Steven Belmain

Biography

Professor Steven Belmain completed his BA at the University of Vermont in 1990 before joining the Peace Corps and living in Mali, where his scientific interests became irreversibly entwined with overseas development. He then obtained an MSc and PhD at Birkbeck College, University of London. Since joining NRI in 1998, Professor Belmain has become one of the leading international scientists researching the ecology of rodents as pests in agriculture and as disease vectors, with research activities across Asia and Africa aimed at helping rural and urban communities to overcome their pest problems. His research has been crucial in understanding the transmission risks of zoonoses as well as understanding the fundamental drivers of rodent population outbreaks. Professor Belmain also carries out research on the chemical ecology and behaviour of insects, and optimising the indigenous use of pesticidal plants. As a principal investigator, Professor Belmain has travelled extensively across the world working on collaborative projects with counterparts in China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Mali, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Swaziland, Madagascar, Malawi, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, France and Australia. Professor Belmain has led many large multi-national and multi-disciplinary research projects with funding won from a wide range of donors including the UK's Department for International Development, the European Commission RTD Framework and EuropeAid EDF programmes, UNDP, WHO, and the McKnight Foundation. Dr Belmain's collaborations across entomology, small mammal ecology, and eco-epidemiology of zoonoses have led to a number of scientific publications, with an overall H-index of 16 and i-10 index of 23

Research Interest

Professor Belmain's entomology interests are mainly focused on the chemical ecology and behaviour of insects, such as host orientation behaviour and optimising the use of plants with insecticidal properties.