Dr. Mohammed El Damir is a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE) with research, industrial hands-on, technical, outreach, and academic experiences in pest management/entomology related works. He completed his Ph.D. from the University of Vermont (UVM) specializing in Entomology. His research included the protection of staple food crops and the incorporation of entomopathogenic fungi as biological control agents of insects as part of a comprehensive integrated pest management program (IPM). Previously, he obtained an M.S. degree in Plant Protection specializing in Entomology. During this period he worked on developing the use of host plant resistance to manage insect pests in wheat and legume crops at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), a reputable organization in Syria. Recently, he holds a technical and training director position for a major mid-western pest control firm. His duties involve developing written field pest management procedures and providing identification of insects and other arthropods for company technicians and the public. He provides training to company personnel, speaks at trade conferences, and is part of planning committee for a state re-licensing conference. He developed procedures for eradicating bed bugs from private and commercial properties, a serious problem receiving wide media attention. He has recently been appointed as a board member in the commercial division of the National Pest Management Association and is on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Pest Management Association.