Dr. Francis E. Nwilene
WARDA Liaison Scientist / Principal Entomologist
Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
PMB 5320, Oyo Road, Ibadan
Nigeria
Tel: +234-2-7517472 Ext. 2772
Fax: +234-2-2412221
E-mail: f.nwilene@cgiar.org

Curriculum Vitae

Expertise: Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Host Plant Resistance to Insects, Plant/animal Interactions, Functional Agro-biodiversity, Participatory Approaches, Epidemiology, IPM Training.

Education: Graduated from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Ph.D. (Applied Entomology) in 1993, M.Phil. (Applied Entomology) in 1988, and B.Sc. (Applied Biology) in 1984.

Countries of work experience: Denmark, India, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, and Nigeria.

Experience Summary: Dr. Nwilene is an entomologist with extensive leadership in developing integrated pest management strategies to improve food security and protect the resource base of small scale farmers in Francophone and Anglophone Africa. His research focus has been on the integration of resistant/tolerant crop varieties with other control options in pest management systems. Recent research by Dr. Nwilene has shown that managing, rather than destroying, a "friendly weed" at the edge of rice fields (good sources of parasitoids close to the rice crop) offers African farmers free, non-chemical control of the continent's worst rice insect pest - African rice gall midge. Major crop emphasis has been on tropical rice. He has also conducted research on sorghum, cassava, maize and vegetables.

He has worked at ICRISAT, India in Asia and has extensive experience in IPM research and development programs in many African countries. He has had extensive experience working on multidisciplinary teams involving plant breeders, soil scientists, agronomists, economists, plant pathologists, weed scientists, and entomologists. His IPM experience involves cooperation with international agencies including International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs) of the CGIAR, ICIPE, Norwegian Crop Research Institute, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), UK Department for International Development (DFID), and JICA Japan.

Dr. Nwilene's has published over 100 scientific articles including scientific journals, conference papers, books and book chapters, posters, flyers, bulletins, etc. He received 2005 WARDA Director General's Citation Award for impressive record of scientific publications. He has developed a number of IPM training manuals for national program technicians, extension workers and farmers. He has conducted various IPM group training programs for NARS technicians in Africa. He contributed to the WARDA book "NERICA®: the New Rice for Africa - a Compendium" published by WARDA in 2008 and the IRRI - WARDA book "Rice-Feeding Insects and Selected Natural Enemies in West Africa" published by IRRI in 2003. He was recently invited by "Mini-Review" Editor for Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (EEA) to write mini-reviews on IPM in Africa. He has also reviewed IPM manuscripts for various international journals - Crop Protection, International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, International Journal of Pest Management, Field Crop Research, Academic journals, Agriculturae Conspectus Scientificus - Croatia, International Sorghum and Millets Newsletter, and International Chickpea and Pigeonpea Newsletters.

His administrative experience includes: Head of WARDA Entomology in Sub Saharan Africa. Leader of WARDA's flagship research project - Enhancing productivity and stability of upland rice-based systems between 2006 and 2008. He is a member of many professional societies. He was Secretary and Vice President of the African Association of Insect Scientists (AAIS). He was nominated and sponsored by the CGIAR Secretariat, Washington D.C. to participate in the Stakeholder Meeting: Science Forum - Harnessing Advances in Science for Sustainable Agriculture, CGIAR Annual General Meeting, Beijing, China, December 2007.

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