Dr Francesco Baldini
- Lecturer (Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health & Comparative Medicine)
telephone:
0141 330 2430
email:
Francesco.Baldini@glasgow.ac.uk
Ri: Bahcm, Graham Kerr Building, room 303
Biography
Dr Francesco Baldini is a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. During his PhD in Medical Entomology in three international institutions (Harvard University, Perugia University, Imperial College London) he has determined key molecular factors that contribute to malaria mosquito reproductive success. He has also led the first identification of Wolbachia bacteria in Anopheles mosquitoes, a promising novel biological tool to control malaria transmission.
In October 2013 he has joined the University of Glasgow where he is investigating the ecology and evolution of life-history trade-offs in Anopheles mosquitoes and their impact on Plasmodium parasite interactions and disease transmission. He have also been leading the developmet on a novel surveillance tool for mosquito populations. He is also interested in endosymbiont-pathogen interactions in vectors, with a focus on malaria parasites and Wolbachia, both in humans and wildlife. The primary aim of his research is to implement and sustain vector control strategies to fight malaria and other vector-borne disease.
Research interests
My research focuses on the ecological and evolutionary bases of Anopheles mosquito survival and other life-history traits in order to:
- Determine mosquito life-history shifts in response to vector control.
- Understand Plasmodium falciparum-Anopheles interactions.
- Elucidate vector modulation by endosymbionts in human and avian malaria.
- Develop new surveillance tools for natural vector populations.
- Sustain and optimize vector control strategies.
Personal research website: https://francescobaldini.wordpress.com/
Vector Biology and Disease Group: http://www.gla.ac.uk/vectors/
Twitter: @Baldini_Fra
Grants
Grants and Awards listed are those received whilst working with the University of Glasgow.
- Infrared & AI to Diagnose and Quantify Onchocerca volvulus in Blackflies
2021 - 2023
- Advancing infrared and AI-based techniques for real time mosquito age-grading and evaluation of malaria vector control interventions in Africa
2021 - 2025
- Population biology and genomic studies of Anopheles funestus in Tanzania
2020 - 2023
- AI and InfraRed Spectroscopy to Accelerate Malaria Control
2020 - 2021
- AI-MIRS: An Online Platform for Malaria Vector Surveillance in Africa using Artificial Intelligence and Mosquito InfraRed Spectroscopy
2019 - 2021
- Mosquito life-history responses to vector control measures and their implications for malaria transmission
2015 - 2017
- Analysis of the ecological and genetic bases of mosquito fitness in two major malaria vectors (ISSF Fellowship)
2014 - 2015
Supervision
- Cox, Mimi
Identification of genomic components that predict the transmission of the malaria parasite - KAHAMBA, NAJAT FERUZI
Dry season ecology of Anopheles funestus in Tanzania - Kirby, Georgia
Blackfly (Diptera: Simuliidae) vector ecology in Scotland: environmental drivers of Leucocytozoon infection and an investigation of the role of Wolbachia - Mitton, Joshua
Machine learning in spectroscopy - Mwanga, Emmanuel
Using machine learning & infrared spectroscopy for rapid assessment of key indicators of malaria transmission - Odero, Joel Ouma
Population biology and genetic structure of An. funestus
Teaching
Level 3 Animal Physiology, Behavioural Ecology