Principal Investigator
Apurba Barman
Dr. Apurba Barman leads an integrated research and Extension program focused on sustainable pest management strategies for pecan and citrus production systems in Georgia and the southeastern United States. His research program combines insect ecology, biological control, host plant resistance, behavioral management, molecular approaches, and emerging artificial intelligence and precision agriculture technologies to address critical pest challenges affecting specialty crops.
Dr. Barman’s work has contributed to improved understanding and management of economically important pests, including ambrosia beetles, Prionus root borers, pecan aphids, pecan nut casebearer, citrus leafminer, and Asian citrus psyllid. His program also investigates insect-vectored bacterial pathogens and integrates innovative tools such as molecular biology and artificial intelligence-based pest detection and precision agriculture technologies to improve monitoring and management efficiency.
Through extensive Extension engagement, including grower meetings, field demonstrations, and statewide educational programs, Dr. Barman translates research findings into practical recommendations that support sustainable crop production and agricultural profitability. Prior to joining University of Georgia, he held academic and research positions at Texas A&M University, University of California, and Assam Agricultural University. With more than two decades of experience across multiple cropping systems, his program continues to advance practical, sustainable pest management solutions for specialty agriculture.
Dr. Barman’s Google Scholar | Dr. Barman’s UGA Faculty Profile
Post Doctoral Researchers
Rajendra Acharya
Dr. Rajendra Acharya is a Postdoctoral researcher in the Barman Lab. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Entomology from Kyungpook National University in 2022. His research focuses on developing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for major pecan pests in Georgia, including ambrosia beetles, pecan aphids, hickory shuckworm, and pecan nut casebearer.
Dr. Acharya’s research background includes work on globally important agricultural pests such as fall armyworm, whiteflies, and tomato leafminer, with emphasis on biological control approaches involving entomopathogenic nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and predatory insects. His current work in the Barman Lab focuses on sustainable, science-based pest management solutions that improve monitoring and reduce reliance on conventional insecticides in specialty crop systems.
Vishal Patil
Vishal Patil joined Dr. Barman’s Lab as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in June 2024. He completed his Ph.D. in Life Sciences in 2023 from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where his research focused on mechanisms underlying systemic immune responses in plants. Prior to joining University of Georgia, he worked at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute on thrips- and whitefly-vectored viral diseases.
His current research focuses on molecular mechanisms of insect-plant interactions in pecan and citrus systems, with emphasis on plant defense responses, transcriptomics, and insect-associated microbial interactions. Using molecular biology and genomics approaches, his work aims to improve understanding of how insect pests alter plant defense pathways and influence host susceptibility, ultimately contributing to sustainable pest management strategies for specialty crops.
Graduate Students
Shivakumar Veerlapati
Shivakumar Veerlapati joined the Barman Lab as a Ph.D. candidate in 2023. Before joining this lab, he completed MS in entomology from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, India in 2021.
His research focuses on integrated pest management of insect and mite pests in pecan and citrus production systems. Shivakumar currently investigates the biology of the black pecan aphid across different pecan cultivars, along with studies on population genetics, toxicology bioassays, field population monitoring, and evaluation of insecticidal field trials. More broadly, his research interests include plant-insect interactions, insect behavior, integrated pest management, and the biology and management of spider mites.
Madhav Koirala
Madhav Koirala joined the Barman Lab in Summer 2024 as an M.S. student. His research focuses on the seasonal dynamics of citrus pests and beneficial insects in Georgia citrus production systems. His work involves insect sampling from multiple citrus orchards using suction sampling, visual sampling, leaf sampling, yellow sticky cards, and pheromone traps, followed by insect identification through morphology and molecular barcoding.
Madhav is also interested in developing spatiotemporal distribution models and computer vision-based insect detection systems to improve monitoring and management of insect pests in citrus production systems.
Oludare Odumuyiwa
Oludare Odumuyiwa earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture with a focus on Plant Science from the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. He joined the Barman Lab as a master’s student in summer 2025 with interests in interdisciplinary approaches for insect pest management in crop production systems.
His research interests focus on plant-insect interactions and the application of emerging technologies such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Remote Sensing, GIS, Machine Learning, and relevant AI tools for efficient monitoring and management of pest species. Currently, Oludare is working on area-wide monitoring and management of Asian citrus psyllid in Georgia citrus production systems to help reduce pest pressure and support sustainable crop production. He is also working to integrate predictive analytics and ecological modelling approaches by combining explainable machine learning with biological knowledge of key Citrus pests towards ecologically realistic and interpretable predictions of pest dynamics under changing environmental conditions.
Aurelie Arbatowicz
Aurelie Arbatowicz earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Middle Georgia State University and joined the Barman lab as a master’s student in summer of 2026 with an interest in pecan pest management. Her previous research focused on peach and pecan pest systems, which involved mating disruption in peach pests and insecticide efficacy on pecan pests.
Former Lab Members
Jayci Kelly
Jayci Kelly participated in the Young Scholar Program at Tift County High School and contributed to laboratory and field research activities related to insect monitoring and pecan pest management.
Andrea Oliveira
Andrea Oliveira was a visiting Ph.D. student from Federal University of Viçosa who collaborated on projects involving insect ecology, pest management, and applied agricultural research in pecan system.