IPS strengthens Pest Research Hub team with international talent

A former Erasmus scholar and graduate of Uludag University in Bursa, Turkey, has secured a position with industry leader International Pheromone Systems (IPS) as a laboratory technician.

Ayse Ozgur, who has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Engineering, first came to IPS from Turkey in 2013 as part of the Erasmus scheme. The Erasmus Programme (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is a European Union student exchange programme established in 1987. As part of Erasmus+, Ayse was provided with a grant to undertake a work placement abroad.

Six years later, in 2019, Ayse accessed the funding through Erasmus+ again. This time she had been working in a laboratory in Turkey and Erasmus gave her a chance to experience the same job in another country. She was able to work in the IPS lab for nine months.

Ayse kept in touch with the IPS team and applied to work as part of the new Pest Research Hub team. Working with Technical Manager Dr Sam Jones, Ayse carries out quality control on pheromone components, batches and finished products. She also helps with dispenser release rate assessments alongside Laboratory Coordinator Andrew McDougall and manages behavioural bioassays with insect cultures that she manages in the insectary.

Ayse said: “I feel very passionate about what we do at IPS which is trying to get farmers and growers to use fewer pesticides and harmful chemicals. I am pleased to be doing something good for the world and having a job that I really believe in. Most insects are not pests and by using specific pheromones we can make sure we target only those that cause economic damage.

“I’m proud to be part of a growing company at a very exciting time with the completion of the Pest Research Hub. We can now do even more trials and have a fantastic facility where we can welcome visitors who I look forward to meeting.

“The UK is a great place to work and I feel happy and lucky to be here and Dr Jones is the best manager I could wish for.”

International Pheromone Systems is a customer-orientated company with 35 years of experience in developing, producing and supplying high-quality insect pheromone and kairomone formulations and associated trapping systems to a growing international customer base. The company specialises in supplying semiochemical lures, formulated liquid attractants and traps to monitor and manage insect pests and promoting sustainable Integrated Pest Management (IPM) within agricultural, horticultural, forestry, storage and urban settings.

A core value of the company is to promote and support Integrated Pest Management programs which offer ecological and environmentally sustainable solutions to pest management.