Dr. Sephra Rampersad, Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry at the University of the West Indies (UWI), was awarded a short-term Postdoctoral fellowship at Trieste, Italy for her research in Biochemistry. Her research interests include:

• Application of molecular ecology tools for studying population genetics and genetic diversity
• The innovation, development and assessment of molecular approaches for pathogen characterisation
• The innovation and development of biochemical methods for bioactive compound screening
• Characterisation of plant diseases and pathogen profiling and identification of epidemic-associated factors affecting plant diseases