George Heimpel

Background & Expertise

George E. Heimpel, PhD, is a professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota. He received his BS at the University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD at the University of California, Davis. He then spent two years as a USDA postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin before his current position at the University of Minnesota. His research emphases lie in the fields of insect ecology, invasion biology and biological control. Much of this work has been done in agricultural settings and has included investigations of reproductive physiology of parasitoid wasps, genetic sex determination in hymenopterans, and biological control of various invasive insect species. More recent projects have incorporated a conservation focus, including investigations of biological control of an invasive fly species in the Galapagos Islands, and a more general attempt to conceptually reconcile the risks and benefits of biological control introductions. Heimpel served as president of the International Organization of Biological Control (2016–20) and is the author, with Nicholas Mills, PhD, of the book, “Biological Control: Ecology and Applications” (2017; Cambridge University Press).