CABI News

6 August 2015 – CABI has teamed up with its neighbours at Royal Holloway University in Surrey England, to offer a jointly funded one-year Master of Science by Research programme on invasive species. This will begin this academic year (September 2015 – August 2016). Tuition, accommodation and adequate living expenses will be covered, as will one economy return airfare. We welcome applications from high-performing, recently graduated Kenyan nationals who are self-motivated and seeking to build a career in invasive species management.

Invasive species are a global issue and the effects on livelihoods in developing countries are only now becoming clear. Millions of people living in rural communities are facing problems with weeds, insects, plant diseases and animals, which are out of control and threatening their livelihoods. CABI is an international not-for-profit organization that improves people’s lives by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. We have three-quarters of a century of in-house expertise in invasive species information and management.

Royal Holloway University is one of the largest multi-faculty colleges in the University of London, and has a distinguished history and reputation for academic innovation. The college has unique best-of-both-worlds location; a safe, leafy campus in Egham, Surrey – less than 40 minutes by train from central London and just seven miles from Heathrow airport, creating the environment where a close-knit community thrives. Importantly, the School of Biological Sciences has earned international recognition for the world-class significance of its research.

Biological control – or biocontrol – is an established method of pest management and has been used effectively against invasive species for over 100 years. Classical biological control is recognized as one of the best tools for managing the most widespread and established species that were previously considered out of control. 

CABI is interested in the identification, selection and safety testing and use of candidate natural enemies for biocontrol of some of the worst weeds in the world and have a suite of invasive species projects running around the world. In the UK, we have various projects running that would support training projects including:

  • • requirements for establishing the psyllid, Aphalara itadori, a recently-released biocontrol agent for Japanese knotweed in the UK
  • • the impact and spread of a Puccinia rust released against Himalayan balsam in the UK
  • • optimizing the production and use of the azolla weevil Stenopelmus rufinasus, a biocontrol agent applied in the UK

For detail on the MRes course at Royal Holloway University follow this link https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/biologicalsciences/coursefinder/mscbiologicalsciencesbyresearch.aspx but DO NOT use the online application facility. The project would be under Professor Alan Gange. 

If you wish to be considered please send your CV to biocontrol@cabi.org.

The deadline for applications is 24 August 2015 and students would expect to begin their induction on 21 September 2015.

For all our latest news, click here.