Jainesh Ram: Breaking the wall of invisible pest barriers
Participant in 2026 Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand.
Jainesh Ram
University of the South Pacific
Pacific Island nations face invisible pest barriers caused by invasive agricultural pests and strict biosecurity restrictions that threaten food security, trade, and
livelihoods. My research seeks to break these barriers by developing novel methods for sex-attractant surveillance, biological control, and innovative
integrated pest management strategies to reduce pest spread, strengthen regional biosecurity, and support safe agricultural trade across the Pacific.
Jainesh Ram is an Entomologist at the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji and a PhD candidate at the University of the South Pacific, supported by the Australian
Centre for International Agricultural Research. His research focuses on genetics of fruit flies, identifying parasitoids in fruit flies, and biological control and
sustainable integrated pest management in Fiji. With expertise in pest diagnostics and biosecurity responses, he is passionate about strengthening
biosecurity, sustainable agriculture, and science communication in the Pacific.