Harrison, Jon

Jon Harrison is an environmental physiologist who studies how insects function, interact with their environment, and evolve. His research ranges from studying how environmental and genetic factors affect growth and development of fruit flies, to how overgrazing affects locust outbreaks.

He and his collaborators also study how genes and the environment interact to alter animal metabolism and oxygen delivery systems. To do this, they look at how Drosophila fruit fly growth and development change when certain sensory genes are inactivated.

The research that Harrison and his team conduct may have broad impacts on societies and industry. Recently, he gained funding to develop bio-inspired micro-injection devices and remote-controlled insect flight. Harrison will also develop agro-economic policies to help reduce the impacts of locust outbreaks in Asia.