Juan Corley

Juan Carlos Corley is an Argentine biologist (born in 1963). He is the youngest son of Bill Corley and Lorna Doubell. He studied at the University of Buenos Aires, graduating in 1989. He then obtained an M.Sc in Ecology at the University College of North Wales, Bangor (now University of Wales, Bangor) in 1993 and then defended his PhD dissertation back at the the University of Buenos Aires. His research interests lay in the interface between insect behavior and population dynamics, insect pest management and biosecurity.

Early life and education

Born in the British Hospital of the City of Buenos Aires, he grew up in the suburbs of the city of Buenos Aires, where he attended St Alban's College, a British-type school until the age of 15. He has two older siblings: Diana Cecilia and Stephen William. He completed his last 3 years of high school at Colegio Euskal-Echea, a Catholic school run by Franciscan priests, graduating in 1980. His early childhood was largely influenced by the Anglo-argentine community of suburban Buenos Aires, attending Sunday school at the Holy Trinity (Anglican) Church of Temperley and spending many long, humid summers at the Lawn Tennis Club in José Mármol and with the Boys Scouts. In 1981, with only 17 years old, he travelled on his own-backpacking- to several countries in Europe. His trip began in Buenos Aires, boarding the "Eugenio C" a passenger ship. In early 1982 he was drafted to the army. At that time, a military coupe governed the country and in April that year, they started a war against Great Britain for the sovereignty of Falkland (Malvinas) Islands (the Falkland Islands War). His knowledge of the English language prevented him from being drafted into the war scene, and remained instead in the mainland of Patagonia, under the argument that if the war escalated and the British invaded Argentina, translators would be needed. In June 1982, after a disastrous defeat, the war ended and he was discharged together with thousands of other privates. A combination of his acquired love for Patagonia, with an impossible entry quota instated at the University of Buenos Aires by the the military authorities, took him to live in the city of Bariloche and study biology there, in much smaller school. Using some savings and help from his parents he took off, in the late summer of 1983 in a pre-owned "2 cheveaux" Citroen (provided with a 425 CC engine), together with a friend and all their gear. The vehicle could reach a max speed of 86 km/h (according to manufacturer's manual). After 2 full years there, he returned to Buenos Aires where he completed his degree at the University of Buenos Aires, graduating in March 1989. That year saw Argentina fall in deep in an economic crisis, in which inflation rates peaked (in May 1989, it reached 764.5% annually) and unemployment soared (7.1%). Juan Corley married to Gabriela Rubinstein in March 1990 and worked teaching biology at a high school level until in 1992, he obtained a scholarship to pursue post-graduate studies in the UK. In 1993 he obtained an M.Sc. in Ecology at the University College of North Wales and in early 1994 returned to live in Bariloche, where he has resided since. He obtained his PhD in March 2001, again amidst another national economic and political crisis.

Career

Struggling to secure a proper job for years, he managed to obtain a PhD studentship in 1995, the year his eldest daughter Clara was born. It was only in April 2001 that he obtained full-time position at CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas) where he has worked since. In 2013 he applied for a part time teaching-job at the Ecology Department (Universidad Nacional del Comahue) where he teaches Population Ecology and Behavioural Ecology and since 2015 is member of the PhD steering committee of this university. As of 2021 he has published more than 100 scientific papers, has obtained numerous grants and supervised many PhD students. He founded the Insect Population Ecology at INTA (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agropecuaria) in Bariloche, and participated in the creation of the first joint INTA-CONICET research facility (IFAB, Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche) not located in a former research institute. Juan Corley also organized and led the XII Congreso Argentino de Entomologia in Bariloche, the I Jornadas Argentinas de Sanidad Forestal and has participated strongly in IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) as an office holder. In 2006, after a short stint in Cardiff (UK) he became Assistant Editor for the International Journal of Pest Management. In 2012, after the demise of Prof. Mark Jervis, Juan became Editor-in Chief of that scientific journal until 2021, when he moved on the be the Editor-in Chief of the prestigious journal of the Ecological Society of America, Ecological Applications. Among his mentors, 3 had notable influence. Angel Capurro (deceased 2001) was his PhD supervisor who introduced him simple mathematical modeling and an approach to the Argentinian scientific world, Carlos Bernstein (CNRS, University Claude Bernard-Lyon 1) shared with him as no other, evolutionary thinking and finally Mark Jervis (University of Wales, Cardiff) who introduced him into the world of scientific publications and editorial work.