Lorena Lopez

Dr. Lorena Lopez is a postdoctoral associate at Virginia Tech’s, Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Painter, VA). She earned her bachelor’s in biology from the University of Valley in Cali, Colombia, and her masters and Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Her research focuses on the development and application of sustainable management techniques for insect and mite pests in vegetable production systems. Lorena evaluated the performance of newly registered pesticides for the management of southern red mites and chilli thrips in highbush blueberries for the last 3 years. Additionally, she developed an interest in agricultural acarology during her graduate studies while working on the management of mite pests and monitoring spatio-temporal distribution patterns of predatory mites in squash production. She has been actively involved in the Acarological Society of America (ASA) and the Entomological Society of America (ESA). Currently, she is the President of the ASA and the Vice-Chair on the ESA’s Early Career Professionals Committee.