I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Western Ontario in Dr. Brent Sinclair’s lab. I will investigate the “thermal biology theory to choose climate-matched biological control agent –Trissolcus japonicus- for an emerging agricultural pest –Halyomorpha halys-”. Some of this project will be done in collaboration with the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Dr. Tara Gariepy’s lab.

In this project, I will study the genetic diversity and molecular markers to distinguish Tr. japonicus field population, and then determine the low and high temperature tolerances, and their thermal performance and plasticity, thereof, for up to five genetically-distinct populations. I will measure the cold tolerance strategy, supercooling point, lower and upper lethal temperatures, critical thermal limits, running speed, parasitism rate and life history of the parasitoid. Together, I will refine the strain selection of Tr. japonicus for release, and/or motivate the isolation of new strains with better-optimised thermal biology.

Prior to joining Sinclair’s and Gariepy’s lab, I was granted a fellowship to work on the “Bees and the environment: multi-stress analysis of risk factors operating” at the University of Milan (Feb. 2017- Aug. 2017) followed by another postdoctoral fellowship working on the “cold tolerance of the Drosophila pupal parasitoid Trichopria drosophilae” at Agroscope -the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Agri-Food Sector- granted by Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (Feb. 2017-Dec. 2018).

Prior to these adventures, I completed my PhD in food systems at the University of Milan advised by Dr. Daniela Lupi (Jan. 2014- Apr. 2017). My dissertation was generally focused on “identifying the biological control agents of Drosophila suzukii in Lombardy, Italy”, and specifically on the “life history of Trichopria drosophilae”. This project was granted by Fondazione Minoprio-Italy.

Overall, I love the world of insects, and have a thirst of knowledge about the insects’ biology, physiology and behaviour.

Publications

Amiresmaeili N, Jucker C, Savoldelli S and D Lupi (2019) “Can exotic drosophilids share the same niche of the invasive Drosophila suzukii?”, Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research, 51 (1).

Amiresmaeili N, Jucker C, Savoldelli S and D Lupi (2018) “Understanding Trichopria drosophilae performance under different temperature and hosts”, Bulettin of Insectology, 71 (2): 251-256.

Rossi Stacconi MV, Amiresmaeili N, Biondi A, Carli C, Caruso S, Dindo ML, Francati S, Gottardello A, Grassi A, Lupi D, Marchetti E, Mazzetto F, Mori N, Pantezzi T, Tavella L, Grazia GT, Tonina L, Vaccari G, Anfora G and Ioriatti C (2017) "Host location and dispersal ability of the cosmopolitan parasitoid Trichopria drosophilae released to control the invasive spotted wing Drosophila", Biological Control, 117: 188-196.

Mazzetto F, Marchetti E, Amiresmaeili N, Sacco D, Francati S, Jucker C, Dindo ML, Lupi D and L Tavella (2016) "Drosophila parasitoids in northern Italy and their potential to attack the exotic pest Drosophila suzukii", Journal of Pest Science, 89 (3), 837-850.

Amiresmaeili N, Wahis R and H Barari (2011) "Contribution to the knowledge of the spider wasps fauna (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Mazandaran province, Iran", Entomofauna, 32 (29): 397-412.

Amiresmaeili Kenari N, Iranipour Sh, Ebrahimi E, Barari H and R Wahis (2010) "Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) from North of Iran, Mazandaran", Entomofauna, 31(9): 85-96.