I grew up in North East Scotland and studied Computing Support after high school. After several years, inspired by the book Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer, I decided to change direction and study Parasitology at the University of Aberdeen. I was drawn to a field of study that impacted people worldwide and hoped to be able to one day make a positive change. After my Honours project, studying a disease spreading fly species in Ghana, I decided to specialise in medical entomology.In 2009, I joined the Medical Entomology for Disease Control Masters programme at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which taught me about the arthropods that spread disease and the human pathogens they transmit. My MSc thesis began my relationship with the black soldier fly, researching whether the humble insect could be used to recycle toilet resources. I realised the potential for insects to make a massive positive change on the world and continued with post-graduate research. At the same time, funding was secured from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct a PhD on the topic. My PhD began in 2011 researching the benefits the BSF could bring to sanitation in low- and middle-income communities by providing a way to recycle toilet resources, and towards the end of completing my fieldwork in 2013, I was offered a Senior Researcher position at AgriProtein.During my time at AgriProtein I performed foundational research and product development and managed several projects, including improving technical processes and developing a quality management system. I was involved in a fundraiser of $105 million, managed PR and media relations, and held the role of Group Company Secretary. By late-2019, I had migrated twice: once into the Global Business Architect role, a position that leveraged big picture thinking and detailed data analysis to inform strategic business development; a second time physically from South Africa to California, in order to head up AgriProtein’s expansion into North America. In mid-2021, I joined PreZero US as an Organics Recycling Manager, where I developed and managed relationships with multiple external stakeholders, including regulators, trade associations, life-cycle assessment consultants, and research centers, and oversaw the regulatory and compliance requirements of the Organics division.In May 2023, I started with EnviroFlight as the Director of Regulatory Affairs and am very excited to apply the skills and experience I’ve learned over the years to help continue mature the insect-ag industry.