Meet Clay Morrow, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at Cornell, expert in plant-insect interactions and cross-disciplinary innovation, and subject of the next installment of our “Standout Early Career Professionals” series.

By Zach Cohen, Ph.D.

Editor’s Note: This is the next article in the “Standout ECPs” series contributed by the Entomological Society of America’s Early Career Professionals (ECP) Committee, highlighting outstanding ECPs that are doing great work in the profession. (An ECP is defined as anyone within the first five years of obtaining their terminal degree in their field.) Read past articles in the Standout ECPs series.

Clay Morrow, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he is helping to develop a whole-farm mechanistic simulation model aimed serving agricultural researchers and practitioners. Previously, he worked at the U.S. Forest Service investigating the utility of satellite imagery for forest health applications, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a postdoctoral researcher assessing the behaviors of Peromyscus mice that affect their interactions with Ixodes ticks and contraction of Lyme disease. Clay grew up in New Mexico and earned his B.S. in wildlife conservation and ecology at New Mexico State University. He earned an M.S. in statistics and a Ph.D. in ecology both at UW-Madison, where he studied the interactions between aspen trees and insect herbivores.

Cohen: How did you get into entomology?

Morrow: I got into entomology by way of plant-insect interactions. I was always fascinated by the myriad ways plants defend themselves against herbivores and, in turn, the strategies that herbivores—especially insects—employ to overcome those defenses. My favorite example are the chrysomelid leaf beetles that utilize plant-defense compounds (salicin) to produce their own chemical defenses (salicylaldehyde), which deter predators.

What do you do in your current job?

I work with Ruminant Farm Systems, an unincorporated organization of scientists and software engineers developing open-source software that simulates entire farm systems. The project aims to provide tools to assess and improve agricultural practices by, for example, maximizing yields while minimizing emissions and other environmental impacts. I currently lead the part of the model concerned with growth and management of agricultural crops, helping to ensure its scientific validity. I plan to implement traditional pest mitigation and integrative pest management strategies and their impacts into a future version of the model.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?

There are many rewarding aspects of my work. For one, this type of career attracts so many wonderful people that I am honored to collaborate with and call colleagues. I think the most rewarding part, though, is that my expertise and my labor are being used in ways that attempt to address real-world problems and to make positive changes to the interactions between our society and the environment. Feeling like you have a positive impact, however small, is a tremendous privilege in our societal system.

Before taking a postdoctoral position at Cornell University, Clay Morrow, Ph.D., (third from left) served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working in a lab led by John Orrock, Ph.D. (second from left), alongside colleagues Hannah Ashe (far left) and Mark Fuka, Ph.D. (far right).

What is the most challenging part of your job?

One of the challenges of my work is communicating across disciplines. Conveying scientific messages or concepts to those without a scientific background—or with a background in a different scientific domain—can be difficult. Similarly, making sense of information for which I don’t have the relevant training requires patience and development. Luckily, it is a rewarding challenge that broadens my knowledge and skill set.

What do you see yourself doing in the future?

I hope to be using my skills and expertise to learn more about the world and help address problems of public and ecosystem health.

Who inspires you to do what you do?

My mentor and friend, Dr. Richard Lindroth, is a huge inspiration to me personally and professionally. His dedication to science, his curiosity about all aspects of the world, his kindness, and his generous spirit are all attributes I aspire to.

What would you do if you weren’t working in entomology?

It is hard to imagine myself doing anything outside of entomology or ecology more broadly. At one point in my life, I wanted to be a jazz musician. So, maybe I’d be playing guitar with some horn players at a bar somewhere.

Among hobbies Clay Morrow, Ph.D., pursues in his free time is kayaking. Here, he floats on the St. Croix River on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Do you have time for any hobbies?

I do, yes. I am into hiking and gardening during the warmer portion of the year. In the winter months, I play a lot of board games and table-top role-playing games; I’m currently running a Dungeons & Dragons game for some of my work friends.

What is your advice for other ECPs?

I’m not sure I’m equipped to offer any useful advice. I guess I would say to really sit in the moments that bring you joy, whatever they might be. It is so easy get swept up by how busy we all are, but I think it is important to take the time to enjoy the cool bugs and plants and people we get to spend our time with.

What is your favorite arthropod and why?

Tough question. I really like monarch butterflies. Not only are the adults beautiful and participate in these epic migration journeys, but the larvae also specialize in contending with the physical and chemical defenses of milkweed plants. Unspecialized herbivores are easily overcome by the sticky latex, laced with toxic compounds (cardenolides), but monarch caterpillars easily cope and co-opt the deadly chemicals for their own defenses. It is evolutionary poetry. My “honorable mention” for favorite insect is the tarantula hawk wasp.

Are there any exciting directions that you think entomology is headed?

A few years ago I was involved with a project that aims to utilize remote sensing satellite imagery for detecting insect outbreaks based on localized phenological disturbances caused by rapid defoliation of trees. The technology is impressive and has major implications for forest and ecosystem health by giving land managers insight into where mitigation efforts should focus. I think those types of tools are going to be quite valuable and depend upon understanding the biology of the insects in question.

Thanks Clay! Learn more about Clay Morrow and his work at github.com/morrowcj and rufas.org/the-team.

Zachary Cohen, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher Florida Atlantic University’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Previously, he worked in a postdoctoral role at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in College Station, Texas. He currently serves as the Southwestern Branch representative to the ESA Early Career Professionals Committee. Email: [email protected].

All photos courtesy of Clay Morrow, Ph.D.