I started my PhD, supervised by Astrid T. Groot, Vera I.D. Ros and Emily R. Burdfield-Steel, in February 2020. My project is funded by Diorapthe, Simonis BV and Pherobank, and is in collaboration with icipe and IITA Benin.

My research focus on geographic variation in sexual attraction in the invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda, the Fall armyworm (FAW), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Africa. My project aims to better understand female sex pheromone composition and male response in different African populations. Moreover, I will conduct population-genetic analysis on FAW populations collected in different geographic regions in Africa. Together with Ahmed G. Hussain, PhD student at Wageningen University, I will develop a sustainable attract-and-infect strategy to control this pest.