People

Howard J. Atkinson

Expertise: Nematode resistant crops and their biosafety with current interest centred on cooking banana, plantains, potato and rice. The above web-site provides further details.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/nem

Email: h.j.atkinson@leeds.ac.uk

Alison Baker

Expertise: Research interests focus on plant peroxisomes which have impacts on seed biology (dormancy, germination) and plant stress (metabolism of reactive oxygen species, jasmonic acid production).

Website: http://www.plants.leeds.ac.uk/people/groups_bak.php

Email: a.baker@leeds.ac.uk

Ranajit Bandyopadhyay

Expertise:  Management of diseases of maize, soybean, cassava, banana yams and cowpea through a good understanding of pathogen distribution, pathogen biology, ecology and epidemiology, and host plant resistance. Special research interest on mycotoxins with respect to their influence of health and trade, and management using biocontrol, resistance and other post-harvest options.

Email: r.bandyopadhyay@cgiar.org

Fen Beed

Expertise: Plant pathology with a focus of influence of environment on epidemiology. Plant pathogen diagnostic methods and networks suitable for the field and laboratory and linkages between them and policy makers (SPS regulations and NPPOs). Biological control of weeds using fungal pathogens. Mycology, bacteriology, virology, phytoplasmas.Sub-Saharan Africa. African Union.

Website: www.iita.org

Email: f.beed@cgiar.org

Tim Benton

Expertise:   Broad interests that centre around the ecological aspects of agricultural production.  Previous work has included analysis of historical data linking agriculture to biodiversity (at different trophic levels) and detailed investigation of insect and bird responses to farming practice.  I have experience at various aspects of statistical modelling and understanding the drivers of population dynamics by analytical, statistical and empirical dissection of population time series. 

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Benton_T

Email: t.g.benton@leeds.ac.uk

Jacobus Biesmeijer

Expertise: I am interested in linking biodiversity and conservation to ecosystem services (e.g. pollination, biological control). This is particularly challenging given the pressures from human-induced global change (warming, atmospheric pollution, land use), and only interdisciplinary approaches can tackle this.  My favourite research system is the interaction between plants and pollinators where I study bee behaviour, pollination, community ecology and impact of land use and climate change on interactions; as well as more applied aspects including crop pollination, management of pollinators (honeybees, stingless bees) and rural livelihoods (crop production, honey production and quality).

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Biesmeijer

Email: j.c.biesmeijer@leeds.ac.uk

Andrew Booth

Expertise: The development of online learning systems and their application to teaching in the biosciences.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Booth_AG

Email: a.g.booth@leeds.ac.uk

Prof. Christian Borgemeister

Expertise: Entomology, biological control and IPM in temperate and tropical environments and biodiversity conservation.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: dg@icipe.org

Dermot Burke

Expertise:  Colorectal disease Faecal incontinence Colorectal cancer Intestinal failure

Email: d.burke@leeds.ac.uk

Janet Cade

Expertise: Main areas of research are nutrition epidemiology, relationship of diet to chronic disease development, diet-gene interactions, assessment of nutrition education, inequalities in health, development of diet assessment methods.

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/medhealth/light/staff/cade_j.html

Email: j.e.cade@leeds.ac.uk

Andy Challinor

Expertise: Modelling climate and its impacts, particularly tropical crops. Quantifying uncertainty / risk-based prediction.

Africa college interest: My work uses a range climate models, from medium-term weather prediction to simulations of multi-decadal climate change. I have also developed crop modelling approaches for use with climate models, including ensembles that systematically sample uncertainty. These have been used to examine the potential for adaptation to climate change through both seasonal forecasting and, on longer timescales, matching of genotypic traits to likely future environments.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/~earac/

Email: a.j.challinor@leeds.ac.uk

Stephen Cornell

Expertise: Mathematical ecology, especially spatial population dynamics

Africa college interest: I have a broad expertise in mathematical models in ecology and epidemiology. In particular, I am interested in the management of biodiversity and disease.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=cornell

Email: s.j.cornell@leeds.ac.uk

Jean Crabtree

Expertise: Gastrointestinal infections particularly Helicobacter pylori and Schistosoma, mucosal immunology, inflammation and cancer  

Email: j.crabtree@leeds.ac.uk

D. L. Dahly

Expertise: Life course and nutritional epidemiology.

Africa college interest: Assessment of diet and physical activity; Assessment of health and nutritional status; Latent variable methods for life course and social epidemiology;

Email: d.l.dahly@leeds.ac.uk

Brendan Davies

Expertise: Molecular genetics of plant development

Africa college interest: We are interested in understanding and manipulating the mechanisms that control developmental processes, particularly flowering. We primarily work with Arabidopsis, but increasingly take a comparative approach. We can offer expertise in molecular genetic techniques, transcription factors and approaches such as yeast two-hybrid, microarrays and ChIP-seq.

Website: http://www.plants.leeds.ac.uk/people/groups_dav.php

Email: b.h.davies@leeds.ac.uk

Andrew Dougill

Expertise: Prof. Andy Dougill is an applied environmental change researcher with an interdisciplinary research profile that transcends and integrates a range of disciplines including soil science, ecology, development studies and environmental social sciences. He has expertise in leading the design and implementation of farmer-led environmental monitoring systems in dryland Africa in both pastoral and mixed farming systems.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/a.dougill

Email: a.j.dougill@leeds.ac.uk

Shane Doyle

Expertise: I am an historian working on disease and demographic change in central and western Uganda and northwest Tanzania, 1900-1980.

Africa college interest: The relationship between malnutrition and maternal and child health; longitudinal nutritional studies; the history of nutritional research in Africa.

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/history/staff/shane_doyle.htm

Email: s.d.doyle@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Susan Dray

Expertise: I am the Research Coordinator for the Africa College Partnership. I support the development of inter-disciplinary research collaborations, partnerships and research grant applications, and also provide support for the strengthening of knowledge-transfer activities - facilitating links in the UK and Africa with private sector, civil society organisations, government and the public. My research interest in knowledge practices ('scientific' and otherwise) spans disciplines such as Development Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, and I draw principally on material semiotic approaches developed in the discipline of STS (Science, Technology and Society). I am particularly curious about the ways in which knowledge moves un/successfully across different socio-cultural practices.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/s.dray

Email: s.dray@leeds.ac.uk

Graham Dutfield

Expertise: Dr Graham Dutfield is Professor of International Governance at the School of Law. His current research interests include intellectual property rights in relation to industrial innovation, public health, agriculture, biotechnology, traditional knowledge and folklore. Recently, he advised the government of Ghana on patent policy in relation to access to medicines and domestic drug production. He also drafted intellectual properly legislation for Zambia aimed at furthering the development needs of the country.

Website: http://www.law.leeds.ac.uk/about/staff/dutfield/

Email: g.m.dutfield@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Sunday Ekesi

Expertise: Agricultural entomologist with expertise in evaluation of commercially based attractants and development of fungal and bacterial pathogens for their incorporation into IPM program for suppression of African fruit flies. Mass rearing of fruit flies for use in bioecological studies. Development of an IPM program for fruit tree pests with a focus on mango and cashew to allow for production and export of quality fruits.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: sekesi@icipe.org

Les Firbank

Expertise: Ecosystem assessment and monitoring; Ecosystem services from agricultural land, Regulation of GM crops; Sustainable intensification of agriculture. Les leads a large grant from Africa College on the design of innovative soil moisture sensors.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=firbank_l

Email: l.firbank@leeds.ac.uk

Thomas Fleming

Expertise: Information Systems - their administration, design, development and use.  Data Management - collecting, processing and analysing data collected from large numbers of organisations to be amalgamated centrally. Record Linkage - using probabilistic record matching and the use of novel privacy-preserving techniques.

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/medhealth/light/research/deb/paediatric/tom.html

Email: t.j.fleming@leeds.ac.uk

Luuk Fleskens

Expertise: Environmental management with a focus on agro-ecosystems and developing countries. Specialist in impact assessment of land and water management interventions, both in physical and economic terms, at different scales, and considering diverging socio-cultural perceptions of various stakeholders. Development of models and methodologies that address multifaceted local realities and that are capable of assessing the impact of environmental change as well as evaluating the effects of adaptation and mitigation strategies on rural livelihoods and ecosystem services. Strategies thereby include both farmer management practices (including technological innovations) and policies.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/l.fleskens

Email: l.fleskens@leeds.ac.uk

Piers Forster

Expertise: Research into the causes and physical consequences of climate change

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/p.forster

Email: piers@env.leeds.ac.uk

Christine Helen Foyer

Expertise: Redox metabolism, related to plant growth and defence against stress

Africa college interest: We are interested in the drought and temperature responses of maize and soybean. We can offer expertise in whole plant physiology, photosynthesis and respiration, as well as stress biology and the application of omics techniques to characterise plant stress responses

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Foyer_CH

Email: c.foyer@leeds.ac.uk

Melaku Gedil

Expertise: Germplasm enhancement and improved crop productivity by integrating advanced molecular techniques with conventional breeding (marker-assisted breeding). Development of markers for key traits (resistance, quality, abiotic stress); gene pyramiding; high throughput genotyping; gene/QTL mapping; RGA; TILLING; functional and comparative genomics approaches for gene discovery; bioinformatics.

Website: http://molecularbreeding.iita.org

Email: m.gedil@cgiar.org

Adam Getliff

Expertise: Adam is supporting the project from E&IO on the KT side of things.

Email: a.getliff@leeds.ac.uk

Mark S. Gilthorpe

Expertise: Statistical modelling of observational health data, especially utilising latent variable methods and particularly with focus on lifecourse epidemiology (from conception to grave).

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/light/staff/Mark-S-Gilthorpe

Email: m.s.gilthorpe@leeds.ac.uk

Dr John Githure

Expertise: Entomology, parasitology, vector ecology and control. My current focus is on community based malaria control in different ecological systems, project coordination and field evaluation of vector control tools.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: jgithure@icipe.org

Yun Yun Gong

Expertise: Molecular epidemiology: applying biomarkers in population study on health effects of mycotoxins; impairment of child growth by aflatoxins; intervention to reduce exposure; developing and validating novel biomarkers for fumonisin risk assessments.

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/light/staff/gong_y.html

Email: medyg@leeds.ac.uk

Henry Greathead

Expertise: Digestive fermentation and metabolism related to livestock performance.

Africa college interest: We are interested in ways of enhancing livestock performance by improving the efficiency of feed utilisation via the use of plant secondary compounds. We can offer expertise in whole animal physiology, metabolism and growth, as well as in vitro models of hind-gut fermentation.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Greathead

Email: h.m.r.greathead@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Fabian Haas

Expertise: An ABS specialist in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and an Insect taxonomist, with specialization in Dermaptera (earwigs). Working in CBD since 2003 as National Focal Point for the Global Taxonomy Initiative in Germany (NFP-GTI DE), and increasing interest in ABS issues since 2006, with an African Perspective.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: fhaas@icipe.org

Keith Hamer

Expertise: Implications of food resources and foraging ecology for individuals, populations, communities and ecosystems

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Hamer_K

Email: k.c.hamer@leeds.ac.uk

Peter Hartmann

Expertise: INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH- FOR-DEVELOPMENT MODELS

Email: hartmann@cgiar.org

Sarah Jane Hearne

Expertise: My work encompasses the application and integration of plant molecular biology and genetics with physiology for enhanced crop productivity.  I work on abiotic and biotic stress tolerance in maize, banana, cassava and cowpea.

Website: http://www.iita.org/

Email: shearne@cgiar.org

Peter Ho

Expertise: Food processing and packaging, Wine Science and Technology, Sensory Analysis, Shelf-life modelling, Food Quality and Safety, Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis (Mixed effects and chemometrics), Process Analytical Technology (PAT), New Product Development, Process and Product Optimization, Process monitoring, Measurement, Modelling and Control.

Email: p.ho@food.leeds.ac.uk

William Hughes

Expertise: My research investigates the ecology, behaviour and evolution of social insects, particularly ants, termites and bees.  I am also broadly interested in host-parasite interactions and the potential use of entomopathogenic organisms as biocontrol agents for insect pests.

Website: http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~fbswohh/

Email: w.o.h.hughes@leeds.ac.uk

Stefan Kepinski

Expertise: Auxin-regulated plant development; Auxin perception; Quantitative modelling of auxin signalling mechanism.

Website: http://www.plants.leeds.ac.uk/people/groups_kep.php

Email: s.kepinski@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Zeyaur R. Khan

Expertise: Habitat management, insect behaviour, chemical ecology. Development and implementation of ?push-pull? habitat management strategies in eastern Africa (www.push-pull.net) for controlling stemborers and striga weed and improving soil fertility in cereal crops.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: zkhan@icipe.org

Celia Knight

Expertise:  I could contribute to the transformation project in a number of ways through the Gatsby Plants project.

Email: c.d.knight@leeds.ac.uk

Paul Knox

Expertise: Plant cell walls

Africa college interest: We are interested in all aspects of cell walls in relation to plant growth & development and understanding how cell walls enable plants to live in diverse environments and respond to mechanical stresses. We can offer sets of molecular probes to detect & study cell wall polysaccharides.

Website: www.plantcellwalls.net

Email: j.p.knox@leeds.ac.uk

Dave Lewis

Expertise: Brain's control of cardio-respiratory and gastrointestinal systems; scientific ethics

Africa college interest: I am interested in the brain's control of the cardio-respiratory and gastrointestinal systems and how diet during early-life may alter the development of these brain pathways leading to metabolic and/or cardiovascular dysfunction in later life. I can offer expertise in whole animal experimental techniques and models and the effect of diet on short and long-term physiological function. I also have an interest and expertise in scientific ethics, the provision of research ethics training for scientists and the establishment of research ethics committees

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Lewis

Email: d.i.lewis@leeds.ac.uk

Simon Lewis

Expertise: The main focus of my research is on the impacts and interactions of multiple anthropogenic global change phenomena and tropical forests. I am interested in better understanding how humans are impacting on the \'Earth System\', specifically the tropical forest biome.

Website: http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/people/s.lewis/

Email: s.l.lewis@leeds.ac.uk

Yim Ling Siu

Expertise: A geographer by training, I have attained over 15 years of multi-disciplinary research experience on national energy demand forecasts, water quality monitoring of river catchments, and regional/national on-road transport demands. My research portfolio recently expanded to include areas on environmental risks and sustainability (e.g. risk analysis, environmental impact assessment, risk communication), Quality Audit for Science (particularly uncertainty) and environmental information and social learning.

Website: http://homepages.see.leeds.ac.uk/~tra6syl/index.shtml

Email: y.l.siu@see.leeds.ac.uk

Jim Lorenzen

Expertise:  Banana breeding and genetics, host-plant resistance, abiotic stress (drought) tolerance, molecular marker - assisted breeding, applied genomics

Email: j.lorenzen@cgiar.org

Dr Nguya Maniania

Expertise: Insect pathologist with interest on development of entomopathogenic fungi as biological control agents of insect pests and disease vectors; application technologies; tritrophic interactions host plant/pathogen/insect.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: nmaniania@icipe.org

Victor Manyong

Expertise: Agricultural economics with emphasis in production/nutrition economics; food demand and policy studies; adoption of technologies; economic, social and environmental impact.

Website: www.iita.org

Email: v.manyong@cgiar.org; victor_manyong@yahoo.com

Dr Daniel Masiga

Expertise: Molecular genetics of hosts, pathogens and vectors with a bias on infections diseases in Africa. My current research focus is on mosquito borne pathogens, and African trypanosomiasis.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: dmasiga@icipe.org

Glenn Alan McConkey

Expertise: Metabolism and growth of malaria and related parasites, antimalarial drug development and resistance

Africa college interest: We are interested in malaria and metabolism; effects of changes in human metabolism during infection and parasite requirements. We can offer expertise in malaria, drug resistance, drug development, nutrient metabolism, and application of bioinformatics, molecular biology and biochemistry, and genomics to these areas.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=McConkey

Email: g.a.mcconkey@leeds.ac.uk

Michael John McPherson

Expertise: Protein engineering and directed evolution of enzymes, membrane proteins and artificial binding proteins

Africa college interest: We are interested in plant improvement through genetic modification especially in anti-nematode strategies, and in the use of plants for the production of important proteins and peptides. We can provide expertise in understanding the importance of key proteins in plant development and defence through protein engineering and related structural biology studies.

Website: http://www.astbury.leeds.ac.uk/People/staffpage.php?StaffID=MJM

Email: m.j.mcpherson@leeds.ac.uk

Helen M. Miller

Expertise: Nutrition and production of farmed livestock, particularly pigs and poultry.

Africa college interest: We are interested in the relationships between nutrition, health and production of tropical livestock with expertise in animal physiology, feed evaluation and management systems.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Miller_H

Email: h.m.miller@leeds.ac.uk

Paul Anthony Millner

Expertise: Bionanotechnology - biosensors and applications of nanoparticles.

Africa college interest: We are interested in the development of biosensors for medical diagnosis and environmental monitoring, and in nanoparticle applications for biocatalysis and biosensing applications. Nanoparticle formulations include polymeric, biosilicate and magnetic nanoparticles.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Millner_P

Email: p.a.millner@leeds.ac.uk

Dr. Samira A. Mohamed

Expertise: Mainly interested in managing the insect pests using IPM approach, with particular emphasis on biological control using parasitoids. Currently involved in developing an IPM package for management of fruit fly, using baiting techniques, fungal application, orchard sanitation and using of egg and larval parasitoids. Also exploring the use of weaver ant in tackling fruit fly problem.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: sfaris@icipe.org

Deborah Murdoch-Eaton

Expertise: Medical education

Email: d.g.murdoch-eaton@leeds.ac.uk

James Newell

Expertise: International public health, primarily in the areas of service delivery of communicable and non-communicable disease control.

Africa college interest: I am interested in the impact of nutrition and agriculture on communicable and non-communicable disease control. This could include using simple measures of nutrition (eg mid upper arm circumference and stunting); impact of changing nutrition on susceptibility to communicable disease (eg does increased availability of vitamin D protect against TB) and non-communicable disease (eg does a more diverse diet reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease and obesity).

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lihs/nuffield/

Email: j.n.newell@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Peter G. N. Njagi

Expertise: An entomologist involved in research on insect behaviour and chemical ecology with regard to insect-insect, insect-host and non-host (plants, humans and animals) interactions. The work involves elucidating mainly the chemical cues that are involved in these interactions with a view to determining whether the cues can be exploited for monitoring and/or management of the target species. Previous and current work on multidisciplinary projects with colleagues has been on various insect species including locusts, mosquitoes, tsetse flies, and parasitoids of cereal stem borers.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: pnjagi@icipe.org

Dr Brigitte Nyambo

Expertise: An agricultural entomologist and IPM specialist in horticultural crops, coffee and cotton; training of trainers and farmers? group in IPM; development of training modules and materials; and food safety in horticultural production system.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: bnyambo@icipe.org

Caroline Orfila

Expertise: Nutritional quality of foods

Africa college interest: I am interested in understanding the molecular determinants of nutritional quality in seeds (e.g. Cowpea) with the aim to identify varieties with enhanced nutritional quality. The effect of growing conditions on nutritional quality is also of interest. Our department has expertise in validated methods of food analysis to obtain nutritional composition of foods.

Email: c.orfila@leeds.ac.uk

Doug Parker

Expertise: African meteorology and climate; monitoring, measurements, theory and modelling.

Africa college interest: My group is working actively on many aspects of African weather and climate, with a focus on the countries of West Africa. Through the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) project, we can offer extensive observations and links to very extensive international research networks. In Leeds, our work spans weather and climate dynamics of the land and atmosphere: we wish to increase our application of this science to biological and human systems.

Website: http://homepages.see.leeds.ac.uk/~lecdjp/

Email: d.j.parker@see.leeds.ac.uk

Dr Remy Stephane Pasquet

Expertise: Everything related to cowpea wild relatives, including diversity and phylogeny, breeding applications, pollination, and ecological risk assessment linked to future GM cowpea.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: rpasquet@icipe.org

David Pilbeam

Expertise: Plant nutritional physiology, farm woodlands, novel crops

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Pilbeam

Email: d.j.pilbeam@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Marian Quain

Expertise: Dr Marian Quain is a visiting Research Fellow based in the Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, in the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds. She is a research scientist (Biotechnologist) at CSIR - Crops Research Institute, in Kumasi, Ghana.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Quain_MD

Email: fbsmdq@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Claire Quinn

Expertise: I am an ecological social scientist with expertise in field and conservation ecology; institutional theory and land tenure; and participatory approaches for social science research.

Africa college interest: I am an interdisciplinary researcher with experience working with multidisciplinary teams. I have fieldwork experience and contacts with researchers in Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania. I have expertise in conducting village level research using participatory methods. My interests are dynamic socio-environmental systems, common pool resources, property rights and institutions in natural resource management, and adaptation to environmental change.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/c.quinn

Email: c.h.quinn@see.leeds.ac.uk

Rupert Quinnell

Expertise: Epidemiology and control of human parasitic disease

Africa college interest: I can offer expertise in the epidemiology of parasitic diseases, including soil-transmitted nematodes (hookworm, Ascaris, Trichuris) and vector-borne disease (leishmaniasis). This includes large-scale field surveys, with assessment of parasite burden, immunological responses to infection, and health impacts of infection; assessment of the impact of control measures; and statistical analysis of epidemiological data

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Quinnell

Email: r.j.quinnell@leeds.ac.uk

Prof. Suresh K. Raina

Expertise: Prof. Raina is a Gold medalist in entomology and genetics. Graduated from Nagpur University India, Conducted Post Doctoral research in Saskatoon, Canada and Montana USA and has many years taught post graduate and PhD level courses since 1971 in the Universities and Research Organizations in Canada, India and Africa. Has written many books, published research papers and project reports for International Donors. He is also engaged in consultancy work and farmer?s trainings for major donors.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: sraina@icipe.org

Mark Reed

Expertise:   Land degradation assessment, sustainability indicators and participatory processes.

Website: http://www.aces.ac.uk/people/#Mark_Reed

Email: m.reed@abdn.ac.uk

Dr Rajinder Saini

Expertise: Undertook research at the USDA-ARS-Insect attractants and basic biology research laboratories in Gainesville Florida USA. Specialisation is in insect behaviour and chemical ecology with a focus on bait development and repellents and vectors of zoonotic diseases. He has more than 30 years of working experience with tsetse and has coordinated several research projects funded by among others IFAD, EC, UNDP/World Bank, & Australian Development Corporation.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: rsaini@icipe.org

Steven Sait

Expertise: Community ecology, focusing on insect-natural enemy interactions

Africa college interest: Relevant expertise concerns the ecology of insect pests, invasive and migrant species and their interactions with a range of natural enemies, but especially pathogens and parasitoids. Current applications are in species' responses to climate change and sustainable agriculture.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Sait_S

Email: s.m.sait@leeds.ac.uk

Dr. Susannah Mary Sallu

Expertise: Nature-society interactions and sustainability in African environments

Africa college interest: I am interested in the dynamics of social-ecological systems with expertise incorporating natural and social science theories, tools and techniques. I can offer expertise in biodiversity science; the assessment of sustainability, rural livelihoods and poverty; natural resource management and participatory governance.

Website: http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/people/s.sallu

Email: s.sallu@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Rosemary Sang

Expertise: Arbovirologist with special interest in the epidemiology of Arboviral diseases afflicting humans.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: rsang@icipe.org

Mahesh Sankaran

Expertise: Savanna ecology, Grazer-plant-soil interactions, Nutrient cycling, Climate change

Africa college interest: We are interested in understanding how interactions between multiple drivers (rainfall, soils, fire and herbivory) influence the structure and dynamics of savanna ecosystems, and how these ecosystems are likely to respond to future climate change. We can offer expertise in savanna community and ecosystem ecology, nutrient cycling, tree-grass interactions and plant-herbivore interactions in savannas.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Sankaran_M

Email:  m.sankaran@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Abdurabi Seif Abdurabi

Expertise: Plant pathologist with expertise in diagnosis and management of diseases of horticultural crops, IPM training in horticultural crops, and development of training materials.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: aseif@icipe.org

Dr Subramanian Sevgan

Expertise: An entomologist by training and with expertise in the fields of insect virology, especially on baculoviruses and pest management in vegetable ecosystems with emphasis on management of diamondback moth in crucifers and thrips in vegetables like French bean, tomato, onion etc. Currently co-ordinating a program on thrips IPM in vegetable ecosystems of East Africa and aiming to understand the diversity of thrips and their natural enemies, evaluate the field ecology of thrips and develop ecologically sound integrated pest management options for thrips in East Africa.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: subbisgv@rediffmail.com & ssubramania@icipe.org

Marie-Anne Shaw

Expertise:   My primary interest is genetic susceptibility to infectious disease (human/domestic species), for diseases prevalent in the tropics. This includes several macrophage pathogens, immune responses elicited, and how host genetic diversity influences the outcome of infection. Pathogen variation is also considered in tandem, complemented with co-editorship of ‘Infection, Genetics and Evolution’.

Website: http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.php?tag=Shaw_MA

Email: genmas@leeds.ac.uk

Barry Strickland-Hodge

Expertise: Prescribing (all aspects), influences on prescribing, role erosion, I am currently looking at why changes that happened in hospital pharmacy in the UK didn’t in South Africa where I also have a position.  Historical aspects of prescribing (Culpeper)

Email: b.strickland-hodge@leeds.ac.uk

Lindsay C. Stringer

Expertise: Environmental change, land degradation, desertification, participatory approaches, livelihoods, environmental policy

Africa college interest: I am interested in the use of participatory approaches to understand land degradation and its livelihood impacts, and the use of different types of knowledge in addressing degradation and change. I can offer expertise on desertification, international policy to combat desertification, and participatory methods/approaches in understanding environment-society relations.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/l.stringer

Email: l.stringer@see.leeds.ac.uk

Dr Anne Tallontire

Expertise: My interests are in sustainable agriculture, international trade in agricultural products, standards for trade, the role of the private sector in development, fair trade and corporate social responsibility (CSR). I have undertaken research and consultancy projects in a number of African countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Sudan and South Africa.

Website: http://www.see.leeds.ac.uk/people/a.tallontire

Email: a.m.tallontire@leeds.ac.uk

Dr Baldwyn Torto

Expertise: The application of chemical ecological techniques to elucidate the signaling mechanisms underlying the interactions between arthropod pests and beneficials and their hosts, and to develop these chemical signals into farmer-acceptable tools for their integrated use in pest management.

Website: http://www.icipe.org/

Email: btorto@icipe.org

Leena Tripathi

Expertise: My primary research interests are development of diseases (bacterial, fungal and viral) and pest (nematodes) resistant cultivars of banana and plantain. I am also interested in drought tolerance and developing molecular diagnostics for diseases.

Website: www.iita.org

Email: l.tripathi@cgiar.org

Paul Turner

Expertise: My research interest is in understanding the consequences of environmental/dietary xenobiotic exposure on human health. To date my research focus has been to investigate adverse health effects of fungal toxins (mycotoxins) in human disease predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa, and I have particular desire to understand the consequence of early life exposures to these potent dietary toxins. Our recent research indicates that in utero exposure, and early post weaning exposure to aflatoxin is high. Aflatoxins are potent liver carcinogens, and our recent observations also have associated childhood growth faltering with aflatoxin exposure. In sub-Saharan Africa maize and groundnuts are the major sources of aflatoxin exposure, and we are involved in a program to prevent exposure through altering crop harvest, drying and storage activities for small scale rural farmers.

Website: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/medhealth/light/staff/turner_p.html

Email: p.c.turner@leeds.ac.uk

P. E. Urwin

Expertise: Plant nematology, Plant Biotechnology and Plant stress

Africa college interest: We are interested in the primarily in nematode parasitism of plants. We are interested in how biotic and abiotic stresses interact. We have experience in biotechnological applications of our fundamental research in crops such as potato, rice and banana. We not only evaluate the effective defence provided by such biotechnology but also the ecologiocal implactions it may have.

Website: http://www.biology.leeds.ac.uk/nem/

Email: p.e.urwin@leeds.ac.uk

David Watson

Expertise: 1) Agrarian regulation and development. Attention is focused on the analysis of food and farming systems; specifically, formal and informal regulation of the interface between farming, environment, and livelihoods; 2) Sustainable agriculture, agri-environmental, and rural development education, training and extension; 3) rural, agricultural and agri-environmental policy development, and; 4) Agri-environmental management.

Email: d.watson@cgiar.org

Chris West

Expertise: DNA damage and repair and the effects on growth and stress tolerance

Africa college interest: We are interested in how plants repair DNA and the roles of these pathways in plant transformation and their effects on growth under stress conditions including UV, soil pollutants, desiccation, seed storage and germination. We focus on analysis of DNA damage and repair pathways, using biochemical, genetic and cell biology approaches.

Website: http://www.plants.leeds.ac.uk/people/groups_wes.php

Email: c.e.west@leeds.ac.uk