Dr Samia Elfekih
Research Scientist/Engineer
Contact details:
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GPO BOX 1700
CANBERRA ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA
Biography
Dr Samia Elfekih obtained her PhD in genetics and molecular biology from the University of Tunis El Manar (Tunisia) in 2010. Her PhD research work was done at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the US, sponsored by a Fulbright postgraduate scholarship. After a brief visit to the department of Biology at the University of California Riverside (UCR), she moved to London to be a UNESCO-L’Oréal for Women in Science postdoctoral scientist, jointly at Imperial College and the Natural History Museum. Dr Elfekih’s main research interests have been focused on the genomics of invasive insect pests. During her postdoc at Imperial College London, her research focused on insect population genomics and the possible effects of climate change on invasive insect pests such as the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. Her main aim, was to study the evolutionary biology of natural medfly populations and their pathway of invasion worldwide, using a marker system (RADseq) to assess nucleotide variation affecting all regions of the medfly genome and examine the possible effect of pesticide resistance on the medfly life-history traits in newly colonized sites. Dr Elfekih joined CSIRO in 2013 and was sponsored by the CSIRO Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) program, to design her own independent research project. She was particularly keen on developing ideas around the genomics of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. She has been using sophisticated genomic tools to investigate the phylogenomics of the Bemisia cryptic invasive species complex and infer their demographic history and invasion pathways. Dr Samia Elfekih is at the forefront of adapting novel genomic techniques to entomological systems.
Other Interests
Science diplomacy
Women in Science advocacy
Diversity and Inclusion policy
Humanitarian Volunteering
International development
Entrepreneurship
Global Outreach
Professional Areas
Academic Qualifications
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2010
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Faculté des Sciences de Tunis -
2005
Master of Science Degree (M.Sc.)
Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie -
2003
Engineering diploma
Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie
Professional Experiences
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2010-2011
Visiting Scientist
University of California Riverside -
2011-2013
Postdoctoral fellow
Imperial College London/Natural History Museum -
2017-2018
Visiting Scientist/EMBO fellow
University of Cambridge
Achievements and Awards
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-2014
Chairman's Medal
CSIRO -
-2011
UNESCO-L'Oreal For Women in Science
L'Oreal foundation -
-2008
Fulbright fellowship
US department of State (USA)
Other highlights
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-2014
Invited speaker at PAG XXII (International Plant and Animal Genome meeting), USA
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-2015
Invited speaker at PAG Asia, Singapore
Grants
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2013
Biochemical Society travel grant
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2012
Genetic Society UK, Junior scientist travel grant
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2012
Korner travel grant, University of Sussex
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2011
Institute of Pure & Applied Mathematics (IPAM) travel grant, UCLA
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2010
Fulbright alumni development grant
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2009
Royal Entomological society travel grant (UK)
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2017
EMBO fellowship