Dr Mahbub M Rahman

• Biography/ Background

  I offer over 26 years of international and national experience in diverse areas of Agriculture Science, including over 15 years of post-Ph.D. experience in Pest Management (Bacillus thurngiensis (Bt) resistant management and IPM) and Biosecurity RD&E project inclusion and management experience in Australia. I managed and delivered multiple research projects and co-led multidisciplinary teams of Australia’s states and national interest in research to operations context at Adelaide University and PIRSA (Primary Industries and Regions, Government of South Australia). The personal initiative I took working in various capacities at Adelaide University and PIRSA demonstrates my successful stakeholder engagement skills and my ability to influence key decision-makers with my evidence-based, passionate and professional communication style. My respect and passion for Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biopesticides, and Biosafety and Biosecurity RD&E grew from my international childhood upbringing in Bangladesh where I would see my community suffer from a lack of proper knowledge to control insect vectors of dengue and other vector-borne diseases, therefore, have devoted my academic and personal pursuits to help support practical improvement in broad areas of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of insect pests and vector mosquito species including building skills, knowledge and capacities of sustainable use of Bt-biopesticide and its resistant management strategies. Currently, I am actively pursuing building a global network of collaboration to support the scientists and policymakers in Bangladesh towards sustainable comprehensive management strategies for the use of Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti) to control vector mosquito species and other insect pests.
  
  I am an extremely quick learner, and this has been proven consistently and on multiple occasions, one accomplishment to note was my completion of my Ph.D. in just two years. In summary, I am an optimistic, adaptable, supportive, true go-getter with a highly regarded and respected amongst my network of industry professionals and peers.

   

   

   

  I offer over 26 years of international and national experience in diverse areas of Agriculture Science, including over 15 years of post-Ph.D. experience in Pest Management (Bacillus thurngiensis (Bt) resistant management and IPM) and Biosecurity RD&E project inclusion and management experience in Australia. I managed and delivered multiple research projects and co-led multidisciplinary teams of Australia’s states and national interest in research to operations context at Adelaide University and PIRSA (Primary Industries and Regions, Government of South Australia). The personal initiative I took working in various capacities at Adelaide University and PIRSA demonstrates my successful stakeholder engagement skills and my ability to influence key decision-makers with my evidence-based, passionate and professional communication style. My respect and passion for Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) biopesticides, and Biosafety and Biosecurity RD&E grew from my international childhood upbringing in Bangladesh where I would see my community suffer from a lack of proper knowledge to control insect vectors of dengue and other vector-borne diseases, therefore, have devoted my academic and personal pursuits to help support practical improvement in broad areas of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of insect pests and vector mosquito species including building skills, knowledge and capacities of sustainable use of Bt-biopesticide and its resistant management strategies. Currently, I am actively pursuing building a global network of collaboration to support the scientists and policymakers in Bangladesh towards sustainable comprehensive management strategies for the use of Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti) to control vector mosquito species and other insect pests.
  
  I am an extremely quick learner, and this has been proven consistently and on multiple occasions, one accomplishment to note was my completion of my Ph.D. in just two years. In summary, I am an optimistic, adaptable, supportive, true go-getter with a highly regarded and respected amongst my network of industry professionals and peers.

• Qualifications

  • Certificate IV in Government Ingestigations
  • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Insect Molecular Biology, The University of Adelaide, Australia, 2004-2006.
  • Master of Science in Zoology with specialization in Entomology (1^st Class), Dhaka University, Bangladesh, 1997-1999.
  • Bachelor of Science (Honours, 1^st Class) in Zoology, Dhaka University, Bangladesh, 1991-1996.

   

   

   

• Research Interests

  Overview

  • Open for the University of Adelaide’s role in current and future international collaborations for the areawide management of insect vectors of diseases through sustainable use of insecticidal proteins Bacillus thuringiensis svar. israelensis (Bti) biopesticides.

  Inducible tolerance to Bt-toxin: significance, mechanism, and new management strategies.

  • Our understanding of the diverse biological pathways leading to insect resistance against Bt-toxins outside mutations in major Bt-receptor genes (type I resistance) is still limited. Further, one of the unintended outcomes of intensive selection pressures has been the emergence of new Bt-resistance mechanisms in pest insects. For example, in addition to genetic resistance based on target site mutations (which produces individuals resistant to high toxin concentrations), we have shown that exposure of insect larvae to low to medium levels of Bt crystal toxins causes the induction of immune and metabolic responses, resulting low level resistance (which we refer to here as inducible tolerance) in insect population that can be transmitted to offspring by epigenetic inheritance mechanisms (caused by gene and protein regulatory mechanisms) (Rahman et al., 2004).

  Managing Bt resistance and induced tolerance with effective refuge crops in preparation for Bollgard III. 

  • The overall aim of this project is to improve the ability of refuges to counter both the threat of resistance developing via genetic mutation, and the potential threat of crop failure via inducible tolerance. By accessing and countering these threats while concurrently developing better refuge management and benchmarking techniques to improve refuge governance, the ultimate aim is to avoid the cost of losing Bt cotton efficacy.

  Mechanisms and management of inducible tolerance to synthetic insecticides and Bt-toxins in Australian populations of diamondback moth Plutella xylostella. 

  • Resistance in Australian populations of diamondback moth (DBM) to older insecticide classes was widespread in both canola and Brassica vegetable crops. As a result, the choice of insecticides for the effective control of DBM was increasingly limited to newer synthetic pesticides, such as emamectin benzoate (Proclaim^®), spinosad (Success^®), indoxacarb (Avatar^®), and commercial Bt-formulations.
  • To monitor potential resistance evolution and ensure that resistance, if there was any, was being managed efficiently, we investigated diamondback moth field populations collected from QLD, NSW, and SA for resistance to these newer pesticides and Bt formulations.

• Research Funding

  • Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC), Govenment of Australia
  • Australian Research Council (ARC), Government of Australia
  • Grain Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Govenment of Australia
  • Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL), Govenment of Australia
  • DuPont Australia Ltd
  • Syngenta Crop Protection Pty Ltd
  • Dow AgroSciences Australia Ltd.

• Publications

  Rahman, M. M., Roush, R. T. and Whitehouse, M.E.A. (1014). Tolerance to Bt toxins in Helicoverpa species. The 17^th Australian Cotton Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 5^th-7^th August 2014

  Whitehouse, M.E.A., Walsh, T, Tay, W. and Rahman, M. M. (2014). Relevance of Helicoverpa emerging from Bt cotton crops. The 17^th Australian Cotton Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 5^th-7^th August 2014.

  Ma, G., Rahman, M. M., Grant, W., Schmidt, O. and Asgari, S. (2012). Insect tolerance to the  crystal toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab is mediated by the binding of monomeric toxin to lipophorin glycolipids causing oligomerization and sequestration reactions, Developmental and Comparative Immunology 37:184-192 (Impact Factor in 2011: 3.293, 5-year Impact Factor: 3.243). 

   

  Rahman, M. M., Glatz, R., Roush, R. T., and Schmidt, O. (2011). Developmental penalties associated with inducible tolerance in Helicoverpa  armigera to insecticidal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77: 1443-1448 (Impact Factor in 2009: 3.689, 5-year Impact Factor-4.516).  

  Batta, Y., Rahman, M. M., Powis, K. J.,  Baker, G. and Schmidt, O. (2011). Formulation and application of the entomopathogenic fungus: Zoophthora radicans (Brefeld) Batko (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales). Jurnal of Applied Microbiology 110: 831-839 (Impact Factor in 2009: 2.098, 5-year Impact Factor 2.681). 

  Batta, Y, Rahman, M. M., Powis, K., Baker, G., Schmidt, O. (2010). Investigations into the development of cross-tolerance in the diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella L., Yponomeutidae: Lepidoptera) to the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bal.) Vuillemin (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) and the toxin Dipel®of Bacillus thuringiensis. Trends in Entomology 6: 15-21. 

  Rahman, M. M., Baker, G., Powis, K. J., Roush, R. T. and Schmidt, O. (2010). Induction and transmission of tolerance to a synthetic pesticide emamectin benzoate in field and laboratory populations of diamondback moth Putella xylostella. Journal of Economic Entomology 103(4):1347-1354, (Impact Factor in 2009:1.296, 5-year Impact Factor-1.577).  

  Sarjan, M., Ma, G., Rahman, M. M. and Schmidt, O. (2009). Resistance against Bacillus thuringiensis Endotoxins in a laboratory population of Helicoverpa armigera is based on an elevated immune status. Indonesian Journal of Basic Science 10: 77-84.

  Rahman, M.M., Akter, K. F., Naidu, R.  and Schmidt, O. (2009). Arsenic interactions with lipid particles containing iron. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 31:201-206, (Impact Factor in 2009: 1.622, 5-year Impact Factor-1.885).  

  Rahman, M.M., Powis, K. J. and Baker, G. (2008). Insecticide resistance testing program for diamondback moth Plutella xylostella for 2006-07 (South Australian Research and Development Institute), pp. 1- 14.

  Rahman, M. M. & Schmidt O. (2008). A genetic analysis of phenotypic plasticity and inducible tolerance to pesticides and pathogens. In 'Insect Immunology'. (Ed. NE Beckage). (Elsevier/Academic Press: San Diego)

  Rahman, M.M., Roberts, H.L.S. and Schmidt, O. (2007). Tolerance to Bacillus  thuringiensis endotoxin in immune-suppressed larvae of the flour moth Ephestia kuehniella. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 96: 125-132, (Impact Factor-1.807 in 2009, 5-year Impact Factor-1.815).  

  Rahman, M.M., Roberts, H.L.S.and Schmidt, O. (2007). Factors affecting growth in the koinobiont endoparasitoid Venturia canescens in the flour moth Ephestia kuehniella. Journal of Insect Physiology 53: 463-467, (Impact Factor-2.235 in 2009, 5-year Impact Factor-2.363).  

  Rahman, M.M., Ma, G., Roberts, H.L.S. and Schmidt, O. (2006). Cell-free immune reactions in insects. Journal of Insect Physiology 52:754-762, (Impact Factor-2.235 in 2009, 5-year Impact Factor-2.363).  

  Schmidt, O., Rahman, M.M., Ma, G., Theopold, U., Sun, Y., Sarjan, M., Fabbri, M. and Roberts, H.L.S. (2005). Mode of action of antimicrobial proteins, pore-forming toxins and biologically active peptides (Hypothesis). Invertebrate Survival Journal 2: 82-90.

  Rahman, M.M., Roberts, H.L.S., Sarjan, M., Asgari, S and Schmidt, O. (2004). Induction and transmission of Bacillus thuringiensis tolerance in the flour moth Ephestia kuehniella. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 101(9): 2696-2699, (Impact Factor-14.49 in 2004).

  Rahman, M.M., Roberts, H.L.S.and Schmidt, O. (2004). The development of the endoparasitoid Venturia canescens in Bt-tolerant, immune induced larvae of the flour moth Ephestia kuehniella. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 87: 129-131, (Impact Factor-1.807 in 2009, 5-year Impact Factor-1.815).  

  Hossain, M.I., Rahman, M.M., Ameen, M. and Rashid, M. (2002). Evaluation of Azadirachta  indica extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae from  Urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dhaka University Journal of Biological Science 11(1):  9-15.

  Rahman, M.M., Hossain, M.I., and Ameen, M. (2001) Evaluation of neem oil,    seed and seed cake extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus Say larvae of Dhaka City. Bangladesh Journal of Zoology 29(1): 29-36. 

  Aslam, A.F.M., Ahmed, M. and Rahman, M.M. (2000). The breeding of the Giant African Snail Achatina fulica Bowditch in some tea estates of Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Zoology 28(2): 193-195.

  Note: 5-year Medium Impact Factor for Entomology Journals:0.891

   

   

   

• Professional Associations

  Australian Entomological Society

• Community Engagement

   Vice President, Bangladesh Australian Society of South Australia, Year 2008-10

Entry last updated: Monday, 25 Sep 2023

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