Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, 2017
  • M.S., Entomology, Cornell University, 2013
  • B.S., Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, 2011
Professional Affiliations
  • Entomological Society of America (ESA)
  • National Pest Management Association (NPMA)

Dr. Rakim Turnipseed is a corporate entomologist specializing in applied entomology, pesticide science, and product development. He has 10+ years of industry experience in the competitive pesticide manufacturing space as a strategic technical partner, senior leader and subject matter expert. Dr. Turnipseed has routinely been involved in the development, including ideation, validation and commercialization, of pesticide products encompassing conventional pesticides, biopesticides, 25(b) minimum risk pesticides, pesticidal devices, genetically engineered organisms. He has been extensively involved as a technical lead in the registration, including label expansion(s), of pesticide products with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states including the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR). Dr. Turnipseed also has extensive experience with international government pesticide regulatory authorities spanning from the development stages to commercialization.

Dr. Turnipseed is a technical leader who has used his expertise in pesticide science and product development to facilitate the commercialization of pesticides in both professional and consumer markets. He is skilled at bridging the gap between regulatory data requirements and customer expectations in addition to developing customer-centric product performance protocols, which maximizes the potential of product success for manufacturers and distributors. Dr. Turnipseed has used his expertise to develop and implement novel methodologies used to assess performance of pesticides in laboratory, semi-field, and field trial settings. Further, he has experience with experimental use permits (EUPs), comparative product sustainability assessments, good laboratory practices (GLP) and good experimental practices (GEP).

Dr. Turnipseed approaches projects with an applied entomology and robust product development background, which reflect his passion for the development of customer-centric pest control solutions employed to safeguard public health and ensure food security.