Curiosity takes eco-friendly breakthrough from lab to consumer

When faculty member Murray Isman visits the U.S., you may glimpse a smile when he spots an EcoSMART product.

The Professor of Entomology and Toxicology, who resides within UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, has been instrumental in helping the company develop a suite of products, containing environmentally friendly pesticides and insecticides.

“I was always interested in nature,” he explains. “As a child I was a collector of insects and biological stuff.”

This innate curiosity led Murray to study zoology at UBC (he holds Bachelor and Master degrees) with the intention of becoming a marine biologist. But an encounter with an instructor of entomology (the study of insects) changed everything.

“I would consider myself an entomologist from that point on” he says. “One aspect that really interested me was insect/plant relationships and how they are influenced by plant chemistry.”

Murray’s research was initially driven by curiosity, at a time when chemical ecology was a fledgling field (of inquiry). He then became involved in a research project with a more practical focus – understanding tomato plant resistance to pests.

“I would say the game changer in my research was a natural insecticide discovered from the neem tree in India,” he explains. “There was a scramble for people to develop products from the neem tree, and one of my graduate students suggested that we do some work on it.”

Murray’s research gained wider recognition and he was approached by a local company, interested in developing such a product. He was successful in securing federal funding which enabled him to establish a large lab group.

Then along came EcoSMART, expressing an interest in developing products linked to essential oils. The company’s business model at that time involved using universities and private laboratories to conduct their research. Years later Murray continues to be a founding member of their scientific advisory panel.

“It is nice to see EcoSMART products on the shelves of grocery stores across the U.S., and remember those humble beginnings in the lab,” he says.

In recent years Murray has continued his work, while also holding the role of Dean within the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (he stepped down last year). He is also involved in a research project, working with small-scale farmers in Africa.

So what’s next for Murray Isman? Although his thoughts are turning to retirement in 2017, he plans to continue to be a regular face in the Faculty, alongside his dog Lola.

He continues: “UBC has created an excellent physical and intellectual environment to play at my career. This university is designed to encourage creative thinking and problem solving. It is by creating new knowledge, that we enrich society at every level.”