Dr. Bryony C. Bonning
Image courtesy Iowa State University, Plant Science Institute
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has added another soldier in its battle against citrus greening by hiring world-renowned entomologist Bryony Bonning. She has been named Eminent Scholar with tenure in the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department.
Currently, Bonning is a professor of entomology at Iowa State University and director of the National Science Foundation Center for Arthropod Management Technologies, where she oversees cutting-edge research on insect physiology and pathology, and biotechnology. Bonning is a recognized authority in the development of new technologies for insect pest management, and a fellow of the Entomological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
“Dr. Bonning brings an outstanding record of accomplishment and cooperation, and we are confident she will work tirelessly to develop solutions for citrus pest management,” said Blair Siegfried, chair of the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department. “Her combined experience and achievements make her ideally suited and deserving of the position.”
In 2016, Bonning received the Iowa State University Outstanding Achievement in Research award.
In 2013, she received the Nan-Yao Su Award for Innovation and Creativity in Entomology from the Entomological Society of America. She has authored more than 110 papers in high-impact journals, and holds five patents related to insect control technologies. Bonning has recently begun to develop a research program to develop novel methods for controlling the Asian citrus psyllid, the vector of citrus greening. She will begin her position at UF/IFAS in 2017.
Bonning received her bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Durham, United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. in entomology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. She went on to postdoctoral appointments at the Natural Environment Research Council Institute of Virology in Oxford, United Kingdom and at the University of California, Davis.