Image: hester Williams
Welcome Hester Williams
We are delighted to welcome Hester Williams to the Biocontrol & Molecular Ecology team at MWLR. Hester joined us in February 2024 as a researcher in weed biocontrol and is based at our Lincoln site. She contributes to research on arthropod biocontrol agents on invasive plants in natural and productive sector ecosystems.
Hester has a background in entomology and biological science and has been involved in biocontrol research in South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand. She completed her PhD through Auckland University while being stationed with MWLR in Lincoln from 2016 to 2019. In support of finding novel management tools for new invasions, Hester used a biocontrol system to study factors influencing population dynamics in the early stages of invasion. Following completion of her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Summerland Research and Development Centre with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. There she contributed to research on understanding the contemporary status of biocontrol against St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), Canada’s oldest invasive plant biocontrol system.
At MWLR Hester is involved with preparing applications to the Environmental Protection Authority for the release of several new biocontrol agents. She lends expertise to studies on potential biocontrol agents in the containment facility and assists in addressing research questions on established biocontrol systems. Hester also manages and supports the mass-rearing programme of new biocontrol agents for release in New Zealand.
Image: Anna Vaughan
Welcome Anna Vaughan
It is a pleasure to welcome Anna Vaughan to the Biocontrol & Molecular Ecology team at MWLR. Anna joined the team in January 2024 and is based at our Lincoln site. She is employed part time as a weed biocontrol knowledge broker/project manager.
Anna holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with Honours from Lincoln University and has spent over 10 years working on sheep and beef farms, predominantly in Southland and Otago, and more recently in Wairarapa. In recent years Anna has been involved with a variety of project and extension work, with a particular focus on livestock genetics, emerging agriculture technology and trends, and farm systems. She continues her work in these areas when not working for MWLR.
With a love of the outdoors and a background in agriculture, Anna is enjoying the opportunity to learn and share the intricacies of weed biocontrol and the impact it can have on both conservation and land productivity outcomes. Anna’s role is diverse, with plenty of variety. As she becomes more familiar with the role, some of the work she will be responsible for will include editing the Weed Biocontrol What’s New? newsletter, facilitating workshops, looking after the weed biocontrol social media content, and helping the team behind the scenes to ensure projects are progressing smoothly.
