Juli Carrillo

Juli Carrillo is an Associate Professor in Applied Biology within the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. She leads the Plant-Insect Ecology & Evolution (PIEE) Lab, which is affiliated with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, the Biodiversity Research Centre, and the Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Solutions Collaboratory (IBioS). Her research focuses on the ecological relationships between plants and insects in agricultural systems, with particular emphasis on biodiversity conservation and sustainable pest management.

Dr. Carrillo's research interests center around understanding how insects contribute to ecosystem services in agriculture, particularly pollination and natural pest control. Her lab investigates various aspects of insect ecology including nocturnal pollinators (especially moths), biological control of invasive pests like spotted wing drosophila, plant defense mechanisms through extrafloral nectar production, and the impact of habitat restoration on beneficial insect communities. She employs ecological theory to develop practical solutions for enhancing biodiversity and sustainability in food production systems.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on berry crop systems in British Columbia, particularly regarding pest management strategies for spotted wing drosophila. There is a clear trend toward interdisciplinary research combining field ecology, chemical ecology, and molecular approaches to understand plant-insect interactions. Her work increasingly incorporates innovative methods like environmental DNA analysis and computer vision for insect monitoring, while maintaining a strong applied focus on developing ecologically-based solutions for agricultural challenges.

As an academic advisor, Dr. Carrillo mentors numerous graduate students working on diverse projects related to agricultural entomology and ecology. Her lab collaborates with organizations such as the Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust to ensure research has practical applications for farmers and conservation practitioners. The PIEE Lab conducts long-term monitoring at the UBC Farm, providing valuable data on insect population dynamics and ecosystem changes over time.

The lab maintains several active research areas including blueberry farmland diversification, alleyway cover-cropping, floral competition for pollination services, aphid-parasitoid dynamics, and carbon allocation in plant defense mechanisms. These projects often involve field work at the UBC Farm and commercial farms throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, creating strong connections between academic research and practical agricultural applications.