Dr. Christine Noronha obtained her Ph.D degree in entomology from McGill University. She is currently a research scientist (entomology, IPM) at the Charlottetown Research and Development Centre (AAFC) in PEI. Her research focuses on developing insect pest management strategies for agricultural crops. She started researching pollen beetles in canola in 2013, when she found it damaging canola field in PEI. Being an invasive species there was not much known about this pest in Canada. Predictions of its eventual movement into the major canola growing areas instigated research into gathering more relevant information on this pest.
Dr. Noronha has presented her research at several national and international conferences including the International Rape seed conference and published a book chapter on “Pollen beetles in North America.” In addition to pollen beetle, she also conducts research on other insect pest species, namely Colorado potato beetle, European corn borer, wireworms, and aphids.
In 2016, she received the Agrologists Recognition Award for outstanding contributions to agriculture from the Prince Edward Island Institute of Agrologists and in 2021 she received the influential women in Canadian agriculture award. She is regularly invited to present her research at grower meeting and provide advice on pest control strategies.