The School of Environmental Sciences [1] is pleased to welcome Andrew Young to the department as an Assistant Professor in Systematic Entomology. Young began in the role on June 1, 2020.

In this position Young will develop a research program in the field of entomology, while mentoring and teaching undergraduate and graduate students. He will work alongside the staff of the University of Guelph Insect Collection [2] to utilize and build the potential of the collection to address broad societal and systematic questions.

“Andrew is building an excellent reputation as a systematic entomologist and has great experience in both the applied and basic aspects of his field,” says Prof. Jon Warland, director of the School. “He is a passionate educator and is set to make significant contributions to our understanding of the impacts of climate change on insect populations and the implications for ecosystem health.”

Young has strong research interests in species discovery, accessible taxonomy, and Diptera (true fly) systematics. His work has focused on the phylogeny and taxonomy of flower fly groups from around the world. 

“I am incredibly excited to be returning to the University of Guelph, where my entomological journey began,” says Young. “I look forward to establishing a lab of like-minded peers to continue uncovering the species diversity and evolutionary history of flower flies. In addition, I am excited to collaborate with other entomologists and pollination biologists in the School of Environmental Sciences to better understand the role flower flies play in our natural and agricultural ecosystems.”

Young received his Ph.D. in Biology from Carleton University and his M.Sc. and B.Sc. from the University of Guelph (U of G). Before returning to the U of G, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Davis in the Department of Entomology and Nematology. Young has recently published several flower fly revisionary works and a review on phylogenomic best practices, as well as contributed to a field guide of North American flower flies.