I am currently a PhD candidate at the Center for Pollinator Research, dept. of Entomology, Penn State University, working on my dissertation under the directions of Professor Diana Cox-Foster and Professor Edwin Rajotte. I expect to complete my doctorate degree requirements by December 2011. I am looking for a position in the fields of insect virology/pathology, disease epidemiology, pollinator disease ecology and conservation, biological control of insect-pests and insect molecular biology.

My PhD project, “Ecology and Epidemiology of RNA viruses in Hymenopteran Pollinators”, involves both field and laboratory studies to understand the distribution, transmission, epidemiology, health impacts and control strategies for viral diseases in managed and wild bee pollinator populations. I have found strong evidence that viral diseases are not restricted to honey bees and that they can spread among different pollinators and negatively impact non-Apis bee species. I strongly contend that conservation strategies should be focused on the health of pollinator community as a whole and that there is an immediate need to encourage our native pollinators. During my PhD I have acquired various molecular biology skills including reverse transcriptase PCR, quantitative PCR, cloning, sequencing, phylogenetic analysis tools etc. I have also done some preliminary work on using RNA interference and lethal mutagenesis as control strategies against RNA viruses.

Before joining Cox-Foster lab, I worked as a Research Fellow in the Insect Molecular Biology laboratory, Punjab Agricultural University, India, on the project “Resistance to Bt-cotton in the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera: Detection, monitoring and development of new resistance diagnostic tools and management strategies”. My Master’s research work also at Punjab Agricultural University, helped in enhancing the efficacy and field persistence of Nucleopolyhedrovirus of Helicoverpa armigera as a microbial control agent against field crop pests.

As my curriculum vitae demonstrates, I have had many opportunities to interact with large audiences and present my work to people from all walks of life. In addition, I have successfully published my research in peer-reviewed journals.

If you require any further information please email at rajnandha27@gmail.com or rus169@psu.edu, or call at (814) 308-4327. I would be happy to send you my complete dossier including my CV, letters of reference, transcripts and my recent paper etc.

Sincerely,

Rajwinder Singh
PhD Candidate 
Center for Pollinator Research
Department of Entomology
Penn State University
814-308-4327
rus169@psu.edu