R Andrew Hayes

Dr R Andrew Hayes serves as a Forest Health Senior Research Fellow at the Forest Research Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, specializing in chemical ecology applications for agricultural and forestry pest management.

Education:

• PhD, Western Sydney University
• BSc (Hons), University of Sydney

His research explores volatile chemical communication within and between species, transitioning from vertebrate studies (rabbits, lemurs, cane toads) to insect-plant interactions for sustainable crop protection. Current work focuses on exploiting semiochemicals to disrupt pest behaviors in horticulture and forestry systems, particularly targeting invasive species through attractant traps and anti-aggregation strategies.

Scientific Awards:

• 2011 Queensland International Fellowship
• 2005 University of Sydney Innovation Challenge Finalist
• 2000 Royal Zoological Society of NSW Award (best student poster presentation)

Dr Hayes actively supervises HDR students including Praneet Goundar (Ips grandicollis biological control), Somia Afzal (push-pull semiochemical strategies), and William Haigh (West Indian drywood termite management), building on completed projects with Kate Ballard, Natalia Medieros de Souza, Flavia Sarti-Bonara, and Brogan Amos. His grant portfolio includes Agrifutures-funded small hive beetle trap optimization (2022-2025), Hort Innovation's banana spotting bug control (2022-2027), and Biosecurity Queensland's Panama TR4 early detection project (2021-2023).

Professional affiliations include the Asia–Pacific Association for Chemical Ecology, Australian Mammal Society (Director ECR 2007-2015), and International Society for Chemical Ecology.