Wednesday, August 26, 2026
3:00pm - 4:00pm
The peer review process is a cornerstone of scientific publishing, yet many students and early career professionals may not realize the variety of ways they can engage and contribute. This webinar will explore pathways into peer review and provide guidance on how individuals at different career stages can become involved. Panelists will share insights on navigating the publication process, participating as a reviewer, and contributing to a more effective and inclusive scientific community.
In addition, the webinar will highlight best practices for providing thoughtful, constructive reviewer feedback and discuss how reviewers and editors approach evaluating manuscripts. Bringing together perspectives from editors, reviewers, and researchers with diverse publishing experiences, this session aims to demystify the peer review process and encourage broader participation. A live Q&A will provide an opportunity for attendees to engage directly with panelists and explore strategies for getting involved in scientific publishing.
Moderator: Morgan Pinkerton
Panelists: Demian Gomez, Jeremy Irvine, Therese Poland, Lisa Neven
 | Dr. Demian Gomez is the Regional Forest Health Coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service. His work focuses on early detection, management, and regional initiatives to address forest pests. He coordinates forest health projects across Central and West Texas with government, academic, and private partners. |
 | Jeremy Irvine is a Vanier Scholar and PhD student in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan where he is investigating integrated pest management in forage seed systems. His research focuses on the chemical ecology and integrated management of insect pests in forage seed systems, especially in northern agricultural regions. He is deeply committed to science communication, and much of his work centers on building inclusive communities both within and beyond academia. |
 | Therese Poland is a Research Entomologist and Project Leader of the “Ecology and Management of Invasive Insects and Forest Ecosystems” unit with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station in East Lansing, Michigan. She completed her Master of Pest Management and Ph.D. degrees at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia where she studied pheromones of bark beetles that attack pines and spruce trees. Therese worked as a research associate with Phero Tech, Inc. on developing and testing insect traps and pheromone lures to manage forest insects before joining the Forest Service in 1997. Her research with the Forest Service has focused on developing improved detection tools and management strategies for several invasive insects that threaten North American forests including pine shoot beetle, Asian longhorned beetle, and emerald ash borer. She is currently collaborating on projects evaluating biological of emerald ash borer, developing resistant ash trees, and improving remote sensing tools for early detection of forest pests and diseases. Therese has served as a judge for student presentations, session moderator, and co-organizer of symposia at several ESA meetings over the years and has served as co-Editor-in-Chief for Environmental Entomology since 2019. She also served as Editor of the The Great Lakes Entomologist from 2002-2016, and currently serves as a subject editor for The Canadian Entomologist and as an associate editor for Agricultural and Forest Entomology. |
 | Lisa G. Neven, Ph.D. is a co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Economic Entomology. She served as a subject editor for JEE from 2001 to 2024. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology from the University of Notre Dame and her B.S. in Zoology from the University of Florida. She worked as a Research Entomologist for the USDA-ARS from 1992 to 2025 in Yakima Washington and is currently retired. She worked in environmental physiology, molecular biology, postharvest quarantine treatments, insect thermal physiology, insect transgenesis, and ecological niche modeling. |
Note: Starting in February 2026, live webinar attendance will be an ESA members-only benefit. Join ESA now so you can tune in live to upcoming ESA webinars, engage with panelists, and ask questions. Recorded webinars will be available free in video and podcast format approximately 1-2 weeks after the original event date.