Adjunct Members
Yulin Gao
Born: 1979 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Integrated Pest Management, Chemical Ecology
E-mail: gaoyulin AT caas.cn
Website: click here
Bio: Professor Yulin Gao (China), born in 1979, is a Professor of Entomology at Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). He obtained his Ph.D. degree in agricultural entomology from the CAAS Graduate School and Institute of Plant Protection in 2009 and has been appointed Full Professor at Institute of Plant Protection of CAAS in 2018. Now he serves as Deputy Director of National Center of Excellence for Tuber and Root Crop Research, CAAS. His work focuses on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in potato crop and has promoted potato IPM in China and elsewhere. Apart from IPM implementation and maintenance in potato, he has been conducting studies on chemical ecology, biological control, insecticides resistance management and invasion biology. He has published more than 150 research papers on international peer-reviewed journals, including 3 papers in Annual Review of Entomology; and also co-edited several books among which (1) Gao YL, Hokkanen HMT, Hokkanen IM. 2020. Integrative Biological Control-Ecostacking for Enhanced Ecosystem Services. Springer Press, 248 pp. and (2) Alyokhin A, Rondon SI, Gao YL. 2022. Insect Pests of Potato: Biology and Management. Second Edition. Elsevier Press, 501 pp.. He is Executive Editor of the well-known international journal Pest Management Science, editorial board members of other several international journals including Journal of Pest Science, Entomologia Generalis, Journal of Economic Entomolgy, Environmental Entomology, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, and Council Adjunct Member of the International Congress of Entomology. He served as awards committee member of the International Branch for the Entomological Society of America (ESA), and also serves as convenor of Global IOBC Working Group for “Biological Control of Insect Pests in Potato, Tomato and other Solanaceous Crops” and the Global Vice-President of International Organization of Biological Control (IOBC).
Sunday Ekesi
Born: 1967 | Appointed: 2024
Field: Integrated Pest Management, Biopesticides
E-mail: sekesi AT icipe.org
Website: click here
Bio: Sunday Ekesi (Nigeria) was born in 1967. He is a Principal Scientist at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya. He is an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His research interests include biopesticide development, microbial control, biological control, bait development, habitat management, integrated pest management (IPM), insects for food and feed, biodiversity conservation, pesticide management, climate change, sustainable agriculture, one health amongst others. He obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Zoology from University of Jos, Nigeria in 1989; Master of Science (MSc) degree in Applied Entomology & Parasitology from the same university in 1992 and a PhD in Crop Protection from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria in 1999. He joined ICIPE as a Post-doctoral Scientist in 2000 and in Rothamsted Research in UK in 2003. He later returned to icipe in 2004 and has held various research and administrative positions in the organization where he currently serves as the Deputy Director General – Research for Development. He has been leading a continent-wide initiative to manage fruit flies in Africa and he has successfully developed pre- and postharvest management methods for the pest that meet the demands for both domestic and quarantine-sensitive export markets. The program has significantly improved the production of fruits and vegetables affected by fruit flies and increased net income reaching >100 million beneficiary households across Africa. He has developed several biopesticides for use in IPM jointly with the private sector benefitting millions of households in Africa and globally; minimizing the use of synthetic pesticides which lead to pollution and negative effects on humans, biodiversity and the environment. He has generated ground-breaking knowledge and technologies on the use of insects as alternative sources of protein for food and feed informing policy decisions and leading to the development of standards for the use of insects as protein additives in animal feed and food in Africa. He has published > 275 peer reviewed articles in scientific journals. He has trained >30 graduate students (PhD and MSc). He has won several awards including The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Award in Agricultural Sciences (2024) and Distinguished Scientist Award, Entomological Society of America, USA (2021). He is a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America (FESA), Royal Entomological Society (FRES), African Academy of Sciences (FAAS) and The World Academy of Sciences (FTWAS). He provides advisory services to various African governments and technical agencies including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, the World Bank (WB) amongst others.