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School of Life Sciences

Dr Dave Chandler

Reader

email: Dave.Chandler@warwick.ac.uk

phone: 024 765 75041

Office (W): TPB51

 Office (GH): B177

Chandler webpage

Research clusters

Plant & Agricultural Bioscience

Other GRPs/Centres etc

Warwick Crop Centre

Vacancies and Opportunities

For PhD and postdoctoral opportunities, and interest in potential collaborations, please contact me at the above email address.

Research Interests

Dave is a microbiologist and entomologist. His main areas of interest are:

  • insect pathogens and microbial pest control;
  • bee health;
  • ecology and physiology of entomopathogenic fungi;
  • biopesticide regulation and governance; and
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

Research: Technical Summary

We study the interactions between micro-organisms, insects and mites. We do this in three areas of research: biological control, Integrated Pest Management, and bee health. The ultimate aims of this work are twofold: (1) develop more sustainable methods of pest management for the benefit of agriculture, people and the environment; and (2) improve basic knowledge of the interactions between invertebrates and microbes.


Biological control and Integrated Pest Management

Agricultural production will have to increase significantly in the next decades to meet the demands of an expanding human population. This needs to be done without causing further strain to the environment. Pests reduce the potential global yield of crops by 30 – 40%. Therefore, improving pest control is a highly significant way of increasing access to food. The best way to achieve this is through Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Biological control using entomopathogens can be a valuable component of IPM.

Integrated Pest Management

Entomopathogens and biological control

Fungal control of insect and mite pests

Understanding the evolution and function of entomopathogenic fungi

Honey bee health

About a third of our food comes from plants that are pollinated by insects, including honey bees and other species. Unfortunately, insect pollinators are in decline. One of our most important pollinators, the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, faces serious threats from parasitic diseases, especially the varroa mite. We are investigating new solutions to honey bee diseases. We also do basic research on the interactions between honey bees and their parasites. Our bee research is done through a long standing collaboration with Rothamsted Research, Harpenden.

Dave has worked at Warwick Crop Centre since 1990. Previous to this, he studied for a bachelor degree in biology at the University of Nottingham, followed by a PhD in mycology at Kings College London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, has been an adviser on IPM to the European Parliament and a research programme assessor for the US Department of Agriculture