Leo M Kerner
ABOUT ME
Hello, and welcome to my website! My name is Leo, and I am an entomologist and agroecologist. I'm passionate about ecology and insect biology, and have almost a decade of experience working in both university and private settings.
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Most recently I have investigated conservation biocontrol practices to manage insect pests and weeds in vegetable crops as a master's student. Before that I worked in labs and greenhouses, focusing on both plants and insects: developing automated systems for tomato and soybean pollen germination, testing novel fertilizer solutions on corn, investigating plant-pathogen-vector interactions, and rearing thrips and planthoppers in controlled settings.
I'm also passionate about helping people and the environment through my work. Over my career I have focused on three goals:
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Develop integrated pest management programs for the betterment of farmers and to educate stakeholders.
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Aid in conservation of the natural world via land stewardship and ecologically-informed farming practices.
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Bridge the gap between people, their food, and the critters that support our food system through education and outreach.
In the future I'm interested in exploring the ways in which we can further improve sustainability in pest control methods. Discovering novel solutions to improve pest selectivity of insecticides is vital for maintaining crop productivity and protecting beneficial arthropods.
PAST EXPERIENCE
Work summary
Working in Entomology since I was early in high school, I've had a diversity of experience in many disciplines within the field. My first job allowed me access to the Smithsonian's collection of map butterflies (Cyrestis), and I helped a Duke University graduate student with studying their evolutionary wing morphology.
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As an undergraduate, I worked in an urban ecology lab studying gloomy scale (Melanaspis tenebricosa), aphids, and arthropod natural enemies. I later got a second job as a lab tech maintaining a lab colony of corn planthoppers (Peregrinus maidis), and completed a research project on the relationship between these insects and maize mosaic virus (MMV).
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As a graduate student, I became more interested in applied entomology and joined an extension-focused lab at University of Maryland. There, my masters thesis was concerned with conservation biocontrol and explored the influence of no-till agriculture on weed pressure and insect community composition, with the end goal of disseminating my findings to local growers.
Specific roles and duties
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSIST. -HOOKS LAB,
DEPT. OF ENTOMOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Aug. 2022 - May 2025
At the University of Maryland I studied conservation biocontrol of cantaloupe pests and weeds by employing a living mulch. My goals with this project were to develop a system that employed conservation agriculture techniques, like crop diversification and constant ground cover, to maintain crop productivity while reducing pesticide and cultivation inputs. I also focused on sharing my findings not just with the scientific community, but local growers and stakeholders who would most directly benefit.
RESEARCH ASSIST. & TECHNICIAN -WHITFIELD LAB,
DEPT. OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY,
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
Oct. 2018 - Aug 2021
In Dr. Whitfield's lab at NC State, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant and then as a technician, maintaining 6-8 colonies of the corn planthopper Peregrinus maidis along with it's vectored corn virus maize mosaic virus (MMV). I also gained a wide variety of in-lab skills, such as vascular puncture inoculation, DAS-ELISA, and agrobacterial transformation. As an undergrad I completed a research project on planthopper host choice.
UNDERGRAD. RESEARCH ASSIST. - FRANK LAB,
DEPT. OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY,
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
Sept 2017 - Aug 2018
My first job as an undergraduate was working in Dr. Frank's urban ecology lab at NC State. There I assisted graduate students in collecting data on herbivory, aphid population counts on street trees, and rates of parasitism of gloomy scale Melanaspis tenebricosa. I also completed a research project on insect communities between native and non-native ornamental gardens, which was published along with Dr. Parson's broader research.
HIGH SCHOOL RESEARCH ASSIST. - NIJHOUT LAB,
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY,
DUKE UNIVERSITY
Sept 2015 - June 2017
As a highschooler I assisted graduate students in examining evolutionary wing morphology of Cyrestis butterflies. I used Gimp software to analyze wing morphology and pattern integration, and collected wing morphology data from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History insect collection in DC.
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
August 2022 - May 2025
M.S. in Entomology
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Achieved a masters of science in entomology and defended a research thesis project in May 2025.
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August 2018 - August 2021
B. S. Biology- Conservation, Ecology, and Evolution
Minor in Entomology
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
Achieved a bachelor of science in biological and life sciences with a concentration in conservation, ecology, and evolution, and a minor in entomology in August of 2021. My cumulative GPA was a 3.509, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
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