Wannes Dermauw

Dr. Wannes Dermauw is a Belgian researcher affiliated with Ghent University and the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), specializing in plant sciences. His work focuses on genetic and molecular mechanisms of pesticide resistance in agricultural pests like spider mites and whiteflies, particularly through cytochrome P450 enzymes and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. He has received prestigious funding through an ERC grant (POLYADAPT) and an FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship.

• Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO) | 2020–Present
• Ghent University | 2019–2020
• Rubenhof 2013–2019
• University of Ghent | 2006–2013

His research intersects entomology, molecular biology, and agricultural science, emphasizing:

• Mechanisms of acaricide and insecticide resistance
• CRISPR-Cas9 applications in arthropods
• Horizontal gene transfer between plants and pests
• Functional genomics of detoxification enzymes
• Population genetics of cosmopolitan mite pests
• Development of diagnostic tools for resistance monitoring

Scientific awards include:

• European Research Council (ERC) grant POLYADAPT
• FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship

His publications reveal trends in:

• Molecular basis of resistance mutations
• Evolutionary adaptation to xenobiotics
• CRISPR-Cas9 in non-model arthropods
• Genomic differentiation between pest morphs
• Novel detoxification enzyme families
• Tick-pathogen interactions in livestock