Members

The QUT Fruit Fly Group is an informal collaboration of ongoing QUT academic staff, research fellows, and postgraduate students.  With the exception of lab leader, Prof Tony Clarke, the other academic staff of the group maintain research programs across areas other than fruit flies, but all have some formal involvement in at least one fruit fly project, or are supervising a lab student. The Fruit Fly Research group is interested in discussing new opportunities to collaborate. Please contact the team to discuss your area of interest.

Research staff

Sabbatical visitors

Research students

Research Alumni – former academic staff and research fellows of the group

Prof Stephen Cameron Stephen was recruited from QUT, where he was Head of the Biology Discipline, to become Head of Department, Department of Entomology, Purdue University, Indiana, USA.
Dr Paul Cunningham Paul was a senior research fellow in the group from 2012 to 2016. He is currently Research Leader, Invertebrate & Weed Sciences, Biosciences Research, Agriculture Victoria.
Dr Solomon Balagawi Solomon was a research fellow in the lab from 2009 to 2012. He is currently a Research Officer, Plant Biosecurity Research, NSW Dept of Primary Industries.
Dr Kumaran Nagalingam Kumaran completed his PhD in the group, before undertaking a two year postdoc from 2014 to 2016. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow with CSIRO.
Dr Mark Schutze Mark was a research member of the lab from 2009 to early 2018.  He currently works as a Senior Entomologist, Biosecurity Queensland, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Dr Chandra Prabhakar Chandra spent 12 months in the group during 2017-18 on an Indian Government postdoctoral fellowship.  He worked on both the B. dorsalis and Zeugodacus tau species complexes, with the tau complex occupying most of his time.  He is now back at his home institution, Bihar Agricultural University.
Dr Matt Krosch Matt was a full-time research fellow in the lab from 2015 to early 2018, and prior to that had been associated with the lab on a part-time basis from 2010-12.  Matt’s expertise in the group was evolutionary biology and population genetics.
Dr Katharina Merkel Katharina was a research fellow in the lab from Aug 2016 to the end of 2019.  She is now the fruit fly entomologist for the South Australian Government.

Student Alumni – former research students of the group

Melissa Starkie PhD 2021 Systematics and evolution of the Australian Dacini (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Shahrima Tasnin PhD 2021 Demographic structure and aging in Bactrocera tryoni 

Dr Kirin Mahat PhD 2020 Fruit fly parasitoids of South-East Queensland

Dr Ayad Masry PhD 2018 Memory and learning in Diachasmimorpha kraussii

Dr Thilini Ekanayake PhD 2017 The mating system and courtship behavior of the Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni

Dr Qin Yujia (Grace) PhD 2017 Bactrocera dorsalis genetics [Grace is a graduate of China Agriculture University, Beijing. She spent 12 months in our lab as part of her studies]

Dr Yuvarin Boontop PhD 2016 Systematics of Zeugodacus cucurbitae

Dr Kumaran Nagalingam PhD 2014 Functional role of male lures to Bactrocera tryoni

Dr Craig Marsden PhD 2014 Ovipositor morphology, fruit peel and host use in Bactrocera tryoni

Dr Sakunthala Muthuthantri PhD 2013 Citrus host use by Bactrocera tryoni

Ms Amanda Mararuai PhD 2010 Market access for PNG bananas with particular reference to Bactrocera musae

Ms Amy Carmichael M.Appl.Sc. 2009 Taxonomy and diagnostics of opiine fruit fly parasitoids

Dr Mark Ero PhD 2009 Host choice and utilization by Diachasmimorpha kraussii

Dr Alexis Wilson PhD 2008 Insect frugivore interactions: the potential for beneficial and neutral effects on host plants

Ms Sakunthala Muthuthantri M.Appl.Sc. 2008 Population phenology of Bactrocera tryoni in Queensland