New faces
We would like to introduce some new staff who have joined us recently.
Zane McGrath (Auckland)
Zane has joined Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research (MWLR) as a weed biocontrol technician. Zane spent his childhood in Canada, so not surprisingly he spends some of his spare time playing ice hockey! Zane recently completed an MSc at the University of Auckland under the guidance of MWLR entomologist Darren Ward, studying an exotic parasitoid wasp in native forests. Following this, Zane worked for a short while as a park ranger at a regional park north of Auckland. Zane is now providing technical support, helping with things like insect rearing, field work and the operation of the containment facility at our Tamaki campus.
CONTACT
Zane McGrath – mcgrathz@landcareresearch.co.nz
Claudia Lange (Lincoln)
Claudia joined MWLR in 2017 as a postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology. Claudia is originally from Germany but has been in New Zealand for 11 years. Since 2008 she has been associated with the Bio-Protection Research Centre at Lincoln University, as technician, PhD student, postdoc and research fellow. Claudia’s expertise is being used to assist with biological control, conservation and biodiversity research, using molecular, genetics and whole genome approaches. Claudia has already provided valuable assistance to a number of weed projects, such as giant buttercup (Ranunculus acris), nassella tussock (Nassella trichotoma), Californian thistle (Cirsium arvense), broom (Cytisus scoparius), and
horehound (Marrubium vulgare). She is particularly interested in the underlying genetic mechanisms affecting environmental dynamics, such as invasion and biological control.
CONTACT
Claudia Lange – langec@landcareresearch.co.nz
Seona Casonato (Lincoln)
Seona joined us in early February on a part-time secondment from Lincoln University, where she is a senior lecturer in plant pathology. Seona is originally from Australia and has been in New Zealand since 2002, when she ventured over the ditch to complete a postdoc with MWLR. This involved studying the interactions between the mist flower white smut fungus (Entyloma ageratinae) and mist flower gall fly (Procecidochares alani) to see if these agents work together synergistically (which they do). Since then Seona has been working with Plant and Food on fungicide reduction in kiwifruit orchards and diseases in a range of horticultural crops. Seona also worked back in Australia for a short time with the Department of Primary Industry on cereal crops, where she expanded into the world of nematology. Previously Seona has also been involved in projects in Australia on tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum) and nassella tussock, and we welcome the plant pathology expertise she will be able to contribute to our projects.
CONTACT
Seona Casonato - casonatos@landcareresearch.co.nz