About Bry the Fly Guy

Dr Bryan Lessard (a.k.a. Bry the Fly Guy) discovered the curious world of flies as an under­gradu­ate, learning about maggots and their uses in medicine and solving crime. He has discovered more than 150 species new to science and officially named 50 species from Australia and New Zealand, most famously Plinthina bey­on­ceae, the horse fly with a golden abdo­men named after Beyoncé. Although the fabulous RuPaul fly Opaluma rupaul might have something to say about this! These beautiful species quickly became bootylicious ambas­sadors for biod­iversity after sparking a global con­ver­sa­tion about the import­ance of naming species.

His research takes him to all corners of the world to discover and document new species of insects. His favourite collecting spots include the stunning tropical rainforests of Queensland, Australia, the pristine mountains of Lord Howe Island, and the ancient nothofagus forests of Chile. By collecting fresh specimens, he can analyse their DNA to confirm the identity of new species and see where they sit in the fly tree of life.

Bryan worked as a Postdoc­toral Fel­low at CSIRO’s Aus­tralian National Insect Col­lec­tion, research­ing the evol­u­tion and classification of flies and mosquitoes, and exploring how insects might become sustainable super­food of the 21st cen­tury. He also shares his passion for flies and biodiversity with the world through speaking events, traditional and social media, and television. Bryan was an invited speaker at TEDx Canberra in 2016, presented "Bry the Fly Guy's Top 5" biodiversity countdown on ABC Evenings Radio with Chris Bath, and has made appearances on ABC Breakfast News, BBC World, Catalyst, Gardening Australia, Totally Wild, Scope TV, Sunrise and The Project. 

Follow Bry the Fly Guy on social media to get a behind-the-scenes look at his scientific adventures!

Bry is represented by the Annabel Barker Agency.