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Education:

• Bachelor of Agriculture ¨C Plant Protection: Zhejiang Agricultural University, 1984.

• Master of Science ¨C Entomology: Zhejiang Agricultural University, 1987.

• Doctor of Philosophy ¨C Entomology: Zhejiang Agricultural University (currently Zhejiang University), 1994.

Professional Experience

• 1987-1990, Professor Assistant, Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang Agricultural University, Hangzhou, China

• 1996-1997, Postdoc research, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, The Netherlands

• 1997-1998, Deputy Director of Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang Agricultural University, Hangzhou, China

• 1998 to present, Professor, Institute of Insect Sciences, Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

• 1998-2001, Vice Director of Institute of Applied Entomology, Deputy Director of Department of Plant Protection, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

• 1998-2001,2003-2004, Research visitors at CBIT & Department of Entomology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia for one to two months each year

• 2001-2002, Visiting Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

• 2002 to present,Head of Department of Plant Protection, Vice Director of Institute of Insect Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

• 2007 to present, Vice Dean of China Academy of West Region Development (CAWD), Zhejiang University.

Major Research Interests

• Evolutionary biology, including systematics, molecular phylogeny and evolution, developmental biology of Hymenopteran parasitoids, especially the family Braconidae;

• Physiological interaction between parasitoids and host insects with particular reference to the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of the host larvae by parasitoids;

• Biological control of insect pests using parasitoids;

• Plant quarantine and invasive biology of exotic insect pests;

• IPM of agricultural insect pests;

• Bio-safety of transgenic crops.

Research Activity

Parasitoid wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera) constitute one of the most specious groups of terrestrial organisms with probably 1 million species worldwide (the majority as yet undescribed, especially in China). They are of major importance in both natural ecosystems and agriculture and forestry. Some of them have been exploited in many successful biocontrol enterprises. My research on parasitoid wasps used to cover from systematics (taxonomy and phylogenetics), morphology and ultra-structure, biodiversity, biogeography, development of parasitoid immature stages, investigation and evaluation of parasitoids of insect pests, to utilization of parasitoids as biological control agents in both IPM and biological control programs in China.

Since 1990¡¯s, this focus has been expanded to understand speciation, molecular phylogeny and evolution of parasitoids, and co-evolution of parasitoids and their hosts. We have been sequencing 16S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and cyt b genes, and more recently the whole genome of mitochondrial NDA of a large number of parasitoid species in China and analyzed the molecular phylogenies at generic, subfamily and family levels. Using the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), as host, we have also been conducting research on physiological interaction between host and its three parasitoid species (each having the different kinds of associated factors, such as venom, polydnavirus (PDV) and teratocyte) and the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of host larvae by parasitoid-associated factors.

In recent years we have also been conducting applied research on plant quarantine, insect pest management, and bio-safety of transgenic crops. We have been cooperating with the University of Queensland in Australia on the project ¡°Quarantine Decision Support and Training Aids for China and Australia¡± supported by ACIAR, and a web-based system for both domestic and international plant quarantine in China has been developed and accessible via http://www.insect-zju.org. We have been launching several programs (both national and provincial levels) on the recently invaded insect, the super-bug, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera) in Zhejiang, China with particular reference to its parasitoids and biocontrol. We have identified several newly recorded insect pests from the urban ecosystem and analyzed the new trends for the occurrence of insect pests in the current urban ecosystem in China. In last five years the citrus borer, Agrilus auriventris Saunders (Coleoptera), had caused serious loss on citrus production in the citrus growing area in the southeast China, therefore we are now focusing on an IPM project incorporating with basic research results into practice to develop and improve the pest management system in citrus gardens against this pest. We have also been carrying out research on the bio-safety of transgenic Bt rice, especially the impact on the natural enemies and insect community since 1998.

Professional and Scientific Organizations and Societies

• National Natural Science Foundation of China: Member of Expert Advisory Committee of Biological Sciences

• Plant Protection Society of China: Member of the Standing Council, Deputy chair of the Bio-safety Committee

• Entomological Society of China: Deputy chair of the Insect Systematics and Biodiversity Committee; Deputy chair of     the Pest Biological Control Committee

• Plant Protection Society of Zhejiang province, China: Vice president

• Entomological Society of Zhejiang Province: Member of the Standing Council

• Member of Editorial Board: Bulletin of Entomological Research, Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica, Entomaological Journal     of East China; Journal of Environmental Entomology.

Awards and Honours

• Award for Excellent Scientist of Biological Control, the Pu Zhelong Fund for Young Scholars, 2007

• Winner of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 2006

• Winner of Special Government Allowance, the State Council, China, 2006

• Award for Excellent Teacher, Baogang Education Fund, 2000

• Award for Outstanding Young Scientist, Zhejiang Provincial Government, 1999

• Award for Outstanding Young Scientist, China Entomological Society, 1997

• Seven awards for research achievements from the Zhejiang Province, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Forestry,     China (1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2004).

Major ongoing research projects

1. Ecological impact of transgenic crops on diversity of plants and invertebrates, 973 program, 2007CB109202£¬2007-2011;

2. Systematics of important subfamilies of Braconidae and their evolutionary adaptation to the parasitic habits. National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, No.30625006, 2007-2010

3. Interactions between natural enemies and their host insect pests and the underlying mechanism, 973 program, No.2006CB102005, 2006-2010;

4. Biological control of agricultural insect pests, the Innovation Research Team Program of the Ministry of Education of China, No.IRT0355, 2006-2008;

5. Adult morphology and their evolutionary adaptation to the parasitic habits of the family Braconidae (Hymenoptera), NSFC, No.30570193, 2006-2008;

6. The occurrence, emergency treatment and ecological control techniques of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Type Q, National Key Technology R&D Program, 2006BAD08A17£¬2006-2008;

7. The species diversity, biogeography and molecular phylogeny of the subfamily Braconinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in China, NCET, No.04-0521, 2005-2009;

8. The invasion of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci in Zhejiang and its control, Provincial NSF, No. Y305258, 2006-2008.

Teaching Activity

Instructor for the following courses:
£¨1£© Cultural Entomology (undergraduate students)
£¨2£© Introduction to Plant Protection (undergraduate students)
£¨3£© Insect Systematics (Master students)
£¨4£© Insect Biogeography (Master & PhD students)
£¨5£© Selected Topics on General Entomology (PhD students)
£¨6£© Insect Molecular Science (PhD students)
£¨7£© Bio-Safety (PhD students)
Supervision of Postgraduate Students:
£¨1£© Major supervisor for 25 MSc students from 1995 to 2008
£¨2£© Major supervisor for 25 PhD students from 1999 to 2008

Recent publications (correspondence author marked with ¡°*¡±)

1. Meng XF, Shi M, Chen XX*, 2008. Population genetic structure of Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae): strong subdivision in China inferred from microsatellite markers and mtDNA gene sequences. Molecular Ecology, 17(12): 2880-289

2. Shi M, Chen YF, Huang F, Liu PC, Zhou XP, Chen XX*, 2008. Characterization of a novel gene encoding ankyrin repeat domain from Cotesia vestalis polydnavirus (CvBV). Virology, 375(2): 374-382

3. Chen YF, Shi M, Huang F, Chen XX*, 2008. Characterization of an I¦ÊB-like gene in Cotesia vestalis polydnavirus. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology, 68(2): 71-78

4. Shi M, Chen YF, Yao Y, Huang F, Chen XX*, 2008. Characterization of a protein tyrosine phosphatase gene CvBV202 from Cotesia vestalis polydnavirus (CvBV). Virus Genes, 36: 595-601

5. Shi M, Chen YF, Huang F, Zhou XP, Chen XX*, 2008. Characterization of a novel Cotesia vestalis polydnavirus (CvBV) gene containing ser-rich motif expressed in Plutella xylostella larvae. BMB reports ( formerly Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), 41(8): 587-592

6. Yu RX, Huang F, Shi M, Chen XX*, 2008. Immature development of Cotesia vestalis (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an endoparasitoid of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 101(1): 189-196

7. Huang F, Shi M, Chen YF, Cao TT, Chen XX*, 2008. Oogenesis of Diadegma semiclausum (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) and its associated polydnavirus. Microscopy Research and Technique, 71(9): 676-683

8. Chen YF, Shi M, Huang F, Chen XX*. 2007. Characterization of two genes of Cotesia vestalis polydnavirus and their expression patterns in the host Plutella xylostella. Journal of General Virology, 88: 3317-3322

9. Huang F, Yu RX, Chen XX*. 2007. Ultrastructure of the male reproductive system of Cotesia vestalis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with preliminary characterization of the secretions.Microscopy Research and Technique, 70(7): 563-571

10. Yu RX, Chen YF, Chen XX*, Huang F, Lou YG, Liu SS. 2007. Effects of venom/calyx fluid from the endoparasitic wasp Cotesia plutellae on the hemocytes of its host Plutella xylostella in vitro. Journal of Insect Physiology, 53(1): 22-29

11. Li FF, Ye GY, Wu Q, Peng YF, Chen XX*. 2007. Arthropod abundance and diversity in Bt and non-Bt rice fields.Environmental Entomology, 36(3): 646-654

12. Shi M, Chen XX*, 2005. Molecular phylogeny of the Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) based on DNA sequences of 16S rRNA, 18S rDNA and ATPase 6 genes. European Journal of Entomology, 102: 133-138

13. Shi M, Chen XX*, van Achterberg C, 2005. Phylogenetic relationships among the Braconidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea) inferred from partial 16S rDNA, 28S rDNA D2, 18S rDNA gene sequences and morphological characters. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 37(1): 104-116

14. Chen XX*, Whitfield JB, He JH, 2004. Revision of the subfamily Cardiochilinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in China. I. Austerocardiochiles, Eurycardiochiles and Psilommiscus.Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington, 106 (1): 35-51

15. Chen XX*, Lang FY, Xu ZH, He JH, Ma Y, 2003. The occurrence of leafminers (Diptera: Agromyzidae) and their parasitoids (Hymenoptera) on vegetables and weeds in Hangzhou area, Southeast China. BioControl, 48 (5): 515-527

Books

1. Chen XX, He JH, 2006. Parasitoids and Predators of Forest Pests in China. Beijing, China Forestry Publishing House, 216 pp.

2. Chen XX, He JH, Ma Y. 2004. Fauna Sinica: Insecta Vol.37. Hymenoptera: Braconidae (II). Beijing: Science Press, 1-581

3. He JH, Chen XX, Ma Y. 2000. Fauna Sinica: Insecta Vol.37. Hymenoptera: Braconidae (I). Beijing: Science Press, 1-757

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