Associate Professor Theo Evans
Associate Professor Theo Evans is the leading termite researcher in Australia, recognised as a global expert, with extensive knowledge on many aspects of termite biology and behaviour.
His research has included field work in over 20 countries, which has included studies covering the evaluation and development of a range of termite management products. As result he has served on advisory committees to the Governments in Australia, Fiji and the US and has provided consultancy services to many businesses. Notably, he has been involved in the development of the Australian Standards documents for termite management.
In addition to his research, Dr Evans lectures in a number of units in Zoology and Biology and Agriculture undergraduate course, and the masters course in Agriculture. He is also sort after as a speaker at international conferences on termites.
Current Position
Dr Theo Evans is an Associate Professional at the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia.
Experience
Dr Evans has a research career spanning over 30 years and has built a reputation as the leading termite researcher in Australia and indeed one of the most eminent researchers globally.
Dr Evans spent the first have of his career with CSIRO, with a lot of his time focused on termite research, but also in evaluating a range of termite management products, often in field trials for the generation of product registration data.
After leaving CSIRO, he spent some time at the National University of Singapore before taking up his current role at the University of Western Australia. As a result, he has worked on termites in many parts of the world, with fieldwork in over 20 countries on six continents, particularly Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, and the USA.
Interests
Although Dr Evans has carried out extensive work understanding termite behaviour and evaluating termite management products, he is also interested in their evolution, genetics and ecology. His research has discovered a range of benefits that results from termite foraging – increased soil nutrients and moisture, improved wheat yields and seedling survival.
He current area of termite research is focused on how termites use vibration signals in their behaviour and communication. Having already discovered termites use vibrations to determine the size of a piece of wood and identify the nearby presence of other termite species and predatory ants, he active projects are investigating the potential for the use of vibration in termite management systems.
Although much of his research is focused on termites, Dr Evans is also involved in research programs on dung beetles and store product pests.
Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Melbourne – Zoology.
Bachelor of Science Hons (Zoology), University of Western Australia.
Bachelor of Science (Zoology / Marine Biology), James Cook University (Queensland, Australia).
Publications
Dr Evans has published over nearly 200 scientific papers, predominantly on termite research.
Two of his must read articles from Termite Professional magazine include:
