Daniel Peach
Assistant Professor
What degrees do you have, and where did you obtain them?
I obtained a BSc (with Distinction) in Environmental Science from Simon Fraser University (SFU). During my undergraduate work, one of the labs at SFU made a fantastic impression on me, so I decided to do grad school with them. I enrolled in the Masters of Pest Management program, but transferred up to a Ph.D., which I completed in 2019.
What is your area of research expertise and interest?
My research expertise is in vector ecology, primarily a mixture of mosquito sensory ecology, focusing on chemical ecology, but also organismal ecology, and behavior. I also have experience with biogeography, mosquito taxonomy and systematics, and molecular techniques. My areas of interest reflect this experience – I’m very interested in vector ecology, particularly how mosquitoes interact with flowers (their primary food as adults is floral nectar) and how this affects their relationships with vertebrates, other organisms, and infectious diseases. I am very passionate about my research having some degree of applied relevancy, and I aim to harness what I learn about vector ecology to inform the development of new management technologies, to refine existing ones, or to disrupt pathogen transmission.
How did you become involved in environmental science or your current field of research?
I originally became involved in vector ecology because there was funding available when I started grad school! After realizing all the interesting things that mosquitoes do (which don’t involve humans), and how fundamental many of our knowledge gaps are, I became very interested in the work and developed a deep passion for it.
What are you most looking forward to in your new position at UGA’s SREL and/or working on the SRS?
SREL has a stellar concentration of talented researchers who are experts in diverse fields, and the SRS is a world-class research site with a fantastic array of habitats. This unique combination of human capital and natural capital creates the opportunity to conduct many different avenues of research, much of it cross-disciplinary that could not be conducted in many other places.
What do you look for in a potential graduate student?
The qualities that I feel served me best in graduate school were work ethic, passion, and curiosity. As a result, these are qualities I look for in potential graduate students. That being said, there is no singular way to be successful in grad school and every student has unique qualities that they bring to a team.
What would most people be surprised to find out about you?
Before grad school, and between grad school, and my postdoc, I worked as an environmental consultant on a variety of projects. This included working as a professional tracker to assess habitat for grizzlies, caribou, and other mammals in Northern British Columbia, serving as an environmental liaison and wildlife consultant on the set of films/TV series such as “Playing with Fire” or the “See” series, and working on boats as a marine mammal monitor on British Columbia’s north coast.
