Cody Murray
Bugs Ed. presenter and Green Queen

I have a particular interest in where our (human) world intersects with that of the rest of the environment, so at university I completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science (Ecology). During my studies I realised fairly quickly how incredible the insect world is, and what a huge role these little creatures play in our lives.

To combine my love of ecology with my passion for working with people, I have spent the past decade teaching science outreach in rural communities, and using various integrated pest management (IPM) approaches to support communities (specifically in India and the Pacific Islands) to engage in sustainable agriculture.

Mostly this has meant researching the behaviour of stored grain pest insects in commercial silos and understanding the structure of pest and beneficial insect populations in smallholder subsistence farms.

For the past few years, I have been completing my PhD at the University of Queensland, where I research the mating behaviour, chemical ecology and molecular genetics of two (very cute) geometrid moths from South America, which have been released in Australia as biological control agents of the weed Parkinsonia.

While I have enjoyed every moment of this independent research, during this time I have missed working with communities, presenting and sharing my passion with others, so working with Bugs Ed is a real treat!"