NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO.—Dr. Jamel Sandidge has joined Rockwell Labs Ltd as a research entomologist. The Virginia native received his bachelor’s of science degree in cellular and molecular Biology from Virginia Tech. He then went on to the University of Kansas and received a master’s degree in entomology and a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology. Sandidge’s Ph.D. dissertation focused on the distribution, population ecology, and genetics of brown recluse spiders in urban habitats.
Considered as a leading expert in brown recluse spiders, Sandidge has consulted on the subject since 2001, lecturing widely and being interviewed extensively in the popular press. He authored the book Brown Recluse Spiders: A Knowledge Based Guide to Control and Elimination in 2009.
In addition to his consulting practice, Dr. Sandidge operated a general pest control business in the Kansas City area from 2004 to 2009. He sold the business in 2009 and returned to academia, working as a lecture professor and laboratory manager at the University of Kansas.
“I’m delighted Jamel has come on board,” says Dr. Cisse Spragins, Rockwell’s CEO. “I’m confident that we’ll provide him the mix of intellectual challenge and practical applications that he seeks, while greatly benefiting our product development process.
“Jamel is creative at many levels,” Spragins adds. “An entertaining example is the ‘Biorap’ he wrote and performed to help his students remember the geologic time scale, which belies his normally quiet and studious demeanor.”
Sandidge’s primary role in the company will be research and development; however, he will also be available to speak at conferences from time to time and is currently scheduled to speak at the University of Kentucky Pest Control Short Course in October.
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