Welcome to Inventive Women

For more than a decade, Dr. Karen Lee Bailey has worked in the field of Biotechnology, contributing to a greater understanding of agriculture and pest and weed control. She has discovered new disease problems in Canada and abroad, studied the impact of farming practices, such as row spacing and crop rotation on crop yield, and has registered new plant types that are resistant to disease. Presently, she is patenting pathogens for biological control.

The relatively new science of biological control may be part of the answer to the control of insects and weeds, both serious problems on farms. Costs to farmers can reach into the millions of dollars in ruined crops. The pesticides that are used on crops to get rid of these pests are expensive and don't always work. Pesticides are also dangerous to the environment and the repeated use of pesticides may result in new strains of bugs and weeds resistant to the products (super bugs).

Though chemical pesticides are likely to remain an important part of agriculture for some time, various alternatives with biotechnologies are also available. Biological control uses even smaller, invisible-to-the eye, microscopic "bugs" (bacteria and fungi) to fight the big bugs and other pests. Called "pathogens," these bacteria and fungi affect how certain weeds grow.

Karen Lee Bailey was born and raised in Toronto. She was always interested in gardening, natural sciences and wildlife. She attended the University of Guelph where she obtained a degree in Agriculture. Later, she moved to western Canada, which is now her home, to study for her Ph.D., which she recieved from the University of Saskatchewan.

On a professional level, Karen is committed to improving food quality and quantity through the reduction of synthetic chemicals that are harmful to humans, animals and the environment. In her personal life, she practices what she preaches. She and her husband operate an organic market garden to supply people with high quality, healthy food. It's no surprise that she's a great cook too!

Karen's work has caught the attention of the media, which is eager for news on environmental break-throughs. She has been interviewed numerous times on television and radio, and for newspapers and magazines. She is also a prolific contributor, having written more than 25 articles in scientific journals.