Jess Kansman

Dr. Jess Kansman serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology within the College of Agriculture at Montana State University. Her research integrates insect behavior and ecological principles to develop sustainable agricultural pest management solutions through understanding trophic dynamics.

Her educational background includes a B.S. in Entomology from Michigan State University (2015) and a Ph.D. in Plant, Insect & Microbial Sciences from the University of Missouri (2020).

Dr. Kansman's research program investigates how biotic and abiotic stressors modulate species interactions, with emphasis on bottom-up (plant-mediated) and top-down (natural enemy) effects. Current projects explore:

• Manipulating predation risk effects using natural enemy odor cues
• Consequences of plant water limitation for biological control
• Aphid vector behavior and ecology
• Wheat stem sawfly plant-insect interactions

Her 2023 publication in Trends in Plant Science examines chemical ecology applications in conservation biological control, highlighting interdisciplinary connections between chemical signaling, trophic interactions, and sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Kansman actively mentors undergraduate researchers and has secured competitive grants from Montana Department of Agriculture, USDA NIFA, and Montana Wheat & Barley Committee to advance her pest management research.

She directs the Plant-Insect Interactions & Trophic Ecology Lab, which develops ecologically-based pest management strategies by studying fundamental insect-plant-enemy dynamics in agricultural systems.