Olufadekemi Fajemisin, PhD

Internship in the crop protection and climate change group at the school of life and medical sciences, under the supervision of Dr. Yongju Huang. During this period, I was able to work independently and collaboratively and use innovative and interdisciplinary approaches in studies that span from the cellular and molecular levels with minimal day-to-day supervision where I assessed the severity of plant disease symptoms in oilseed rape plants in the field, greenhouse, and laboratory. I also gained experience in scientific report writing and data analysis. In addition, I kept current with developments in plant pathology.

My thesis focused on host-pathogen interactions in the oilseed rape- Leptosphaeria maculans pathosystem, where I was able to successfully test the efficacy and sensitivity level of different fungicides against L. maculans as well as to characterize the frequency of avirulence genes in Leptosphaeria maculans Czech populations. I also achieved several things such as the implementation and optimized new protocols for testing for emerging fungicide resistance to phoma stem canker in oilseed rape plants.

In addition to the acquisition of scientific and experimental design skills, I was also able to develop my project management skills as well as my oral and written communication skills.

One highlight of my studies was being able to work and collaborate with different scientific groups and being able to carry out interdisciplinary research.

I participated in the project teams where I was responsible for testing the application and efficacy of plant protection products, both the active ingredients and the formulated biopesticides. I gained experience in how crop protection products are tested under realistic farming conditions. I also protected novel findings through the submission of invention disclosure.

Gained field experience in the cultivation, marketing and sale of crops such as cassava, groundnuts, potatoes, maize, leafy vegetables and sweet corn