MSc Prayan Pokharel

Prayan Pokharel, MSc

PhD Student

Phone: +49 641 99-37644

Email: Prayan.Pokharel@agrar.uni-giessen.de

Room: B331

Building: iFZ

Short CV

Since 04/2017    Doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Georg Petschenka

2014- 2016         MSc Agrobiotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany

Thesis: Antimicrobial properties of bacterial communities in the feces of stored food pest insects such as ham beetles and cigarette beetles, Institute for Insect Biotechnology

Internship: Detection of Wolbachia in Varroa mites on honey bee colonies, Collaborative project of Fraunhofer IME, Giessen and Bee Institute, Kirchhain

2009- 2013        BSc Pharmacy, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, India

2007- 2009         General Science, Caspian Valley Higher Secondary School, Kathmandu, Nepal

Research Interests

My doctoral research is centered in the realm of plant insect coevolution. I am interested in plant-herbivore interactions, mainly in the uptake and use of plant toxins by phytophagous insects (i.e. sequestration) as a defense to ward off predators. I will investigate the mechanisms underlying sequestration of cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) in milkweed bugs (Lygaeinae). During my PhD, I will try to understand the mechanisms and the evolution of these physiological processes by using various methods, including feeding assays and chemical analyses. In brief, I will integrate my mechanistic findings into the conceptual framework of insect plant coevolution. The ultimate goal of my research is to understand how the interplay of resistance and sequestration directs coevolutionary interactions between plants, insects, and their predators.

Publications

Pokharel, Prayan. “Why Some Fireflies Become Femme Fatales in Their Race for Survival.” The Conversation, http://theconversation.com/why-some-fireflies-become-femme-fatales-in-their-race-for-survival-91252 . Published 7 Feb. 2018.

Pokharel, Prayan. “The Hidden Secrets of Insect Poop.” The Conversation, http://theconversation.com/the-hidden-secrets-of-insect-poop-81908 . Published 8 Aug. 2017.

Pokharel, Prayan. “‘Himalayan Viagra’ Is Threatened by Fervent Chinese Demand and Climate Change.” The Conversation, http://theconversation.com/himalayan-viagra-is-threatened-by-fervent-chinese-demand-and-climate-change-78558 . Published 5 June. 2017.