Dr. Claire Beverley
Editor, Content Development (Crop Protection)
My interest in biological control developed when I worked as an
Assistant Entomologist for Horticulture Research International, after
completing a degree in Applied Biology. Originally taken on for 3
months to collect data for a cucumber trial, my stint in the entomology
department lasted 3 years! And in those 3 years, my expertise expanded
to cover numerous other protected crops, the pests that killed them
off, and the natural enemies used for control.
I became fascinated with biological control agents and decided to
return to university to learn more. After completing an MSc in
Biological Crop Protection at Imperial College, Wye Campus, I caught
the research bug and stayed in Kent to complete a PhD. I studied the
two-spotted spider mite predator, Stethorus punctillum under the
supervision of Dr David Ponsonby at Christ Church University,
Canterbury.
My career at CABI started in 2002, when I joined the editing team
for the Crop Protection Compendium and Forestry Compendium. Later,
alongside my work as an E-Production Editor, I was the coordinator of
the Maps of Plant Pests and Diseases, which my fellow blogger,
Katherine, now handles. In my current position as a Content Editor for
Crop Protection, I help maintain the CAB abstracts database and write
blogs.
Claire