Bioécologie, Kenya, 7 Mai 2007

PhD position in a collaborative project of the University of Bremen
and the ICIPE at Nairobi, Kenya.

Project title: Mango seed weevil bioecology and management in
Kenya

Description: We are looking for a PhD student to study the
bioecology and management of the mango seed weevil (MSW) (Sternochetus
mangiferae) using entomopathogenic fungi and soft pesticides.

The mango seed weevil is an important pest of mango that is responsible
for direct damage to fruit pulp, premature fruit drop and sometimes
associated with reduced seed germination. It is also a major quarantine
pest in many countries thereby limiting export of mango from Africa to
lucrative markets in the EU, the Middle East and USA. The overall goals
of this project are to quantity the level of damage by MSW to mango in
relation to variety, season and locality and better understand ecological
aspects of the pest with regard to its dynamics and distribution to guide
in the deployment of control strategies.
Our short term goals with regard to management is to identify candidate
entomopathogenic fungi and or soft pesticide that could be used
for management of the pest and to develop appropriate field application
strategy based on soil or trunk application. The successful candidate
will screen different isolates of entomopathogenic fungi, evaluate the
effect of abiotic factors on candidate isolates, develop appropriate
formulation of the pathogen and assess field persistence and application
strategy. The research activity is a component of a mango IPM project
targeting other mango pests such as fruit flies and mealybugs in
sub-Saharan Africa and the position is based at icipe, Nairobi,
Kenya.
The experimental work will be carried out at the icipe, Nairobi,
Kenya and the successful candidate will obtain a PhD in Biology at the
University of Bremen, Germany.

Qualifications. This position requires a MSc or equivalent in
entomology, biology, ecology or related fields. Familiarity with insect
pathology is desirable.

Available: Immediately

Duration: 3 years with possibility of 1 yr extension

Contact: For further information and application, please contact
Prof. Dr. Thomas S. Hoffmeister, Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology, University of Bremen, e-mail hoffmeister@uni-bremen.de

Applicants should send an application until May 7 to
hoffmeister@uni-bremen.de that includes an explanation of research
experience and interests, a CV, and contact details of two persons who
can provide letters of reference. Copies of relevant earlier publications
can also be useful.