Research project: The role of microbial symbionts in mediating bi-trophic interactions between key fruit flies and their associated endoparasitoids.

Rehemah Gwokyalya is a PhD researcher Supervised by Dr Samira A. Mohamed, Dr Jeremy Herren, Dr Shephard Ndlela, Dr Fathiya Khamis (icipe) and Prof Chris Weldon (University of Pretoria, South Africa). Her aim is to analyse how fruit fly microsymbionts affect host-parasitoid bi-trophic interactions of the key fruit fly species in East Africa and their associated endoparasitoids. Rehemah completed her BSc. in Animal production and management at the faculty of Agriculture and Animal sciences of Busitema University (Uganda) and MSc. in Zoology at the Graduate School of Sciences of Anadolu University (Turkey). She is registered at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.