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I am seeking graduate students, either MS or PhD, to work on each of the following two projects: 1) Chemical Ecology of Insect Pests The striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum) is a major pest of cucurbit crops. We are interested in developing sustainable approaches for the management of this species that take advantage of its natural attraction to aggregation pheromone and floral volatiles. Both olfactory stimuli will be tested to synergistically attract beetles and “pull†them off crop plants. 2) Cropping System Diversity & Ecosystem Services As part of a multi-year, multi-state initiative we will be testing how landscape and cropping system diversity affect pest outbreaks and the provisioning of ecosystem services, focusing on biocontrol and pollination. This project will work on commercial farms along a gradient from the traditional corn monoculture in the Midwestern U.S. to highly diversified farms. Both positions are fully funded as Research Assistantships and come with a grad stipend, insurance, etc. Qualifications: Positions entail substantial field research so candidates should be enthusiastic about working outdoors in agricultural settings with background/interests in insects, ecology, and/or agriculture. Ideal start date is Jan 2022; however, a later date (May-Aug) may be possible. See the following webpages for information on the Kaplan Lab: https://www.entm.purdue.edu/ecolab/ ...and the Department of Entomology at Purdue: https://www.entm.purdue.edu/prospective-grads/index.html If interested, please email Ian Kaplan ([log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ) with a statement of your research interests and a CV.