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- Festus Ajibefun
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Festus AjibefunDegree Being Pursued: Ph.D. |
- I’m an international Ph.D. student from Nigeria with a deep interest in insect molecular biology. Outside of the lab, I enjoy drawing, watching and playing soccer, and relaxing with a good soccer video game. I value creativity, teamwork, and applying science to solve real-world problems, especially those related to food production and pest control in vulnerable communities.
- My current research centers on investigating extracellular vesicle (EV) biogenesis in the southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata). I’m especially interested in how EVs can transport double-stranded RNA to induce gene silencing, which could pave the way for novel RNAi-based pest control strategies that are both efficient and environmentally responsible
- My interest in entomology was sparked during my final year project at the University of Windsor, where I studied forensic entomology as part of my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences. That experience gave me a deeper appreciation for the role of insects in science and society. Since then, I’ve continued exploring insect physiology, toxicology, and molecular biology, all of which led me to pursue entomology at the graduate level.