Research Associate 

Pragya is a research associate at the Center for Integrated Pest Management, NCSU, where she develops survey protocols for exotic pests that have the potential to enter the U.S. With a background in pest management in Virginia vineyards as a part of her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, Pragya has worked for five years in vineyards surveying the vineyard pests and working on their control. She has worked on research projects on grape berry moths, mealybugs and ants in vineyards. She has also worked as a Bugfest representative for Virginia Tech, Department of Entomology and volunteered for the Bugfest for four years. She received the Alwood Extension Award 2021 at the Virginia Cooperative Extension winter conference for her contributions to Extension and outreach education. Besides her work on outreach, she has also worked as a volunteer judge and special category judge for Scholarship in the annual Blue Ridge Highlands Regional Science Fair held every year in March from 2020 to 2023. Pragya has previously worked as a behind-the-scenes volunteer with the Natural History Museum in London.