echirgwin@cesaraustralia.com
Evatt Chirgwin
Senior Research Scientist
Bachelor of Science with Honours (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology), PhD Evolutionary Biology and Climate Change
echirgwin@cesaraustralia.com
Evatt is an evolutionary biologist whose research focuses on improving integrated pest management (IPM) outcomes for Australian growers.
At Cesar Australia, his work has involved leading the world’s first discovery of insecticide resistance in bluegreen aphids and supporting the pasture seed and grains industries in managing this emerging challenge. He currently leads a GRDC-funded project investigating how augmenting natural parasitoid populations can improve aphid biocontrol in canola.
Evatt also collaborates with the University of Melbourne through the Australian Grains and Horticulture Pest Innovation Program, exploring how endosymbionts (bacteria that live within most insects) can slow the spread of aphid-transmitted viruses.
He is committed to translating research into practical tools for growers, sharing results through field days, industry events, and advisory roles.
Outside of work, Evatt loves hiking and searching for rocks to climb or dive spots along the coast.
Qiong Yang, Alex Gill, Wenjuan Yu, Perran A. Ross, Evatt Chirgwin, Xinyue Gu, Chinmayee Joglekar, Owen J. Holland, Jia Chang, Paul A. Umina, Ary A. Hoffmann (2026) A Rickettsiella transinfection in Rhopalosiphum padi reduces fitness and alate production but not plant virus transmission. Pest Management Science (Online early).
Joshua A. Thia, Benjamin J. Hunt, Shuchao Wang, Bartłomiej J. Troczka, Evatt Chirgwin, Courtney J. Brown, Rumi Sakamoto, Monica Stelmach, Kelly Richardson, Leonhard S. Arinanto, Ashritha P. S. Dorai, Chinmayee Joglekar, Qiong Yang, Marielle Babineau, Chris Bass, Paul A. Umina, Ary A. Hoffmann (2025) Spread of a single superclone drives insecticide resistance in Acyrthosiphon kondoi across an invasive range. Molecular Biology and Evolution 42(11): msaf246.
Wenjuan Yu, Qiong Yang, Alex Gill, Evatt Chirgwin, Xinyue Gu, Chinmayee Joglekar, Paul A. Umina, Ary A. Hoffmann (2025) A persistent bacterial Regiella transinfection in the bird cherry–oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi increases host fitness and decreases plant virus transmission. Pest Management Science 81: 2791–2799.
Ashritha Dorai, Paul A. Umina, Evatt Chirgwin, Qiong Yang, Xinyue Gu, Joshua Thia, Ary A. Hoffmann (2024) Novel transinfections of Rickettsiella do not affect insecticide tolerance in Myzus persicae, Rhopalosiphum padi or Diuraphis noxia. Journal of Economic Entomology 117: 1377–1384.
Lisa Kirkland, Marielle Babineau, Samantha Ward, Anthony van Rooyen, Evatt Chirgwin, Luis Mata, Paul A. Umina (2024) Assessing the risk of resistance to flonicamid and afidopyropen in green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) via in vivo selection. Crop Protection 184: 106783.
Lisa Kirkland, Evatt Chirgwin, Samantha Ward, Benjamin Congdon, Anthony van Rooyen, Paul A. Umina (2023) P450-mediated resistance in Myzus persicae reduces the efficacy of neonicotinoid seed treatments in Brassica napus. Pest Management Science 79: 1851–1859.
Paul A. Umina, Leo McGrane, Joshua Thia, Evatt Chirgwin, Ary A. Hoffmann (2023) From laboratory to field: Laboratory-measured pesticide resistance reflects outcomes of field-based control in the redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor. Experimental and Applied Acarology 89: 379–392.
Evatt Chirgwin, Stuart Kemp, James Maino, Marielle Babineau, Isobel Roberts, Alana Govender, Paul A. Umina (2022) Beneficial invertebrates of dairy pastures in south-eastern Australia. Crop and Pasture Science 73: 716–731.
Aston Arthur, Lisa Kirkland, Evatt Chirgwin, Anthony van Rooyen, Paul A. Umina (2022) Baseline susceptibility of Australian Myzus persicae to novel insecticides flonicamid and afidopyropen. Crop Protection 158: 105992.
Evatt Chirgwin, Qiong Yang, Paul A. Umina, Alex Gill, Safi Soleimannejad, Xinyue Gu, Perran Ross, Ary A. Hoffmann (2022) Fungicides have transgenerational effects on Rhopalosiphum padi but not their endosymbionts. Pest Management Science 78: 4709–4718.
Paul A. Umina, Chris Bass, Anthony van Rooyen, Evatt Chirgwin, Aston Arthur, Adam Pym, Jo Mackisack, Andrew Mathews, Lisa Kirkland (2022) Spirotetramat resistance in Myzus persicae and its association with the A2666V mutation. Pest Management Science 78: 4822–4831.
Paul A. Umina, Jenny Reidy-Crofts, Owain Edwards, Evatt Chirgwin, Samantha Ward, James Maino, Marielle Babineau (2022) Susceptibility of the cowpea aphid to widely used insecticides in Australia. Journal of Economic Entomology 115: 143–150.
Evatt Chirgwin, Tim Connallon, Keyne Monro (2021) The thermal environment at fertilisation mediates adaptive potential in the sea. Evolution Letters 5: 154–163.
Paul A. Umina, Stuart Kemp, Marielle Babineau, James Maino, Isobel Roberts, Alana Govender, Garrick McDonald, Alison Popay, David Hume, Scott Hardwick, Nicola Richards, Olivia Reynolds, Evatt Chirgwin (2021) Pests of Australian dairy pastures: Distribution, seasonality and potential impacts on pasture production. Austral Entomology 60: 763–781.
Evatt Chirgwin, Keyne Monro (2020) Correlational selection on size and development time is inconsistent across early life stages. Evolutionary Ecology 34: 681–691.
Evatt Chirgwin, Dustin Marshall, Keyne Monro (2020) Physical and physiological impacts of ocean warming alter phenotypic selection on sperm morphology. Functional Ecology 34: 646–657.
Evatt Chirgwin, Dustin Marshall, Carla Sgrò, Keyne Monro (2018) How does parental environment influence the potential for adaptation to global change? Proceedings of the Royal Society B 285: 20181374.
Evatt Chirgwin, Dustin Marshall, Carla Sgrò, Keyne Monro (2017) The other 96%: Can neglected sources of fitness variation offer new insights into adaptation to global change? Evolutionary Applications 10: 267–275.
Evatt Chirgwin, Keyne Monro, Carla Sgrò, Dustin Marshall (2015) Revealing hidden evolutionary capacity to cope with global change. Global Change Biology 21: 3356–3366.