The Apex Team

We are a team of scientists working on real bugs in the Silicon Valley, where most people work on computer bugs. We have diverse expertise in insect behavior, insect physiology, chemical ecology, microbiology, and molecular biology. With 40% (2 out of 5) female employees, sharing 4 different cultural backgrounds, exploring the field of entomology together, the Apex team is an incredibly diverse and strong research team.

Dangsheng Liang, PhD
President and Founder
​dliang@apexbait.com

​Dangsheng Liang earned his MS and PhD degrees in entomology at Rutgers University before completing postdoctoral work at North Carolina State University. He has devoted his entire professional career to research and product development of bait products for urban pests.  He has published a number scientific papers in refereed journals and delivered professional presentations on insect behavior, physiology, and management.  Prior to starting Apex Bait Technologies, Inc., he worked as an entomologist and bait formulator at a leading insect bait manufacturing company.

Chen Zha, PhD
Chief Scientist
chen@apexbait.com

Chen Zha earned his MS in entomology from North Carolina State University, and PhD in entomology from Rutgers University. He is an expert in insect diet and urban entomology, with a number of scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals on insect physiology, toxicology, and integrated pest management. He is also a certified science illustrator.
Chen is interested in:
- Chemical ecology and insect behavior
- Insect bait formulation, feeding stimuli, and attractants
- Insect rearing and artificial diet
- Develop & design of pest management devices including traps and bait stations, 3D modeling, 3D printing, and patenting

Sulochana Paudyal, PhD
Research Scientist
sulo@apexbait.com

​Sulochana Paudyal earned her MS and PhD in Entomology and Plant Pathology with a Minor in Statistics from Oklahoma State University. She is expert in integrated pest management as well as data analysis. She has published a number of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals on integrated pest management. Her main focus at Apex is developing baits, involving in product registration and patenting. 

Abhinav Maurya, PhD
Research Scientist
abhi@apexbait.com

Abhinav started his scientific journey in the field of Agricultural Sciences by earning his BS degree from Banaras Hindu University in India. Abhinav moved to the USA for higher education and earned his MS in Biology from the University of Northern Colorado, and Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Louisville. Abhinav is an expert in plant-insect interactions with an emphasis on chemical ecology and insect behavior. At Apex Bait Abhinav is involved in identifying insect attractants, developing baits and traps, patenting and grant writing.
Abhinav is interested in-
·   Pest attractant properties of plant and microbial volatiles
·   Trap design and bait formulation for agricultural pests
·   Floral scent and insect behavior
·   Insecticidal properties of plant secondary metabolites

​Benjamin Medlen
Technician
​ben@apexbait.com

Ben has a degree in Biological Sciences from San Jose State University. 

Ana Story, BA
Research technician
ana@apexbait.com

Ana is a recent graduate from Sonoma State Univerisity B.A in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry. Before working at Apex she also worked as an Insect Curator while studying at Sonoma State where she discovered her love for insects. Her main focus at Apex is helping to develop attractants for various fly species using GCMS and various bioassays, as well as rearing several species of flies. 

​Apex Bait Technologies is a proud equal opportunity workplace, as reflected by our team. Apex Bait is dedicated to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sex, nationality, age, disability or sexual orientation.