Zach Adelman, Ph.D.

Dr. Adelman is a professor in the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Adelman’s research is focused on the development of novel gene editing/gene replacement approaches for disease vector mosquitoes as well as understanding genetic interactions between arthropod-borne viruses and their mosquito vectors.

Peter Atkinson, Ph.D.

Dr. Atkinson’s research focuses on developing sustainable genetic control strategies for environmentally-friendly control of medically and agriculturally important insect pest species. His early work led to the discovery and development of new transposable elements which enabled the genetic transformation of insects other than Drosophila to occur. Since the advent of CRISPR/Cas9-based technologies we have shifted our emphasis to using this technology to quickly develop genetic control platforms in pest insects.

Michael Bonsall, Ph.D.

Dr. Bonsall’s research interests are in population biology (population dynamics, community ecology, evolutionary ecology). Research in his research group focuses on a wide range of questions such as the population and evolutionary dynamics of life history strategies (e.g. the evolution of longevity), the role of spatial structure on shared enemy and competing enemy interactions, the effects of enrichment on the diversity of ecological communities, the interplay between noise and dynamics in multispecies interactions and the evolution of resistance to microbes.  He also has a strong interest in science policy.

Zachary Brown, Ph.D.

Dr. Brown’s research and teaching broadly revolve around the field of bio-economics, analyzing the dynamic interactions between human behavior and complex environmental and ecological systems, using experimental methods, observational data, mathematical models and theory. His current and previous pursuits include researching the effects of alternative economic incentives and policies for managing pesticide resistance in agricultural systems, public perceptions and consumers’ willingness to pay for food products using new genetic engineering technologies, the economics of controlling vector-borne diseases such as malaria, as well as economic evaluations of more efficient household cook-stoves for reducing air pollution and deforestation.

Flaminia Catteruccia, Ph.D.

Dr. Catteruccia’s research explores the molecular and behavioral parameters that are key to the ability of Anopheles mosquitoes to transmit malaria, with special emphasis on reproductive biology and vector-Plasmodium interactions. Our aim is to provide crucial knowledge to aid the development of new, effective tools for mosquito and malaria control. A key component of our research includes fieldwork studies in Africa on mating biology and natural malaria infections.

Prosper Chaki, Ph.D.

Dr Chaki is interested in innovations for accelerating malaria elimination particularly novel tools for addressing the current and emerging challenges with mosquito vector control such as outdoor biting mosquito vectors that seem to be at the centre of the malaria transmission question at the moment. He is further committed to harnessing the African based entomological capacity to spearhead capacity building for implementing vector control programs through establishing strong coordination mechanism through regional partnerships and knowledge exchange programs.

Jackson Champer

Jackson’s research involves designing and modeling gene drive systems, which enable a genetic payload to spread through a population even when imposing a fitness cost on its host organism. His research involves both experiments and modeling of gene drives for population modification or suppression, especially homing drives and CRISPR-based toxin-antidote systems in insects. He focuses on reducing resistance allele formation and developing gene drive systems that can be confined to target populations.

George Dimopoulos, Ph.D.

Dr. Dimopoulos is interested in understanding how the mosquito’s immune system and its intestinal microflora is capable of blocking pathogens and how we can use this knowledge to develop human pathogen resistant mosquitoes. The long-term goals of Dr. Dimopoulos’ research program are to broaden the basic knowledge of this field and provide new tools for the development of disease control strategies

Fred Gould, Ph.D.

Dr. Gould is doing research in applied and basic evolutionary biology of insects. He investigating the genomic basis of pest adaptation to control efforts that use conventional pesticides or genetically engineered crops. He is using population genetic modeling and experiments to make predictions about the utility of novel gene-drive strategies for suppressing or altering the characteristics of pest populations. His research group collaborate with molecular biologists, agronomists, and scholars from social science and humanities disciplines to train students in more holistic approaches to innovation in the life sciences.

Alfred Handler, Ph.D.

Dr. Handler’s research is focused on understanding and manipulating the genes of tephritid fruit flies, a group of invasive pests of significant agricultural importance. His research group studies transposable elements and their use as vectors for germ-line transformation, and development of new vector systems for genomic targeting and transgene stability.

Todd Kuiken, Ph.D.

Dr. Kuiken’s work explores the scientific and technological frontier, stimulating discovery and bringing new tools to bear on public policy challenges that emerge as science advances.  He has been exploring the environmental opportunities/risks associated with emerging technologies. He believes that effective environmental policy is more than just examining the science underpinning technologies, but the philosophies, economics and public perceptions enveloping the ecosystems in which those technologies are designed to impact, directly or indirectly.

Jennifer Kuzma, Ph.D.

Dr. Kuzma is Goodnight-NCGSK Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs, and co-founder and co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society (GES) Center.  Her areas of expertise include emerging technologies, risk analysis, regulatory policy, and governance and has been studying these areas for over 25 years.  In 2019 she was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for distinguished translational work in bridging the bench and society, advancing anticipatory governance of new technologies, and contributions to methods for oversight policy analysis.

Alun Lloyd, Ph.D.

Dr. Lloyd uses mathematical models and statistical analyses to address questions which arise in many areas of biology. His main interest is in the study of infectious diseases, including the epidemiology of childhood diseases (such as measles) and mosquito-borne infections (such as dengue). He is also interested in biological oscillations, such as circadian and ultradian rhythms, and the properties of biological networks (in a variety of contexts, including metabolic networks, epidemiological or social networks and neuronal networks).

John Marshall, Ph.D.

Dr. Marshall’s research supports efforts to control and eliminate mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Zika virus broadly.  His research interests include genetics-based strategies to control mosquito-borne diseases, and mathematical modeling to support malaria elimination.  He also has an active interest in contributing to the ongoing discussion on the ethical, social, cultural and regulatory implications of his work.

Maciej Maselko, Ph.D.

Dr. Maselko is developing Synthetic Incompatibility; an approach for engineering species-like barriers in sexually reproductive organisms. Synthetic Incompatibility has applications for transgene biocontainment in plants engineered to produce high-value compounds and for controlling pest species such as mosquitoes and invasive fish.

Damaris Matoke, Ph.D.

Dr. Matoke-Muhia is a molecular biology research scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Director Capacity Building, Gender Empowerment and Career Progression in the Pan African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) . Her research interest is in utilizing genomics in the control vector borne diseases.  Currently, Dr. Matoke’s research is on malaria and leishmaniasis with a focus on exploring  innovative vector control tools, vector bionomics, insecticide resistance monitoring, population genetic  structure, parasite screening and characterization in correlation with ecological factors, disease epidemiology and climate change.

Raul F. Medina, Ph.D.

Dr. Medina’s research centers around the role that ecological factors play in the population genetics of arthropods. He is particularly interested in the incorporation of evolutionary ecology considerations into pest control practices. His laboratory conducts research aimed to understand how species interactions among parasites and their hosts get modulated by their microbiota and by the structuring of their genetic variation. He is also interested in understanding the factors that modulate public perception of novel products of biotechnology in agriculture.

Douglas Miano, Ph.D.

Prof. Miano’s specializes in plant virology and biotechnology. He is involved in research on cassava, sweetpotato, and maize virus diagnostics and characterization. He is the Kenyan lead scientist in the development of transgenic cassava with resistance to viruses under the Virus Resistant and Nutritionally Enhanced Cassava for Africa (VIRCA Plus) project. He has experience in science communications, biosafety and regulatory issues in the management of GMOs.

Paul Mitchell, Ph.D.

Dr. Mitchell is the Director of the Renk Agribusiness Institute at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.  His research focuses on the economics of crop production, emphasizing pest management and risk management for commodity crops, and specialty crop economics.  Dr. Mitchell’s extension outreach program is focused broadly on crop economics for all Wisconsin farmers, including both commodity crops and specialty crops, from small diversified organic vegetable growers to large-scale commercial farms.

Kenneth Oye, Ph.D.

Dr. Oye is Professor of Political Science (School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences) and Institute for Data Systems and Society (School of Engineering) and Director of the Program on Emerging Technologies (PoET) at MIT, with work on international relations, political economy and technology policy. His work in international relations includes Cooperation under Anarchy, Economic Discrimination and Political Exchange, and four “Eagle” monographs on American foreign policy, and advisory work for the Petersen Institute, UNIDO and US Treasury, Commerce and EXIM. His work in technology policy has focused on adaptive management of risks associated with synthetic biology, pharmaceuticals, the internet and nuclear energy.

Jonathan Pugh, Ph.D.

Dr. Pugh is a Parfit-Radcliffe Richards Senior Research Fellow and Manager of Visitors Programmes for the Oxford Uehiro Centre, University of Oxford. He recently led a Wellcome Trust funded project entitled “The Ethics of Novel Therapeutic Applications of Deep Brain Stimulation”. His research interests lie primarily in issues concerning personal autonomy in practical ethics, particularly topics pertaining to informed consent. He has also written on the ethics of human embryonic stem cell research, criminal justice, human enhancement, and gene-editing.

Gordana Rašić, Ph.D.

Dr. Rašić’s research is focused on the development of molecular and bioinformatics tools and analytical frameworks for the implementation of innovative vector control strategies, such as Wolbachia-based suppression of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Dr. Rašić has established mosquito population genomics/bioinformatics platforms within two Australian research institutions (University of Melbourne and QIMR Berghofer) and currently leads the laboratory’s population genetics projects

Floyd A. Reed, Ph.D.

Dr. Reed’s interests and research are in the domain of population genetics. Dr. Reed has interests in aspects of human evolution and in engineering safe and reversible gene drive systems. More recently his research group has been involved in topics related to conservation genetics, invasive species, and harvested marine species.

Larisa Rudenko, Ph.D.

Dr. Rudenko studies science-and values-based concerns associated with emerging biotechnologies.  She has been instrumental in developing science-based policies for the regulation of the products of biotechnology nationally and internationally. She has worked in different venues to develop paradigms to assess the risk/safety for genetic alterations in multiple systems from microorganisms to plants and animals (including humans).

Marc Schetelig, Ph.D.

Dr. Schetelig’s research focuses on the control of agricultural and disease-related insect pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly, the Spotted-wing Drosophila, and mosquito species. He is developing technologies for transgene stabilization and the risk assessment of transgenic insects to increase the safety of transgenic systems and allow the direct comparison of different SIT strategies.

Ron Thresher, Ph.D.

Dr. Thresher founded and directed the CSIRO Centre for Research on Introduced Marine Pests, leads a multi-institutional project aimed at developing novel recombinant technologies for controlling invasive mice, carp and oysters, is consulting on the risks involved in using genetic methods for managing disease-vectoring mosquitoes and is revising the taxonomy of Tasmanian mayflies.

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Ernst Wimmer, Ph.D.

Dr. Wimmer studies early developmental processes, and their conservation and divergence in different arthropod species.  He also is undertaking research on the biology of odoriferous stink glands and olfaction in beetles, sex determination in flies, and is applying this knowledge to develop transgene- or genome editing-based ecological pest management programs.