Anjel Helms

Areas of Expertise

• Chemical ecology
• Plant-insect interactions
• Multitrophic interactions
• Belowground chemical ecology
• Chemical communication
• Plant defense

Professional Summary

Anjel Helms, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Entomology. Her research and teaching interests lie in the fields of chemical ecology and plant-insect interactions. Her research program has made significant contributions to sustainable agriculture and the fields of entomology, plant ecology and chemical ecology by characterizing novel, chemically mediated interactions among plants, invertebrates, and microorganisms and developing new applications of these findings to improve pest management. Her lab combines analytical chemistry and behavioral ecology in laboratory and field-based studies to investigate how organisms use chemistry to communicate and navigate within their environments, form associations with other organisms, and defend themselves against threats. Her research is specifically focused on addressing 1) how plants and insect herbivores use chemical information to assess their risk of attack and defend themselves, 2) how herbivore natural enemies use chemical information to locate potential prey, 3) how these interactions affect the broader ecological community, and 4) how this information can be applied to develop or improve pest management strategies. Over her career, she has helped secure more than $1.5 million in research funding from various agencies, including NSF, USDA AFRI, USDA SARE, USDA IPM, and industry partners.