Natural Resources Institute

Staff

Name Details
Tracey Squires
  • Biography:

    Tracey has worked for the University since 2004 and has been an integral part of the Natural Resources Institute teaching team since March 2016. As NRI’s Programme Administration Manager, Tracey provides comprehensive support for the implementation of NRI's taught degree programmes. She plays a pivotal role in planning and facilitating student recruitment and programme promotion, serving as the primary point of contact for our students and teaching academics.

    Key expertise:

    • Programme Administration: Management of academic programme logistics and operations
    • Student Support: Providing guidance and support to students & addressing queries
    • Records Management: Ensuring compliance with data protection regulations
    • Event Coordination: Organisation of student-related events and activities & collaboration with stakeholders for event planning
    • Policy Implementation: Implementation of university policies and procedures & ensuring compliance with academic regulations
    • Communication: Liaison with faculty, staff, and external partners on student matters & facilitating effective communication channels for student-related issues
Phone: +44 (0)1634 88 3734
NRI Programme Admin Manager
Valerie Pondaven
  • Biography:

    Valerie worked closely with the Greenwich Research and Enterprise team as part of a regional consortium before joining Greenwich University full-time 10 years ago. Her role was to help start-up and more established businesses to develop and launch innovative products or services in the UK and abroad. As an innovation and growth specialist for Innovate UK Edge, she helped businesses develop and manage their innovation, developed sustainable and profitable business model and in many cases access finance to support their growth. The support package includes; identifying suitable sources of public or private funding; bringing new and existing products and services to market successfully; managing innovation processes; establishing market and understanding market potential; and  connecting to the wider innovation ecosystem.
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Valerie is a member of the Food Systems RG.

    Her contribution to the Research Group, NRI and the University of Greenwich will be to raise awareness of the expertise and facilities available, coordinate knowledge transfer between academics and the business community and help provide cost effective solutions to industrial problems to generate long-term sustainable commercial income and encourage collaboration between researchers and the businesses.

    Valerie’s role will contribute to build industry-led consortium to apply for public funding.
Food Accelerator Manager
Xi He
  • Qualifications: MSc, PhD
  • Biography:

    Miss Xi He has conducted her PhD study under the supervision of Prof. Henryk Jeleń in the Food Volatilomics and Sensomics Group at Poznan University of Life Sciences, Poland from 2017 to 2023. She was studying the chromatographic techniques to analyse food volatiles for accessing food quality and authenticity. She has defended her doctoral dissertation and awarded as distinction based on top-shelf publications for example: Food Chemistry, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, and Journal of Chromatography A.

    Miss Xi He is very active in the scientific activity, she has given talks at 3 international conferences, presented posters, or contributed as a co-author at 7 conferences, for instance 42nd International Symposium on Capillary Chromatography and the 15th GCxGC Symposium, 25th International Symposium on Separation Sciences, Challenges in Food Flavor and Volatile Analysis.
  • Selected Publications:
    • He, X., Yangming, H., Górska-Horczyczak, E., Wierzbicka, A. and Jeleń, H.H., 2021. Rapid analysis of Baijiu volatile compounds fingerprint for their aroma and regional origin authenticity assessment. Food Chemistry, 337, p.128002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128002
    • He, X., Gbiorczyk, K., Jeleń, H.H. Can volatiles fingerprints be an alternative to isotope ratio mass spectrometry in the botanical origin determination of spirits? Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 71(5), p.2637-2643. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c08141
    • He, X. and Jeleń, H.H., 2021. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time of flight mass spectrometry (GC× GC-TOFMS) in conventional and reversed column configuration for the investigation of Baijiu aroma types and regional origin. Journal of Chromatography A, 1636, p.461774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2020.46177
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Miss Xi He is interested in the application of GC and GCxGC hyphenated techniques in Food volatile and flavour analysis.

    Food volatile compounds contains the food aroma compounds which are contribute to the food flavour and off-flavour, the application of GC-O combined with GCxGC-ToF-MS can identify such aroma active compounds.

    The volatile compounds convey the food quality and authenticity information as well, for example, to trace the botanical and geographical origin of the food products by comparing the volatile compounds profiles.
  • Teaching Programmes:

    Teach flavour analysis/techniques to other researchers/students as well as perform demo to visitors
  • Research Projects:

    Growing Kent & Medway projects

    • Help with analytical work for businesses as part of the food accelerator programme.
    • Business Innovation Voucher (BIV) project(s) which may require flavour analysis (will start from March/April ’24).
    • Flavour analysis project with SepSolve/Markes (comparison of flavour profiles of the extruded versus non-extruded plant proteins).

    Project PROFILE

    Aim to produce protein rich fractions from Spirulina for food applications with improved taste and environmental impact.

    • Flavour profiling and identification of the key (off) flavour markers of Spirulina microalgae and development of potential masking strategies for off-flavour.
    • Optimisation of protein product with improved taste by profiling and comparing key flavour compounds in protein extracts and raw biomass.
    • Help validation of the scaled-up production and extraction of Spirulina by identifying the optimal stage during the product life-cycle to tackle the reduction of off-flavour compounds.
  • Responsibilities:
    • Responsible for overall management of GCxGC-ToF MS and to undertake day-to-day operational responsibilities and upkeeping/maintenance.
    • Act as the technical Lead for the research project linked to the flavour analysis, deliver enterprise/corporate project, and involve in (student) training.
    • Maintain and implement NRI’s QMS procedures and work instructions as well as responsible for ordering consumables for the GC-MS, overseeing installation where required.
  • Awards:

    2023 distinction of the PhD dissertation, Poznan University of Life Sciences
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0003-0624-763X
Flavour Technologist
Barbara Tiddi
  • Qualifications: BSc, PhD
  • Biography:

    Dr Barbara Tiddi joined the University of Greenwich in 2023. In her previous appointments, Barbara was a Lecturer in Conservation Science at the Bristol Zoological Society, and an Associate Lecturer in Biological Anthropology in the School of Anthropology and Conservation at the University of Kent. Before that, she was based for six years at the German Primate Center (DPZ) as postdoctoral fellow in the Cognitive Ethology Lab where she investigated the adaptive function of female sexual signals in Neotropical primates. Barbara received her PhD in Natural Sciences and Psychology from Liverpool John Moores University (UK), and a BSc in Biological Sciences and Applied Ecology from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” (Italy).

    Much of Barbara’s previous work has focused on investigating how specific features of primate social systems shape their behavioural responses in a way that deviates from what broadly predicted by ecological and economic models used in the study of animal behaviour. Her collaborative work with the Argentinean National Research Council (CONICET) has also contributed to address the issue of primate-human interaction within the context of parasite infections and social connectivity. Her research has been largely based on fieldwork in Argentina and Costa Rica.
  • Selected Publications:
    • Agostini, I., Vanderhoeven, E., Pfoh, R., Beldomenico, P., and Tiddi, B. (2023) Experimental evidence of parasite-induced behavioural alterations modulated by food availability in wild capuchin monkeys. Scientific Reports: e3083.
    • Pfoh, R., Tiddi, B., Di Bitetti, M.S. and Agostini, I. (2021) Grooming site preferences in black capuchin monkeys: hygienic vs. social functions revisited. American Journal of Primatology: e22920.
    • Wheeler, B.C., Fahy, M., and Tiddi, B. (2019) Experimental evidence of heterospecific alarm signal recognition via associative learning in wild capuchin monkeys. Animal Cognition, DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01264-3.
    • Tiddi, B., Pfoh, R., and Agostini, I. (2019) The impact of food provisioning on parasite infection in wild black capuchin monkeys: a network approach. Invited article contribution for the special issue “Social network analysis on primates” edited by Drs Ivan Puga-Gonzalez, Sebastian Sosa, Cedric Sueur. Primates 60: 297-306.
    • Bernaldo, E., Wheeler, B.C., Heistermann, M., Hammerschimdt, K., and Tiddi, B. (2018) Do sexual calls in female black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus) vary with fertility? An acoustic analysis. American Journal of Primatology 9: e22920.
    • Tiddi, B., Heistermann, M., Fahy, M., and Wheeler, B.C. (2018) Resource defence polygyny in primates? Female response to experimental manipulation of male resource control. PLoS ONE 13(5): e0197020.
    • Kean, D., Tiddi, B., Schino, G., Heistermann, M., and Wheeler, B.C. (2017) Feeling anxious? The mechanisms of vocal deception in tufted capuchin monkeys. Animal Behaviour 130: 37- 46.
    • Tiddi, B., Polizzi di Sorrentino, E., Fischer, J., and Schino, G. (2017) Acquisition and functional consequences of social knowledge in macaques. Royal Society Open Science 8; 4(2):160639.
    • Tiddi, B., Wheeler, B.C., and Heistermann, M. (2015) Female behavioral proceptivity functions as a probabilistic signal of fertility, not female quality, in a New World primate. Hormones and Behavior 73:148-155.
    • Pasquaretta, C., Levé, M., Claidière, N., van de Waal, E., Whiten, A., MacIntosh, A.J.J., Pelé, M., Bergstrom, M.L., Borgeaud, C., Brosman, S.F., Crofoot, M.C., Fedigan, L.M., Fichtel, C., Hopper, L.M., Mareno, M.C., Petit, O., Schneoll, A.V., Polizzi di Sorrentino, E., Thierry, B., Tiddi, B., and Sueur, C. (2014) Social networks in primates: smart and tolerant species have more efficient networks. Scientific Reports 4:7600.
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Barbara’s current interests broadly focus on two areas:  1) understanding how research in animal behaviour can contribute to practical aspects of conservation (e.g., wildlife reintroduction), and 2) implementing self-sustainable community-led conservation initiatives to promote conservation and sustainable habitat management.  Her most recent work in collaboration with the Distance State University of Costa Rica (UNED) has centred on evaluating the effectiveness on threatened amphibian populations of water supplementation via capacity-building of local communities.

    Pest Behaviour
  • Teaching Programmes:

    NRI Programme Leader for Biology
  • Research Projects:

    Previous Funded Research Projects

    • 2012 Volkswagen Stiftung Evolutionary Biology Postdoctoral Fellowship, “Sexual behavior and social constraints in a New World primate”.
    • 2011 Leakey Foundation Research Grant, “Female mating strategies in tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus)”.
    • 2011 German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Fellowship, “Adaptive function of female sexual calls in tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus)”.
  • Awards:

    Memberships:

    • IUCN SSC (Species Survival Commission) Primate Specialist Group Neotropics member
    • Primatological Society of Great Britain (PSGB) Conservation Working Party

    Institutional services:

    • Reviewer Editor on the Editorial Board of Behavioral and Evolutionary Ecology, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
    • Peer Reviewer: Leakey Foundation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Animal Behaviour, International Journal of Primatology, American Journal of Primatology, Ethology, Behaviour, Behavioural Processes, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
Lecturer in Applied Ecology/Environmental Sciences
Dr Conor Walsh
  • Qualifications: PG Cert, BSc, MSc, PhD, AFHEA
  • Biography:

    Dr. Walsh is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist, having joined the university in 2017. He does not consider himself a subject specialist in the strictest sense, having worked in areas as diverse as sports science and naval architecture. Ostensibly he works within the areas of resource (and carbon) accounting and lifecycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economics. Prior to joining the university, he served as a research associate/fellow in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, based in the University of Manchester. During this period, he worked on diverse projects on issues relating to low grade heat in industry, the emissions of the UK and Global shipping sector, and comparing marine fuel cycles.

    He took part in a consortium project involving several universities such as UCL and University of Strathclyde, and was involved in diverse activities including economic modelling, shipping system modelling and lifecycle assessment. During this period he sat on the special emissions working group of the IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology). He led the development of detailed trade scenario for climate changes futures which integrated econometric, material flow analyses and the outputs of integrated assessment models. This work demonstrating the trade-offs of decarbonisation of the global economy and shipping amid increased bio-energy trade. During this time, he was also involved in numerous teaching and outreach activities, mostly at MSc level, teaching on the operationalisation of the sustainability concept.

    Shortly after arriving at the university He has led the MSc ‘Global Environmental Change’ which is framed around the land water energy and food nexus, as well as leading modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, on subjects such as use of indicator species and carbon accounting. Since arriving at the University, His research work has shift to agricultural systems, which is fitting as he undertook PhD research, in on the Ecological Footprint, a well-established, land-based indicator of sustainability. (This was done as part of a research agenda setting processing involving practitioners around world, including the concepts founder).

    As a member of the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) He been involved in diverse research activities with an agronomic focus, including the EU funded value chain analysis for analysis (VCA4D) programme as well other projects examining the impact of coffee cultivation (collaborating with colleagues in Costa Rica and Guatemala) and the development of climate smart agriculture (CSA) decision tool in collaboration with Syngenta foundation. Specifically, he has led a Defa funded LCA project involving Rothamsted research, University of Surrey and London Southbank University. This project involves undertaking a lifecycle assessment of a ‘foodbasket’ of a range of different commodities. This world demonstrates important trade-offs in terms of competing interests such as reducing the environmental burden and increasing the animal welfare of specific livestock systems. In a mentoring capacity, he routinely advises colleagues as thy work towards obtaining teaching qualifications. He is frequently involved in media appearing having spoken on BBC radio on issues relating to climate change and has been quoted in The Times on issues relating to climate change education. He is supervising PhD projects across such varied topics as value chain shocks, building design and evolving climate activism.
  • Selected Publications:

    • Walsh, C., Haggar, J., Cerretelli, S. and Van Oijen, M., 2025. Comparing carbon agronomic footprint and sequestration in Central American coffee agroforestry systems and assessing trade-offs with economic returns. Science of The Total Environment, 961, p.178360. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178360)

    • Walsh, C., Renn, M., Klauser, D., De Pinto, A., Haggar, J., Abdur, R., Hopkins, R. and Zamil, F.(2024) Translating Theory into Practice: A Flexible Decision-Making Tool to Support the Design and Implementation of Climate-Smart Agriculture Projects. Agricultural Systems, 219, p.104060 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.104060)

    • Walsh, Conor  , Mander, Sarah and Larkin, Alice (2017) Charting a low carbon future for shipping: A UK perspective. Marine Policy, 82. pp. 32-40. ISSN 0308-597X (Print), 1872-9460 (Online) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.04.019)

    • Walsh, Conor  and Mander, Sarah (2016) Contextualising the drivers for trade: Some lessons from historical case studies. Marine Policy, 75. pp. 290-299. ISSN 0308-597X (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.04.004)

    • Mander, Sarah, Walsh, Conor  , Gilbert, Paul, Traut, Michael and Bows, Alice (2012) Decarbonizing the UK energy system and the implications for UK shipping. Carbon Management, 3 (6). pp. 601-614. ISSN 1758-3004 (Print), 1758-3012 (Online) (https://doi.org/10.4155/cmt.12.67)

    • Walsh, Conor  and Thornley, Patricia (2012) A comparison of two low grade heat recovery options. Applied Thermal Engineering, 53 (2). pp. 210-216. ISSN 1359-4311 (Print), 1873-5606 (Online) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2012.04.035)
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Dr Walsh is a member of Ecosystem Service’s research group and his research interests involve the quantification of environmental burdens and services associated with human activities and comparing them with alternative metrics. Recent work comparing the carbon footprint and economic performance of Coffee farms in demonstrates the challenge/prerequisites for achieving both carbon neutrality and economic viability.

    Often such work can be accepted into other tools such sector or agronomic models. For example, the LCA work on marine fuels was used as input for a sectoral energy model, which demonstrated how incompatible Grey Hydrogen was with wider decarbonisation efforts for global shipping.

    Throughout his research career Conor has either utilised or developed different tools with applicability at different scales. Recently (2024) my involvement in the development of a simple climate smart agriculture (CSA) decision aid tool is intended to aid scaling up CSA interventions by allowing project level perspectives to contribute to a portfolio-scale view and in doing so, contribute to portfolio level design. This is helpful in operationalising the CSA concept and demonstrating how meeting the triple objectives of productivity, adaptation and mitigation is especially challenging at smaller scales.
  • Teaching Programmes:

    Conor leads the programme MSc Global Environmental Change.

    Within this programme he leads the module AGRI-1302 ‘Environmental Footprinting’.

    He also teaches on the following MSc level modules:

    • ENVI-1096 Research Methods for postgraduates 
    • ENVI-1170 Fundamentals of Meteorology and Climate Change
    • ENVI-1196 Climate Change, Food Security and Sustainable Development
    • AGRI-1048 Independent Research Project
  • Research Projects:

    Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Commodity Production; Identifying Opportunities for Sustainable Productivity Growth Across the Agri-Food Chain.

    A comparative LCA exercise that aims to quantify the environmental burden of different commodities. This is important as trade-offs between different commodities occur across different impact types. The results suggest driver of impacts that are relevant for UK food policies such as the trade-off between environmental and welfare objectives and how cycles of seasonal production for commodities consumed year-round may offshore and concentrate important environmental burdens such as water scarcity.

    Climate Smart Outcome Methodology

    This project developed a simple tool for assessing the relative performance climate smart agriculture (CSA) initiatives. This was undertaken in order to inform portfolio design and assessment as part of process of co-creation. The application of which at workshops demonstrated important trade-offs between profitability and other CSA pillars, notably the challenge in facilitation both adaptation and mitigation at the farm level.
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/view/authors/6391.html
  • Responsibilities:

    • Programme Leader - MSc. Global Environmental Change

    • Dr Walsh provided data in support of sustainable travel campaign designed to encourage use of the inter campus bus.

    • Dr Walsh regularly mentors colleagues who are applying for fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.
  • Awards:

    • Faculty representative within a validation committee for 2 programmes offered by Hadlow Agricultural college.

    • External PhD Examiner for University of Manchester and Newcastle.
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4829-2754

    Scopus

    https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?origin=resultslist&authorId=33568426300&zone
Phone: +44 (0)1634 88 3254
Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability
Dr Daniel P Bray
  • Qualifications: BSc, PhD, Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES)
  • Biography:

    Daniel Bray joined NRI in January 2016, moving from the Chemical Ecology Group at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

    Daniel graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2000 with a first class degree in Biological Science and worked for the Open University while still an undergraduate. He then went on to complete a PhD in 2004 on host-parasite interactions in shrews, supervised by Prof. Paula Stockley at the University of Liverpool. For almost ten years, he worked with Prof. Gordon Hamilton at Keele University and Prof. Reginaldo Brazil at FIOCRUZ on the chemical ecology of sand flies, conducting extensive field work in Brazil. He also worked briefly with Prof. Jenny Mordue at the University of Aberdeen on a projecting targeting sea lice parasites of salmon. During this period he also completed a Medici Business Fellowship.

    In 2013 Daniel was awarded a Senior Visiting Fellowship by the DAAD to conduct a project on aquaculture with Dr Joanna Miest at GEOMAR in Germany. In 2014 he was awarded an EU Marie Curie Fellowship to work with Prof. Rickard Ignell at SLU (Sweden) targeting biting midge vectors of agricultural diseases.

    Daniel's main interest lies in understanding and exploiting chemical ecology to protect crops and improve animal and human health. In addition, he is also exploring how chemical ecology can be used to detect and prevent disease in aquaculture. Daniel is also an expert statistician, and regularly conducts data analysis consultancy for agricultural companies.
  • Selected Publications:
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Daniel's primary interest is to develop new ways to protect crops, animals and people from pest insects and disease vectors. Much of this work is conducted alongside the UK horticultural industry, with Prof David Hall at NRI and Michelle Fountain and colleagues at NIAB-EMR. He is also interested in how the same techniques can be applied to improve security worldwide, and has conducted fieldwork in Brazil and Bangladesh.

    His approach centres on identifying chemicals that provoke a behavioural response in the target species, which can be formulated as attractive lures or repellents. His work encompasses physiological techniques including electroantennography and single sensillum recording, laboratory bioassays on target species, and field testing and formulation of novel attractants and repellents. Working with Prof. Gordon Hamilton at Keele University, Daniel developed and tested a novel pheromone based tool for controlling Lutzomyia longipalpis, the sand fly vector of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. During his Marie Curie Fellowship at the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), he worked with Prof Rickard Ignell and colleagues to test new repellents and attractants to protect livestock from biting midges.

    Daniel is also very interested in how this same approach could be applied in an aquatic setting. At the University of Aberdeen he was involved in identifying chemicals which could be used to attract the sea louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis. These small crustaceans are parasites of salmon, and cause major economic losses in farmed fish. More recently, he has been working with colleagues at the University of Greenwich to develop a novel application of chemical ecology to detected disease in aquaculture.
  • Research Projects:

    Current research projects

    Development of a pheromone-based monitoring system for a newly identified Contarinia midge on the Canadian Prairies (2017-2020) Canadian Agricultural Research Program

    Exploitation of Interspecific Signals to Deter Oviposition by Spotted-Wing Drosophila (2019-2022) BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award with NIAB-EMR.

    Auto-Dissemination of entomopathogenic fungi for sustainable control of spotted wing drosophila (2018-2021) Innovate UK with NIAB-EMR.

    Oviposition behaviour of Aedes aegypti (DTA PhD studentship)

    Push-pull against spotted wing drosophila (BBSRC-CTP studentship with NIAB-EMR)

    Control of red poultry mite (British Egg Marketing Board PhD studentship)

    Previous research projects

    Development of a monitoring and mass trapping trap against pepper weevil (2017-2018) Innovate Wales

    MIDGETRAP-An innovative semiochemical based tool for monitoring and control of biting midge vectors of bluetongue and Schmallenberg disease. (2014) EU Intra-European Fellowship for career development, SLU Sweden


    Reducing the impact of disease on the sustainability of international aquaculture through an innovative odour-based detection system. (2013). Senior visiting fellowship, DAAD, Germany

    Field trials of synthetic sex pheromone to reduce visceral leishmaniasis transmission by Lutzomyia longipalpis in Brazil. (2005-2015), PI Gordon Hamilton, Welcome Trust, Keele University.
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/view/authors/6238.html
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9914-2356
Phone: +44 (0)1634 88 3729
Associate Professor in Chemical Ecology
Dr Frances Hawkes
  • Qualifications: Cert. Nat. Sci. (Open), BSc (Hons), PhD, MRSTMH, FRES
  • Biography:

    Dr Frances M. Hawkes completed her PhD (2009-2013) at the University of Greenwich, where she was supervised by Professors Gabriella Gibson and Steve Torr (Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine). Her PhD project developed cutting edge 3D tracking to follow mosquitoes flying in low light intensities, the results of which allowed Dr Hawkes to develop a prototype trap for outdoor biting mosquitoes. After a post-doctoral period at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she undertook research supporting incrimination of the vectors of zoonotic malaria in Malayasia, she has since continued this approach of conducting laboratory and field research into vector behaviour and then using the findings to develop sampling strategies for insects such as malaria mosquitoes. This work was the focus of 2015 documentary commissioned by the BBC called “Living with Malaria” and was recognised as part of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize awarded to the University of Greenwich in 2020 for Smart, Sustainable Pest Management. She holds several patents and licensing agreements. Dr Hawkes continues to lead research into the ecology of zoonotic malaria vectors in Southeast Asia and how land use change may be driving disease spillover, and on the surveillance and assessment of British mosquitoes of potential public health importance. Her research on mosquito surveillance has been applied to the blackfly vectors of parasites that cause onchocerciasis, also called river blindness, and she currently leads a number of research threads on developing blackfly surveillance techniques for disease elimination surveillance, including entomological capacity development in West Africa.

    Dr Hawkes collaborates with research institutes including Kenya Medical Research Institute, Institute de Recherche en Sciences de le Sante (Burkina Faso) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. She partners with colleagues in academia such as Universiti Malaysia Sabah (Malaysia), Imperial College London (UK), Osun State University (Nigeria), University of Glasgow (UK), University of Energy and Natural Resources (Ghana), Menzies School of Health Research (Australia), Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania) and Lancaster University (UK).  Outside of academia, Dr Hawkes collaborates with charities such as Sightsavers, industry partners such as Biogents GmbH (Germany), and public health bodies including the UK Health Security Agency and National Onchocerciasis Elimination Committees. Most of Dr Hawkes’ research involves interdisciplinary collaborations across natural and social sciences and she has worked with artists and historians, including in curating a national exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

    As a member of the Vector Control Working Groups of both Roll Back Malaria and the Asia-Pacific Malaria Elimination Network, Dr Hawkes contributes to developing strategy and responsive research to achieve malaria elimination within a generation and has trained entomologists from the National Malaria Control Programmes of Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. She also currently sits on the steering committee of DISSECT – Developing Innovative Scalable Solutions to Entomology Gaps and Cross-Border Transmission of Onchocerciasis and has been an invited expert of the WHO’s Onchocerciasis Technical Advisory Subgroup.

    Currently co-supervising four PhD students, Dr Hawkes also contributes to lectures and module leadership across BSc programmes in Biology and Environmental Science and Post-graduate taught programmes, including dissertation and independent project supervision. She has contributed guest lectures to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, University of Oregon and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
  • Selected Publications:

    • Akoton R, Sovegnon PM, Djihinto OY, Medjigbodo AA, Agonhossou R, Adegnika AA, Gibson G, Djouaka R, Hawkes FM, Djogbénou LS. Using non-insecticidal traps indoors can complement insecticide-treated nets to target resistant malaria vectors. Parasites & Vectors (in press).

    • Cooper AN, Malmgren L, Hawkes FM, Farrell IW, Hien DFdS, Hopkins RJ, Lefèvre T, Stevenson PC (2025) Identifying mosquito plant hosts from ingested nectar secondary metabolites, Scientific Reports, 15:6488. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88933-1

    • Adeleke MA, Opara KN, Mafuyai HB, Nwoke BEB, Surakat OA, Akinde SB, Nwoke M, Chikieze F, Yaro C, Mmaduabuchi UG, Igbe M, Makata E, Oyediran F, Anyaike C, Tongjura JD, Hawkes FM, Iwalewa ZO (2024) Improving onchocerciasis elimination surveillance: trials of odour baited Esperanza Window Traps to collect blackfly vectors and real-time qPCR detection of Onchocerca volvulus in blackfly pools, Parasites & Vectors, 17(471). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06554-5

    • Cheke RA, Hawkes FM, Carnaghi M (2024) Short- and long-range dispersal by members of the Simulium damnosum Complex (Diptera: Simuliidae), Vectors of Onchocerciasis: a review, Insects, 15:606. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/8/606

    • Carnaghi M, Mandelli F, Feugère L, Joiner J, Young S, Belmain SR, Hopkins RJ, Hawkes FM. (2024) Protocol for rearing and using Anopheles mosquitoes for tracking and behavioural characterization in wind tunnel bioassays, STAR Protocols, 5:3, 103180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103180

    • Medlock JM, Hawkes FM, Cheke RA, Gibson G, Abbott AJ, Cull B, Gandy S, Hardy H, Acott T, Vaux AGC. (2024) Mosquito diversity and abundance in English wetlands – empirical evidence to guide a prediction tool for wetland suitability for mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae), Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.52004/2054930x-20231002

    • Shepherd-Gorringe M, Pettit M, Hawkes FM (2024) Lethal and sublethal impacts of membrane-fed ivermectin are concentration-dependent in Anopheles coluzzii, Parasites & Vectors, 17:228. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06287-5

    • Vaux A, Abbott A, Johnston C, Hawkes FM, Hopkins RJ, Cull B, Gibson G, Cheke RA, Callaghan A, Medlock J. (2024) An update on the ecology, seasonality and distribution of Culex modestus in England, Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association. https://doi.org/10.52004/jemca20231003

    • Akoton R, Sawadogo SP, Tossou E, Nikiema AS, Tchigossou G, Sovegnon PM, Djogbenou L, Zeukeng F, Hawkes FM, Dabire RK, Djouaka R, Gibson G (2024) Using artificial odours to optimize attractiveness of Host Decoy Traps to malaria vectors, Journal of Medical Entomology, tjae010. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjae010

    • Carnaghi M, Mandelli F, Feugère L, Joiner J, Young S, Belmain SR, Hopkins RJ, Hawkes FM (2024) Visual and thermal stimuli modulate mosquito-host contact with implications for improving malaria vector control tools, iScience, 27(1):108578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.108578

    • Hardy H, Harte SJ, Hopkins RJ, Mnyone L, Hawkes FM (2023) The influence of manure-based organic fertilisers on the oviposition behaviour of Anopheles arabiensis, Acta Tropica, 244:106954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106954

    • David MR, Maciel-de-Freitas R, Peterson MT, Bray D, Hawkes FM, Mandela Fernández-Grandon G, Young S, Gibson G, Hopkins RJ (2023) Aedes aegypti oviposition-sites choice under semi-field conditions, Medical & Veterinary Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12670

    • Hawkes FM, Zeil J, Gibson G (2022) Vision in Mosquitoes, Chapter 19 in Ignell R, et al., eds. (2022) Sensory Ecology of Disease Vectors, Wageningen Academic Publishers, pp. 511-533. https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-932-9

    • Hardy H, Hopkins RJ, Mnyone L, Hawkes FM (2022) Manure and mosquitoes: life history traits of two malaria vector species enhanced by larval exposure to cow dung, whilst chicken dung has a strong negative effect. Parasites & Vectors, 15(472). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05601-3

    • Hien AS, Sangaré I, Ouattara ELP, Sawadogo SP, Soma DD, Hamidou M, Diabaté A, Bonnet E, Ridde V, Fournet F, Hawkes FM, Kaupra C, Bouyer J, Abd-Alla AMM, Dabiré RK (2022) Chikungunya (Togaviridae) and dengue 2 (Flaviviridae) viruses detected from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Burkina Faso by qRT-PCR technique: Preliminary results and perspective for molecular characterization of arbovirus circulation in vector populations. Frontiers in Tropical Diseases, 3:920224. doi: 10.3389/fitd.2022.920224

    • Zembere K, Chirombo J, Nasoni P, McDermott D, Divala L, Hawkes FM, Jones CM (2022) The human-baited host decoy trap (HDT) is an efficient sampling device for exophagic malaria mosquitoes within irrigated lands in southern Malawi. Scientific Reports, 12, 3428. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07422-x.

    • Hawkes, FM, Hopkins, RJ (2021) ‘The Mosquito: An Introduction’, in Hall, M & Tamir, D (eds), Mosquitopia: The Place of Pests in a Healthy World. Routledge, pp. 16-31, DOI https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003056034.

    • Talom, BAD, Enyong, P, Cheke, RA, Djouaka, R, Hawkes, FM (2021) Capture of high numbers of Simulium vectors can be achieved with Host Decoy Traps to support data acquisition in the onchocerciasis elimination endgame. Acta Tropica, 221: 106020.

    • Carnaghi, M, Belmain, SR, Hopkins, RJ, Hawkes, FM (2021) Multimodal synergisms in host stimuli drive landing response in malaria mosquitoes. Scientific Reports, 11, 7379. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86772-4.

    • López-Peña, D, Hawkes, FM, Gibson, GI, Johnston, C, Vaux, AGC, Lis-Cantín, Á, Medlock, JM, Cheke, RA (2021) Mosquito Magnet® traps as a potential means of monitoring blackflies of medical and veterinary importance. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12530.

    • Sawadogo, SP, Nikièma, AS, Coulibal, S, Koala, L, Niang, A, Bougouma, C, Bougma, RW, Gnankine, O, Hawkes, FM, Boakye, D, Dabiré, RK (2021) Community implementation of human landing and non-human landing collection methods for Wucheria bancrofti vectors. Journal of Parasitology and Vector Biology, 13(1), 41-50. https://doi.org/10.5897/JPVB2020.0407.

    • Hawkes, FM, Medlock, JM, Vaux, AGC, Cheke, RA, Gibson G (2020) Wetland Mosquito Survey Handbook: Assessing suitability of British wetlands for mosquitoes. Natural Resources Institute, Chatham, UK, http://www.wetlandlife.org/images/images/Project_outputs/NRI-PHE-UoG_Wetland_Mosquito_Survey_Handbook_v1-indexed.pdf.

    • Tang, JY, Kosgei, J, Ochomo, E, Ndenga, BA, Ghiaseddin, R, Lobo, NF, Hawkes, FM, O’Tousa, JE (2020) Impact of visual features on capture of Aedes aegypti with host decoy traps (HDT). Medical & Veterinary Entomology, https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12482.

    • Davidson, J.R., Baskin, R.N., Hasan, H., Burton, T.A., Wardiman, M., Rahma, N., Saputra, F.R., Aulya, M.N., Wahid, I., Syafruddin, D, Hawkes, F.M., Lobo, N.F. (2020) Characterization of vector communities and biting behavior in South Sulawesi with host decoy traps and human landing catches. Parasites Vectors 13, 329. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04205-z.

    • Hawkes FM, Manin BO, Cooper A, Daim S, Homathevi R, Jelip J, Husin T, Chua TH (2019) Vector compositions change across forested to deforested ecotones in emerging areas of zoonotic malaria transmission in Malaysia. Scientific Reports, 9:13312 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49842-2).

    • Abong'o B, Yu X, Donnelly MJ, Geier M, Gibson G, Gimnig J, ter Kuile F, Lobo NF, Ochomo E, Munga S, Ombok M, Samuels A, Torr SJ and Hawkes FM (2018) Host Decoy Trap (HDT) with cattle odour is highly effective for collection of exophagic malaria vectors. Parasites and Vectors, 11:533 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3099-7)

    • Hawkes FM, Dabiré RK, Sawadogo SP, Torr SJ, Gibson G (2017) Exploiting Anopheles responses to thermal, odour and visual stimuli to improve surveillance and control of malaria. Scientific Reports, 7:17283 (http://rdcu.be/A0bE).

    • Hawkes F, Manin BO, Ng SH, Torr SJ, Drakeley C, Chua TH, Ferguson HM (2017) Evaluation of electric nets as a means to sample mosquito vectors host-seeking on humans and primates. Parasites and Vectors, 10(338).

    • Hawkes, FM and Gibson, G (2016) Seeing is believing: the nocturnal mosquito Anopheles coluzzii responds to visual host-cues when odour indicates a host is nearby. Parasites and Vectors, 9(320).

    • Medlock, JM, Vaux, AGC, Gibson, G, Hawkes, FM, Cheke, RA (2014) Potential vector for West Nile virus prevalent in Kent. Veterinary Record, 175(11), 284-285.

    • Whitehorn, LJ, Hawkes, FM, Dublon, IAN, (2013) Superplot3D: an open source GUI tool for 3d trajectory visualisation and elementary processing. Source Code for Biology and Medicine, 8(19).

    • Hawkes, FM & Acott, TG (2013) People, environment and place: the function and significance of human hybrid relationships at an allotment in South East England. Local Environment, 18:10, 1117-1133, DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2013.787590.

    • Hawkes, F, Young, S and Gibson, G (2012) Modification of spontaneous activity patterns in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae when presented with host-associated stimuli. Physiological Entomology, 37(3), pp. 233-240.
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    Dr Hawkes combines basic research in the laboratory and field with applied and operational research, particularly vector ecology in the face of global environmental change and anthropogenic interventions.

    Her fundamental research on vector behaviour is driven by the joint aims of elucidating the precise behavioural sequences that facilitate key aspects of the insect’s life history and identifying potential behavioural targets that can be incorporated into new vector surveillance and control tools. This research pipeline emphasises the strong link between basic research and impact, including developing, prototyping, patenting and commercialising/ mainstreaming tools. For instance, Dr Hawkes developed a new trap for disease-carrying insects that exploits their behaviour, which was recognised under the UK honours system within a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education (2019). This work is continued in her current projects aimed at supporting the entomological surveillance necessary for verifying whether onchocerciasis has been in eliminated in operational transmission zones.

    She is also interested in how vector ecology and behaviour may be impacted by human activities. These research themes include how land use change and deforestation may be driving spillover of zoonotic malaria in Southeast Asia and how climate adapted cultivation practices may create agroecological landscapes more suitable for malaria vectors.

    Within NRI, Dr Hawkes is a member of the Behavioural Ecology Research Group and the Chemical Ecology Research Group, and the Centre on Sustainable Agriculture for One Health.
  • Teaching Programmes:

    • BSc Environmental Science (module leader)

    • MBiol/BSc Biology

    • MSc Agriculture for Sustainable Development

    • MSc Global Environmental Change

    • PhD supervision
  • Research Projects:

    NIH “Emerging zoonotic malaria in Malaysia: linking human and mosquito surveillance with population genetic tools to evaluate adaptive human-human transmission risk” Role: Co-I (Apr 2022-2026, US$620,386)

    Southeast Asia remains a global hotspot for emerging zoonotic infectious diseases with risk elevated in forested tropical regions undergoing intensive anthropogenic land-use change. The recent increase in transmission of the monkey malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, endemic to Southeast Asia, exemplifies how these types of ecological linkage mechanisms can influence disease spill-over to humans. Alongside characterising P. knowlesi population genetic structure to understand transmission networks, this project aims to determine mosquito vector behavioural and landscape ecology factors contributing to increasing transmission of P. knowlesi in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

    Infrared & AI to diagnose and quantify Onchocerca volvulus in blackflies (Co-I)

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Nov 2021-Nov 2024, US$2.6 million)

    Partners: University of Glasgow, Institute de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé Burkina Faso, Ifakara Health Institute Tanzania, Sightsavers International, Osun State University Nigeria, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Benin

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation “Improved Simulium capture for onchocerciasis elimination surveillance and the spatial distribution of blackfly biting” Role: PI (Nov 2021-Mar 2026, US$1,425,861)

    Entomological surveillance is at the heart of the onchocerciasis elimination framework proposed by the World Health Organization. This project aims to develop suitable methods for the intensive sampling required to verify the interruption of transmission and eventual elimination of the disease by:

    1. testing and optimizing Esperanza Window Traps, Host Decoy Traps and oviposition traps for collecting the blackfly vectors of onchocerciasis,
    2. increasing entomological capacity in key skills such as blackfly identification, dissection, cytotaxonomy and molecular parasite screening in endemic countries, and
    3. determining the spatial distribution and intensity of vector biting, and therefore exposure risk, of different communities within transmission zones, using geostatistical modelling frameworks developed from contemporaneous entomological and serological field data.

    MRC GCRF Global Infections Foundation Award “Human Decoy Trap; operational and social acceptability of novel tool to improve surveillance and control of mosquitoes and other disease vectors” Role: Co-I (Feb 2017-Jan 2019, £556,461)

    Current tools for sampling malarial mosquitoes are time-consuming, ethically contentious and difficult to standardize. Accordingly, data between countries and regions cannot be reliably compared. This project tested a new, standardized and exposure-free mosquito trap, the Host Decoy Trap, against existing WHO-approved method the human landing catch and other techniques in a wide range of epidemiological and entomological settings in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Benin, resulting in a commercial prototype trap that can be used for outdoor-biting mosquitoes. Research also included a Participatory Technology Assessment of various sampling methods, highlighting the attributes valued by field staff tasked with mosquito surveillance.

    NERC Valuing Nature: Health & Wellbeing “Taking the bite out of wetlands: Managing mosquitoes and the socio-ecological value of wetlands for wellbeing” Role: Researcher Co-I (Aug 2016-Jul 2020, £1,307,532)

    The WetlandLIFE project explored the ecological, economic, social and cultural values associated with wetlands in England to better understand how to manage change into the future, alongside an ecological focus on mosquito management now and historically to support the recreational use of wetlands for the health and well-being of local human populations. The project delivered guidance for managing mosquitoes in the context of healthy wetland environments, art-science collaborations and artistic installations that encouraged engagement with mosquito discourses and the wetland environment, as well as sociological and historical scholarship on how English wetlands have shaped contemporary society, and economic valuations of wetlands and how those value may change under pressure from potential future mosquito-influenced futures.

    All project outputs can be seen on the WetlandLIFE website: http://www.wetlandlife.org/project-outputs

    Current Postgraduate Students

    • Rosalia Joseph: Analysing gender disparities in malaria exposure in Sub-Saharan Africa (VC Scholarship; 2024-present).

    • Lachlan Keneally: Relational and political ecology perspectives on urban food and commoning in Bristol (UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training; 2023-present).

    • Ainhoa Rodriguez-Pereira: The impact of Apicomplexan’s methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway on gene regulation and behaviour of the host (BBSRC London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme [LIDo]; 2023-present).

    • Monique Shepherd-Gorringe: Development of a novel, long-acting formulation for the treatment and prevention of malaria (Doctoral Training Alliance; 2018-present).
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: https://gala.gre.ac.uk/cgi/search/archive/advanced?order=-date%2Fcreators_name%2Ftitle&_action_search=1&cache=20449351&screen=Search&exp=0%7C1%7C-date%2Fcreators_name%2Ftitle%7Carchive%7C-%7Ccreators_name%3Acreators_name%3AALL%3AEQ%3AHAWKES%2C+FRANCES%7C-%7Ceprint_status%3Aeprint_status%3AANY%3AEQ%3Aarchive%7Cmetadata_visibility%3Ametadata_visibility%3AANY%3AEQ%3Ashow&search_offset=0
  • Responsibilities:

    • Line management responsibilities

    • Mentoring of Early Career Researchers

    • Developing impact case studies for REF

    • Reviewer for 10+ academic journals
  • Awards:

    • Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (Member since 2010)

    • Member of Roll Back Malaria’s Vector Control Working Group (2018-)

    • Member of Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network’s Vector Control Working Group (2018-)

    • Member of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (2012-)

    • World Health Organization’s Onchocerciasis Technical Advisory Subgroup invited expert (2022-)

    • Technical Steering Committee member of DISSECT-Developing Innovative Scalable Solutions to Entomology Gaps and Cross-Border Transmission of Onchocerciasis (2022-2024)

    • Scientific Reports Editorial Board Member (2018-2021)

    • External examiner (“opponent”) for PhD thesis defence at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, SLU

    • Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education (2019)

    • Awarded full scholarship to attend the Biology of Vector-Borne Diseases Training Programme, University of Idaho (2018)

    • Winner of Swiss Malaria Group’s #EndMalaria video competition (2017)

    • Awarded Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship (2009-2013)

    • University of Greenwich Inaugural Student of the Year (2012)

    • Selected to present PhD Research to Members of Parliament, House of Commons, supported by the Society of Biology (2012)

    • Best Oral Presentation at Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene’s Research in Progress Conference (2012)

    • Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Undergraduate Degree (2009)

    • Prize for Best Honours Dissertation in the School of Science (2009)
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0964-3702

    LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/frances-hawkes-97647631

    Google Scholar

    https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=RRwlOW4AAAAJ&hl=en

    Research Gate

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frances-Hawkes
Phone: +44 (0)1634 88 3132
Associate Professor in Medical Entomology
Dr G. Mandela Fernandez-Grandon
  • Qualifications: Bsc (Hons), PhD
  • Biography:

    Dr G. Mandela Fernandez-Grandon joined the Natural Resources Institute in 2013 as a postdoctoral Research Fellow. His work at NRI utilises his expertise in Behavioural Entomology and Chemical Ecology.

    Dr Fernandez-Grandon obtained his BSc (Hons) in Biology from the University of Dundee. His initial interest in agricultural entomology was sparked by a final year project investigating the success of certain aphid clone varieties within Scotland. Completion of his undergraduate degree was immediately followed with work at the James Hutton institute (then SCRI) under Dr Brian Fenton. During this time Dr Fernandez-Grandon worked on testing insecticide susceptibility within aphid clones, developing a technique of RNAi with aphids and testing for new microsatellite markers to assist in identification of field species.

    After time spent travelling in South America and visiting a laboratory in Talca, Chile to work with Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG), Dr Fernandez-Grandon returned to the UK to complete a PhD with Professor Guy Poppy at the University of Southampton. This four-year PhD covered research in Entomology, Chemical Ecology and Biological Control focussing on the effect of the aphid sex pheromone, (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone, on the behaviour of the parasitoid, Aphidius colemani, and its host the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae. Following experience in agricultural pests and food security, Dr Fernandez-Grandon completed Postdoctoral research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine into pests of medical importance and disease control. This work, completed under Dr James Logan in collaboration with Professors John Armour of the University of Nottingham and John Pickett of Rothamsted Research, investigated the heritability of human odour and how these attracted the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
  • Selected Publications:
    • J. Li, J. Lin, G. M. Fernández-Grandon, M. You, X. Xia (Accepted) Functional identification of C-type lectin in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) innate immunity Journal of Integrative Agriculture
    • Li, X.W., … Fernández-Grandon, G.M. and Lu, Y.B., 2021. Intercropping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) with sweet pepper (Capsicum annum) reduces major pest population densities without impacting natural enemy populations. Insects, 12(1), p.74.
    • Hafeez, M., … Fernández-Grandon, G.M. and Zalucki, M.P., 2021. De novo transcriptomic analyses revealed some detoxification genes and related pathways responsive to noposion yihaogong® 5% EC (Lambda-Cyhalothrin 5%) exposure in Spodoptera frugiperda third-instar larvae. Insects, 12(2), p.132.
    • Hafeez, M.… Wang, L. and Fernández-Grandon, G.M., 2021. Sublethal effects of bistrifluron on key biological traits, macronutrients contents and vitellogenin (SeVg) expression in Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, p.104802.
    • Hafeez, M., … Fernández‐Grandon, G.M. and Lu, Y.B., 2021. Role of digestive protease enzymes and related genes in host plant adaptation of a polyphagous pest, Spodoptera frugiperda. Insect Science.
    • Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Harte, S.J., Ewany, J., Bray, D. and Stevenson, P.C., 2020. Additive effect of botanical insecticide and entomopathogenic fungi on pest mortality and the behavioral response of its natural enemy. Plants, 9(2), p.173.
    • Hafeez, M., … Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Li, X., Gulzar, A., Ali, B., Rehman, M. and Ali, S., 2020. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of a cytochrome P450 gene enhanced the toxicity of α-cypermethrin in xanthotoxin-fed larvae of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Pesticide biochemistry and physiology, 162, pp.6-14.
    • Hafeez, M., … Fernández‐Grandon, G.M., Nawaz, M., Ahmad, A. and Wang, M., 2019. Gossypol‐induced fitness gain and increased resistance to deltamethrin in beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Pest management science, 75(3), pp.683-693.
    • Hafeez, M., Liu, S., Jan, S., Gulzar, A., Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Qasim, M., Khan, K.A., Ali, B., Kedir, S.J., Fahad, M. and Wang, M., 2019. Enhanced effects of dietary tannic acid with chlorantraniliprole on life table parameters and nutritional physiology of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). Pesticide biochemistry and physiology, 155, pp.108-118.
    • Hafeez, M., … Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Shahid, M. and Wang, M., 2019. Sub-lethal effects of lufenuron exposure on spotted bollworm Earias vittella (Fab): key biological traits and detoxification enzymes activity. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(14), pp.14300-14312.
    • Hafeez, M., Liu, S., Jan, S., Shi, L., Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Gulzar, A., Ali, B., Rehman, M. and Wang, M., 2019. Knock-down of gossypol-inducing cytochrome P450 genes reduced deltamethrin sensitivity in Spodoptera exigua (Hübner). International journal of molecular sciences, 20(9), p.2248.
    • Rowley, C., Pope, T.W., Cherrill, A., Leather, S.R., Fernández‐Grandon, G.M. and Hall, D.R., 2017. Development and optimisation of a sex pheromone lure for monitoring populations of saddle gall midge, Haplodiplosis marginata. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 163(1), pp.82-92.
    • Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Gezan, S.A., Armour, J.A., Pickett, J.A. and Logan, J.G., 2015. Heritability of attractiveness to mosquitoes. PLoS One, 10(4), p.e0122716.
    • Fernandez-Grandon, G.M. and Poppy, G.M., 2015. Response of Aphidius colemani to aphid sex pheromone varies depending on plant synergy and prior experience. Bulletin of entomological research, 105(04), pp.507-514.
    • Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Woodcock, C.M. and Poppy, G.M., 2013. Do asexual morphs of the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae, utilise the aphid sex pheromone? Behavioural and electrophysiological responses of M. persicae virginoparae to (4aS, 7S, 7aR)-nepetalactone and its effect on aphid performance. Bulletin of entomological research, 103(4), p.466
    • Fernández-Grandon, G.M., Girling, R.D. and Poppy, G.M., 2011. Utilizing insect behavior in chemical detection by a behavioral biosensor. Journal of Plant Interactions, 6(2-3), pp.109-112.
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    My work looks to increase our understanding of Chemical Ecology and Insect Behaviour in pests relevant to agriculture and human health. I have a strong interest in how evolution has shaped behaviour in organisms and particularly their interaction with other species.
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/view/authors/6144.html
  • Responsibilities:

    Postdoctoral Research Scientist
  • Awards:
    • Member of the Royal Entomological Society
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2993-390X
Phone: +44 (0)1634 88 3057
Research Fellow in Behavioural Entomology
Dr Gonçalo Ramalho E Silva
  • Qualifications: PhD, FHEA
  • Biography:

    Dr Gonçalo Silva is a plant virologist at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich, with over 15 years of experience in developing innovative laboratory and field-based diagnostic tools for plant viruses and their vectors. His research focuses on improving plant health and supporting the development of sustainable control strategies.

    Since joining NRI in 2013, Gonçalo has led and collaborated on a range of international, multidisciplinary projects with a strong emphasis on molecular diagnostics, virus discovery, and the application of high-throughput sequencing technologies and bioinformatics. His work also includes the development of a novel smart trap for the early detection of regulated plant pests, as part of an Innovate UK-funded initiative. This proof-of-concept technology contributes to strengthening the UK’s biosecurity infrastructure and enhancing the efficiency of pest surveillance and inspection systems

    Gonçalo’s work has been supported by major funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Royal Society, BBSRC, and Innovate UK, and has consistently integrated capacity building and knowledge exchange activities.
  • Selected Publications:
    • Munguti F.M., Kilalo D.C., Yegon H.K., Macharia I., Seal S.E., Mwango’mbe A.W., Nyaboga E.N., Silva G. (2024) Real-time reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay for detection of cassava brown streak viruses. Scientific Reports 14, 12438 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-62249-y
    • Festus R.O., Seal S.E., Prempeh R., Quain M.D., Silva G. (2023) Improved Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) for the Rapid and Sensitive Detection of Yam mosaic virus. Viruses 2023, 15, 1592. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15071592
    • Diouf M.B., Festus R., Silva G., Guyader S., Umber M., Seal S., Teycheney P.Y. (2022) Viruses of Yams (Dioscorea spp.): Current Gaps in Knowledge and Future Research Directions to Improve Disease Management. Viruses 2022, 14, 1884. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14091884
    • Silva G., Bömer M., Turaki A.A., Nkere C.K., Kumar P.L., Seal S.E. (2022) Homing in on Endogenous Badnaviral Elements: Development of Multiplex PCR-DGGE for Detection and Rapid Identification of Badnavirus Sequences in Yam Germplasm. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13:846989. https://doi.org./10.3389/fpls.2022.846989
    • Kutnjak D., Tamisier L., Adams I., Boonham N., Candresse T., Chiumenti M., De Jonghe K., Kreuze J.F., Lefebvre M., Silva G., Malapi-Wight M., Margaria P., Mavrič Pleško I., McGreig S., Miozzi L., Remenant B., Reynard J-S., Rollin J., Rott M., Schumpp O., Massart S., Haegeman A. (2021) A Primer on the Analysis of High-Throughput Sequencing Data for Detection of Plant Viruses. Microorganisms. 2021; 9:841. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9040841
    • Silva G., Tomlinson J., Onkokesung N., Sommer S., Mrisho L., Legg J., Adams I.P., Gutierrez-Vazquez Y., Howard T.P., Laverick A., Hossain O., Wei Q., Gold K.M., Boonham N. (2021) Plant pest surveillance: from satellites to molecules. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences ETLS20200300. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20200300
    • Tembo M., Adediji A.O., Bouvaine S., Chikoti P.C., Seal S.E., Silva G. (2020) A quick and sensitive diagnostic tool for detection of Maize streak virus. Scientific Reports 10, 19633. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76612-2
    • Nkere C.K., Otto E., Atiri G.I., Onyeka J., Silva G., Bömer M., Seal S.E and Kumar, P.L. (2020) Assessment of Yam mild mosaic virus coat protein gene sequence diversity reveals the prevalence of cosmopolitan and African group of isolates in Ghana and Nigeria. Current Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2020.100156
    • Silva G., Bömer M., Rathnayake A.I., Sewe S.O., Visendi P., Oyekanmi J.O., Quain M.D., Akomeah B., Kumar P.L. & Seal S.E. (2019) Molecular Characterization of a New Virus Species Identified in Yam (Dioscorea spp.) by High-Throughput Sequencing. Plants 8, 167. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants8060167
    • Silva G., Lecourt J., Clover G.R.G. & Seal S.E. (2018) First record of Grapevine Pinot gris virus infecting Vitis vinifera in the United Kingdom. New Disease Reports 38, 7. http://dx.doi.org/10.5197/j.2044-0588.2018.038.007
    • Bömer M., Rathnayake A.I., Visendi P., Sewe O.S., Sicat J.P.A., Silva G., Kumar P.L. & Seal S.E. (2018) Tissue culture and next-generation sequencing: A combined approach for detecting yam (Dioscorea spp.) viruses. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 105:54-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmpp.2018.06.003
    • Silva G., Oyekanmi J., Nkere C.K., Bömer M., Kumar P.L. & Seal S.E. (2018) Rapid detection of potyviruses from crude plant extracts. Analytical Biochemistry 546:17–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2018.01.019
    • Nkere C.K., Oyekanmi J.O., Silva G., Bömer M., Atiri G.I., Onyeka J., Maroya N.G., Seal S.E. & Kumar P.L. (2018) Chromogenic detection of yam mosaic virus by closed‑tube reverse transcription loop‑mediated isothermal amplification (CT‑RT‑LAMP). Archives of Virology 163:1057–1061. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-018-3706-0
    • Bömer M., Rathnayake A.I., Visendi P., Silva G. & Seal S.E. (2018) Complete genome sequence of a new member of the genus Badnavirus, Dioscorea bacilliform RT virus 3, reveals the first evidence of recombination in yam badnaviruses. Archives of Virology 163:533–538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-017-3605-9
    • Silva G., Lecourt J., Clover G.R.G. & Seal S.E. (2017) First report of Grapevine fanleaf virus infecting grapevine in the United Kingdom. New Disease Reports 36, 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.5197/j.2044-0588.2017.036.009
    • Silva G., Bömer M., Nkere C., Kumar P.L. & Seal S.E. (2015) Rapid and specific detection of Yam mosaic virus by reverse-transcription recombinase polymerase amplification. Journal of Virological Methods 222:138-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jviromet.2015.06.011
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:

    My research focuses on the development and application of innovative diagnostic techniques for the rapid and accurate detection of plant viruses and their insect vectors. These tools are essential for timely decision-making and underpin the production of virus-free planting material, supporting resilient seed systems.

    I have a strong interest in leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), CRISPR-based diagnostics, and portable sequencing platforms like the MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) for virus discovery, molecular characterization, and the study of plant viral populations. My work also includes the development of smart trap technologies for the early detection and identification of insect vectors, contributing to enhanced pest surveillance and biosecurity.

    In parallel, I am committed to strengthening diagnostic capacity in low- and middle-income countries. I regularly design and deliver training courses and workshops in virus and vector diagnostics, facilitating effective technology transfer to laboratories across East and West Africa.

    Core Relevant Skills

    • Development of novel laboratory and field-based diagnostics for plant viruses, including LAMP, CRISPR, and MinION-based platforms
    • Molecular characterization and discovery of plant viruses using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics
    • Design and delivery of capacity-building programmes in diagnostics and vector identification
    • Innovation in pest surveillance tools, including smart traps for real-time insect vector monitoring
  • Teaching Programmes:
    • MSc Agriculture for Sustainable Development
    • BSc Biology
    • Module leader of Plant Science
  • Research Projects:

    Smart traps for improved surveillance and early detection of plant regulated pests

    (2024-2025, funded by Innovate UK)

    Bemisia tabaci is a major pest and virus vector affecting economically important crops such as tomato and cucumber. It is a regulated pest in the UK and frequently intercepted on imported plants, particularly poinsettia. Current surveillance relies on visual inspections and sticky traps, which are time-consuming and require expert identification due to similarities with non-quarantine species like Trialeurodes vaporariorum.

    This project aims to develop and evaluate a novel smart trap for the automatic, real-time detection of B. tabaci. The prototype combines a suction mechanism with an optical sensor powered by machine learning, enabling passive data collection and remote monitoring. This innovation has the potential to enhance UK biosecurity by improving the efficiency and accuracy of pest surveillance and reducing the burden on inspection services.

     

    Plant virus ecology: the role of parasitic weeds in virus epidemiology and implications for crop production

    (2023–2024, funded by the University of Greenwich)

    Plant virus ecology seeks to understand the ecological role of viruses and their vectors in managed and natural environments and the reciprocal effects of the ecosystems on virus and vectors distribution and virus evolution.

    In this project, we investigated the presence of viruses in parasitic weeds (Cuscuta spp. and Striga spp.) by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to get an unbiased detection of all DNA and RNA viruses present in these samples. Data from HTS will be used to develop targeted diagnostics to detect vi-ruses in insects to identify potential vectors.

     

    Virus survey in UK vineyards

    (2021 – 2023, Consultancy service to NIAB EMR Viticulture consortium)

    The UK wine industry has grown markedly in recent years and is an important sector to the UK economy. Viral diseases of grapevine can however jeopardize this growth. This work aims at studying the diversity and distribution of viruses infecting UK vineyards and developing on-site diagnostic tools to rapidly identify infected vines in established vineyards. These tools will help in reducing the costs associated with the delayed removal of infected vines and limit the spread of virus diseases in vineyards.

     

    Using High-Throughput Sequencing indexing to strengthen the yam (Dioscorea spp.) seed systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

    (2019 – 2022, Royal Society International Collaboration Award)

    This collaborative project will transfer state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques to the Biotechnology Laboratory of the Council for scientific and Industrial Research-Crops Research Institute (CSIR-CRI), Ghana thereby improving capacity for yam disease diagnostics and seed certification in the country. The success of this project will ensure the timely availability of disease-free seed yams on a price-competitive basis as the system is producing planting materials to feed the seed yam commercial farmers in Ghana.

     

    Identification of mealybug vectors involved in the transmission of badnavirus infecting yam in Northern Nigeria

    (2019-2020, funded by BBSRC Global Challenges Research Fund: “CONNECTED” - Community network for African vector borne plant diseases award)

    Yam productivity is severely compromised by the high impact of yam viruses and their insect vectors. Sap-feeding mealybugs are both direct plant pests and active vectors of badnaviruses, but only little is known about the role they play as vectors of yam badnaviruses. We plan to identify mealybug species infesting yam fields in northern Nigeria and thought to be vectors of Dioscorea bacilliform viruses (DBVs), detect and characterize DBV species in individual mealybugs, and evaluate whether there are potential correlations between certain mealybug- and DBV-species, which could inform vector specificity.

     

    Renewal: Enabling Research Tools for Cassava and Yam Virologists and Breeders

    (2016-2024, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

    This project is a continuation of the ‘Development of On-Farm Robust Diagnostic Toolkits for Yam Virus Diseases’ project (ended September 2016). The reinvestment is to optimize the yam virus diagnostic tests developed to date, as well as make further concerted efforts to generate improved antisera for yam potyviruses and badnaviruses to assist both the development of lateral flow devices for field diagnostics, and rapid concentration of virus particles for nucleic acid tests. The reinvestment will focus on evaluation of the best tests for use in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and technology transfer to West African scientists and laboratories. Transfer of the tests will enable W. African National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) to determine the virus-status of yam breeding lines and certify planting material for distribution to yam smallholders is virus-free.

     

    Building links with the Kent wine industry

    (2015–2017, funded by the University of Greenwich)

    Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is a major crop worldwide and produces a valuable agricultural commodity. The UK wine industry is a fast-growing sector and in 2017, an area of c. 2,500 hectares had been planted, a tripling of the area since 2000. Production of wine is projected to increase from the current 6 million bottles of wine per annum to c. 40 million bottles by 2040. This project aims to increase our knowledge about the presence and incidence of viruses in UK vineyards to develop efficient control strategies at this crucial and early stage of vineyard establishment. This project will assist the UK grapevine grower’s network by creating awareness of the presence of economically important viral diseases in UK vineyards and contributing to the sustainability of the UK grapevine industry.

     

    Development of On-Farm Robust Diagnostic Toolkits for Yam Virus Diseases

    (2012-2016, funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

    Yams are propagated vegetatively through their tubers, which leads to an accumulation of tuber-borne diseases in farmers' planting material and subsequent serious crop yield losses. The economically important tuber-borne diseases are caused by viruses, and the only effective method of controlling these virus diseases is to use virus-free planting material. The scarcity and associated high expense of such material has been identified as one of the most important critical constraints to increasing yam production and productivity in West Africa. The goal of this project is to develop sensitive and specific cost-effective diagnostic tests for the most important African yam viruses and then adapt these tests to be suitable for on-farm virus-indexing. Due to the presence of integrated pararetrovirus sequences (EPRVs) in some yam breeding line genomes it is also necessary to identify which lines contain activatable EPRV sequences and identify diagnostic procedures for these EPRVs. The diagnostic toolkits and procedures developed will be suitable for use in West African indexing centres and this will lead to the delivery of high-quality virus-free planting material of preferred yam varieties for multiplication and distribution to yam smallholders in West Africa. This will lead to improved food security and income generation for smallholders in West Africa.
  • Research Students:

    Currently supervising 3 PhD students, with completed supervision of 3.
  • Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (GALA) link: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/view/authors/5997.html
  • Responsibilities:

    NRI representative of the Faculty Research Degrees sub-Committee
  • Awards:
    • Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
    • Member of the British Society of Plant Pathology
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5544-2947

    LinkedIn

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/goncalosilva14415417

    Google Scholar

    https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-bljz2gAAAAJ&hl=en

    Research Gate

    https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Goncalo_Silva3
Phone: +44 (0)1634 88 3158
Senior Lecturer in Plant Virology and Diagnostics
Dr Indika Pahalagedara
  • Qualifications: BSc, MSc, PhD
  • Biography:

    Dr. Indika Thushari joined the Natural Resources Institute in November 2022 as a postdoctoral researcher on a project funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) entitled Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Commodity Production; Identifying Opportunities for Sustainable Productivity Growth Across the Agri-Food Chain.

    She obtained her first degree, BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology with a specialization in Biodiversity and Conservation, from Rajarata University in Sri Lanka in 2009. In 2015, she earned her MSc in Environmental Science from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. After completing her Ph.D. (Environmental Technology) at Thammasat University, Thailand, in 2018, she extended her research career as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Environmental Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand (September 2018-2019). Her Ph.D. thesis was awarded as the best dissertation 2018 in Science and Technology at Thammasat University, Thailand.

    She then worked as a full-time lecturer and program leader in the Department of Environmental Technology at Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC), Sri Lanka (2020-2022). In addition to teaching, she also gained experience in curriculum development and revision while at SLTC, Sri Lanka. She has a strong research interest in sustainability assessment, environmental footprints, and zero waste and circular economy.
  • Selected Publications:
    • Thushari, I., & Babel, S., 2022. Comparative study of the environmental impacts of used cooking oil valorization options in Thailand. Journal of Environmental Management, 310, p.114810.
    • Thushari, I., Vicheanteab, J., & Janjaroen, D., (2020). Material flow analysis and life cycle assessment of solid waste management in urban green areas, Thailand. Sustainable Environment Research, 30(1), 1-17
    • Thushari, I., & Babel, S., (2020). Biodiesel Production from Waste Palm Cooking Oil Using Solid Acid Catalyst Derived from Coconut Meal Residue. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 11(9), 4941-4956.
    • Thushari, I., Babel, S., & Samart, C. (2019). Biodiesel production in an autoclave reactor using waste palm oil and coconut coir husk derived catalyst. Renewable Energy, 134, 125-134
    • Sudrajat, H., Babel, S., Thushari, I., & Laohhasurayotin, K. (2019). Stability of La dopants in NaTaO3 photocatalysts. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 775, 1277-1285.
    • Sudrajat, H., Thushari, I., & Babel, S. (2019). Chemical state and coordination structure of La cations doped in KTaO3 photocatalysts. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 127, 94-100
    • Thushari, I., & Babel, S. (2018). Sustainable utilization of waste palm oil and sulfonated carbon catalyst derived from coconut meal residue for biodiesel production. Bioresource Technology, 248(Part A), 199-203
    •  Thushari, I., & Babel, S. (2018). Preparation of solid acid catalysts from waste biomass and their application for microwave-assisted biodiesel production from waste palm oil. Waste Management & Research, 36(8), 719-728
    • Thushari, P., & Babel, S. (2018). Biodiesel production from waste palm oil using palm empty fruit bunch-derived novel carbon acid catalyst. Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 140(3)
    • Thushari, I., & Babel, S. (2019). Activity of Carbon-Based Solid Acid Catalyst Derived from Palm Empty Fruit Bunch for Esterification of Palmitic Acid. Environment and Natural Resources Journal, 17(1), 54-62
    • Ranwala S.M.W., & Thushari P. G. I (2012). Current status and management options for invasive plants at the Mihintale Wildlife Sanctuary. National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka 40 (1), 67-76
  • Research / Scholarly Interests:
    • Life Cycle Environmental Impact Assessment
    • Zero Waste and Circular Economy
    • Sustainable Waste Management and Valorization
    • Climate Change
    • Biofuel
  • Research Projects:

    Current research project

    Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Commodity Production; Identifying Opportunities for Sustainable Productivity Growth Across the Agri-Food Chain- Funded by Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

    This project updates previous research commissioned by Defra to produce a series of life cycle assessments (LCAs) for a range of selected commodities, covering respectively i) domestic (UK) production systems, ii) alternative production systems, iii) substitutable imports, and iv) the incorporation of viable technologies to mitigate a particular environmental impact. Therefore, this project provides an opportunity to apply the latest expertise from LCA to inform a diverse policy landscape, including trade and environmental policy.

    Previous research projects

    1. Overview of Agro-Waste Management in Sri Lanka: A Guide Toward Resource Circular Economy – Funded by Sri Lanka Technological Campus Responsive Research Seed Grant 2022

    The current situation of agricultural waste in Sri Lanka is unclear as few studies have been conducted.

    Although a wide range of agricultural wastes are generated in Sri Lanka, there is limited understanding of agricultural waste management in terms of actual availability and potential sources of agricultural waste generation. Therefore, this project aims to understand the waste generation, characteristics, disposal and management strategies, problems and opportunities in different sectors of agriculture and agriculture related industries.

    2. Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Solid Waste Management in Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park -Funded by Ratchadapisek Somphot Fund 2019, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand (Post- doc)

    Urban green spaces are becoming increasingly important in any developed or developing city due to increasing urbanization and to maintain a healthy population and economy, such as in Bangkok, Thailand. The maintenance and activities of the users of these urban green spaces generate a significant amount of solid waste, which is a major contributor to the increasing generation of municipal solid waste. Chulalongkorn University's Centenary Park provides space for a variety of users to engage in a wide range of activities. Because it is a recently constructed park, increasing attention has been paid to sustainable maintenance requirements. For that, the mass flow and environmental performance of the park's waste management system were assessed using tools such as material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle analysis (LCA).

    3. Biodiesel Production from Waste Palm Oil using Waste Biomass derived Solid Acid Catalysts (PhD thesis)

    Dr. Indika's doctoral thesis was on the production of biodiesel from biomass waste. The production of biodiesel from waste palm oil (WPO) can provide alternative energy while reducing the problems associated with the disposal of WPO. In addition, the use of solid acid catalysts (SACs) from waste biomass for biodiesel production makes the whole process more economical and sustainable. In this study, the desired carbon-based SACs are synthesized from empty palm fruit bunch (PEFB), coconut meal residue (CMR), and coconut coir shell (CCH) waste biomass synthesized using two simple protocols: direct, one-step, concentrated H2SO4 carbonization (DS) and sulfonation of incompletely carbonized biomass (BCS). The results show that PEFB, CMR, and CCH can be used as waste biomass for SAC synthesis and sustainable biodiesel production.
  • Responsibilities:

    Postdoctoral Research fellow in the project ‘Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Commodity Production; Identifying Opportunities for Sustainable Productivity Growth Across the Agri-Food Chain’.
  • Awards:
    • Post- Doctoral Research Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand (2018-2019)
    • A title of the best Ph.D. dissertation 2018 in Science and Technology, Thammasat University, Thailand
    • TU Research Scholar, Contract No 1/2559, Thammasat University, Thailand (2016)
    • Reviewer for some academic journals and conferences.
  • External Profiles:

    ORCID

    Indika Thushari (0000-0002-5923-3437) (orcid.org)

    Google Scholar

    Indika Thushari - ‪Google Scholar
Research Fellow

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