Biography

Vojislava Grbić, professor, Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada

Degrees, Employment and Institutions

• 1998- , tenure-track, University of Western Ontario, Canada
• 1998, EMBO postdoctoral fellow, University of Cambridge, UK
• 1996, PhD (Genetics), University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
• 1989, MSc (Plant Genetics), University of Novi Sad, Serbia
• 1986, BSc (Plant Breeding), University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Genomics and biotechnology of plant-pest interaction
In order to develop alternative pest control strategies for sustainable agriculture, it is important to understand the interaction between plants and their herbivores. We are using Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato and grapevine as plant models, and the newly established chelicerate model Tetranychus urticae (spider mite) to uncover genomic responses of both organisms during plant-herbivore interaction. 
The fundamental knowledge is explored to develop novel tools for sustainable agriculture. To date, two applications are under development:

• RNAi-based pest control for the spider mite
• Genetic diagnostics for prediction of spider mite pesticide resistance