | 2006 |
Fields of Research
- 300401. Agrochemicals and biocides (incl. application)
- 300409. Crop and pasture protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds)
- 300412. Organic and low chemical input crop production
- 300413. Pollination biology and systems
- 300701. Agroforestry
- 300804. Horticultural crop protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds)
- 310301. Behavioural ecology
- 310307. Population ecology
- 310308. Terrestrial ecology
- 370102. Air pollution processes and air quality measurement
- 410203. Ecosystem function
- 410204. Ecosystem services (incl. pollination)
Professional Membership
| Professional Membership | Year |
|---|---|
| Member of the International Society of Chemical Ecology | |
| Member of the British Ecological Society |
BSc
Reading
2000
PhD
University of East Anglia
2005
Current Supervisions
| Research Title | Supervisor Type | Level of Study | Commenced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura James: Investigating the Impact of Volatile Organic Compounds Released by Plants in Response to Biotic and Abiotic Stressors under ambient and elevated CO2 conditions (VOC–Plant–Stress–CO2) (Leverhulme Trust) | Associate Supervisor | Doctoral | 2019 |
| Talor Whitham: Reassessing the threat posed by pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) to UK forestry: exploring alternative vectors and novel detection tools (Defra – Centre for Forest Protection) | Associate Supervisor | Doctoral | 2022 |
| Ellen Knight: Does pollinator diversity moderate ecosystem function in agroforestry systems? (NERC SCENARIO DTP) | Associate Supervisor | Doctoral | 2022 |
| Anite Kopera: Enhancing the sustainability of cocoa production through biopesticide solutions (BBSRC Food Consortium CTP and Mondelez) | Associate Supervisor | Doctoral | 2022 |
Completed Supervisions
| Research Title | Supervisor Type | Level of Study | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christine Reitmayer (2011-2015): Effects of diesel exhaust pollution on behaviour, neurobiology and forager success in honey bees (Apis mellifera) (The Gerald-Kerkut Charitable Trust) | Associate | Doctoral | 2015 |
| Richard Sands (2014-2018): The population ecology of oak processionary moth (Defra/Forest Research) | Associate | Doctoral | 2018 |
| Matthew Kaan Alkan (2016-2021): Exploring the mechanistic rationale of plant-pollinator communication disruption by ozone (NERC SCENARIO DTP) | Principal | Doctoral | 2021 |
| Patricia Ortega-Ramos (2017-2021): Investigations into the ecology of cabbage stem flea beetle in winter oilseed rape crops (Rothamsted-Reading Alliance) | Associate | Doctoral | 2021 |
| Tom Staton (2017-2021): Evaluating how plant community composition influences natural enemy biodiversity and pest regulation services in temperate agroforestry systems (NERC QMEE CDT, The Woodland Trust) | Principal | Doctoral | 2021 |
| Fiona Gierer (2017-2021): Improving our understanding of residue behaviour in pollen, nectar and bee products (Syngenta) | Principal | Doctoral | 2021 |
| Stuart Edwards (2017-2022): Pests, plants and parasitoids: how does climate variability affect tri-trophic interactions in crop producing ecosystems? – (BBSRC Berry Gardens CTP) | Associate | Doctoral | 2022 |
| Emem Kingsley-Umana (2016-2022): Evaluation of pheromone-based techniques for the monitoring and control of mealybug pests on cocoa farm (University of Port-Harcourt) | Principal | Doctoral | 2022 |