The China edge that lured the world’s top-flight insect detective

As a world expert on insect migration, Jason Chapman knows a thing or two about the impact of travel. The top British ecologist has now made his own move, a career decision that has underscored the growing prominence of China in the fields of natural science.

Chapman’s decision to leave Britain for a full-time position at a Chinese university reflects the country’s expanding global influence in research.

This includes a cutting-edge radar that can track flying insects, technology that the acclaimed behavioural ecologist could not resist.

Substantial financial support and a commitment to agricultural research had helped China develop world-class entomological radar technology, Chapman said.

“China is now certainly the world leader in radar entomology, with many people working in this field,” said Chapman, who worked at the University of Exeter before moving to Nanjing Agricultural University (NJAU) in June.

Chapman’s research focuses on the evolution of insect migration strategies and the impact of long-range movements. When he joined Rothamsted Research in Britain as a postdoctoral fellow in 1999, his lab was one of the few teams worldwide pioneering the application and research of entomological radar.