Emery

Rob is DAFWA's stored grain entomologist and is engaged in research into the biology, control, resistance and identification of grain insects. He is specifically interested in fumigant resistance and conducts regular farm surveys while developing new resistance testing procedures. Rob is also looking at the taxonomy of pest Trogoderma by developing traditional keys and a molecular procedure which will separate native and pest species.

Rob joined the agency in 1978 with a biology degree specialising in ant diversity. He was initially employed as a Technical Officer working on biological control of lucerne aphids during which he published a technique for adapting a programmable calculator as a multi-channel counter. Rob enrolled in a post graduate course in natural resource management during which he investigated the biology and control of the small lucerne weevil and lucerne seed web moth. Rob was promoted to Entomologist in 1989 and obtained industry funds for research into control of wingless grasshoppers, aphid and other horticultural pests, resistance testing, cockchafer biology and control, and fumigation procedures for export hay.

Rob has an extensive background in computing and has developed the Agency's insect reference collection database, a National database of grain insect resistance and various quarantine pest threat/distribution databases. Rob is a member of the Australian Entomological Society, the Australian Grain Institute, Western Australian Insect Study Society and Australian Skeptics.