Dr Wei Xu

Biography

I am an insect biologist. My research focuses are on insect chemical ecology, insect molecular biology, biochemistry and functional genomics to improve our understanding of insect behaviors, insect-host interaction and evolution. I received my PhD in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) in June, 2010 under the supervision of Dr. Walter Leal, a leading authority in insect chemical ecology. My research project was “Olfactory (Smell) proteins in moths and mosquitoes”. I came to Australia with an OCE (Office of the Chief Executive) Postdoctoral Fellowship and joined CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences (CES). My study focus is the molecular mechanisms of insect chemosensory systems and their functions in insect-host interaction and co-evolution. I joined Murdoch University in January 2015 as a lecturer in Entomology in the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences.

Research Interest

Insects, one of the most important groups of organisms, live in a world of chemistry. They rely upon smell (the olfactory system) to detect mates, food and oviposition sites. They rely upon taste (the gustatory system) to evaluate which foods to feed on and which foods to avoid. My research is focused on insect olfactory and taste systems at the molecular level. I will also dissect how these insects have fine-tuned their chemical sensory systems to sense their environment and regulate their behaviours. Understanding the molecular basis of these mechanisms will provide a vital tool for assessing crucial natural interactions of hosts and insects, as well as allowing us to develop new strategies for insect control through disruption of chemosensory mechanisms.