The Barlow Scholarship for 2017 has been awarded to Julia Schmack at University of Auckland for her PhD research on managing Vespula wasp invasion in New Zealand. The Barlow Scholarship was established from a generous bequest from Nigel Barlow, who developed pioneering mathematical models underpinning pest management and wasp invasion in New Zealand. Fittingly, Julia's PhD research will build on Nigel Barlow's population model on the ecology of invasive Vespula wasps. Julia aims to identify genetic, environmental and pest management factors influencing the abundance of wasps on New Zealand offshore islands.