Rate My Professor Katja Poveda

Katja Poveda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She earned her PhD from the University of Göttingen, with a dissertation examining the effects of decomposers and herbivores on plant performance and aboveground plant-insect interactions. Poveda joined Cornell as an Assistant Professor around 2014 and was promoted to Associate Professor, recognizing her contributions to agroecology. Her research focuses on the ecology of plant-insect interactions in agricultural systems and their interfaces with natural habitats. She investigates how local and landscape-scale diversity influences ecosystem services such as pollination, herbivory, biological control, and crop yields. Her studies span agroecosystems in Colombia, Kenya, Malawi, Costa Rica, and the United States, emphasizing sustainable crop management strategies using trap crops, repellent plants, and flowering plants to attract natural enemies and pollinators. Poveda is committed to personalized mentoring and teaching students across educational levels.

Poveda has produced highly influential publications that shape the field of agroecology. Notable works include 'A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production' (Science Advances, 2019), cited over 1,100 times; 'Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018), with over 700 citations; 'When natural habitat fails to enhance biological pest control – Five hypotheses' (Biological Conservation, 2016); and 'A global synthesis of the effects of diversified farming systems on arthropod diversity within fields and across agricultural landscapes' (Global Change Biology, 2017). These papers highlight the roles of landscape composition, biodiversity, and farming practices in pest regulation and yield enhancement. She has received the CALS Young Faculty Teaching Excellence Award and secured funding from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, including grants for sustainable pest management and pollination resources. Her research informs sustainable agriculture by demonstrating how surrounding biodiversity supports pest control and increases yields in diversified systems. Poveda contributes to graduate fields in Entomology and actively participates in seminars and collaborative projects on integrated pest management.