Sydney Crawley was born in a rural city near Lexington, Kentucky (Go Cats!), and growing up adjacent to cattle and tobacco farms shaped her love of the natural world. She had an array of outdoor hobbies, including fishing, hiking, and cross-country running, which led to her interest in animal behavior and entomology. Sydney earned a B.A. in biology from Transylvania University. After a brief stint as an undergraduate research assistant in molecular virology, she pursued a medical and urban entomology career. In 2011, she enrolled in the entomology program at the University of Kentucky, studying bed bug biology, behavior, and chemical ecology, and graduated with a Ph.D. in 2016.

Following a brief post-doctoral fellowship, Sydney accepted a position as a Scientist at Scotts Miracle-Gro in Marysville, Ohio. At Scotts, Sydney was responsible for supporting biological research associated with insect pests of the home, garden, lawn, and landscape. She designed and executed both field and laboratory research trials that supported multiple product launches under the Ortho brand. In her position, she learned to understand consumers’ and homeowners’ pest management needs and meet them.

Sydney’s time at Scotts helped foster her interest in serving the public and providing scientific information to stakeholders. This interest led to her current role at NC State as an Extension specialist and assistant professor, which she started in August 2019. Sydney is currently developing her research and Extension program, which will focus on assisting consumers and professionals in safe, cost-effective, and scientifically-sound urban pest management. Sydney is interested in the biology and behavior of urban pests and how we can use this knowledge to enhance integrated pest management (IPM) strategies in various urban settings.