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Laura Sheehy

School of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Faculty of Science

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I am a PhD student with the school of Biological and Environmental Sciences. The focus of my research is the investigation into the genomes of parasitic nematodes of gastropods from the genus Phasmarhabditis. Gastropods such as slugs are a serious pest in agriculture and a persistent problem for home gardens. Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita was developed as a biological control agent over 25 years ago, providing an alternative to pesticide pellets, though little is currently known about it's genome.

Through whole genome sequencing and genetic analysis of Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita, along with other Phasmarhabditis species, this research will help better understand key parasitic traits such as virulence, longevity and stress tolerance leading to improvements of Phasmarhabditis as biological control agent.

Degrees

2014, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, BSc (Hons) Cell Biology with Industrial Experience

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