Lab Members

(Left-Right: Christian, Sarah, Maya, Ikkei, April, Laura, Kevin)

  Ikkei Shikano, PhD

  Principal Investigator

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Sarah first joined the lab in summer 2020 as part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at UH Manoa and became the lab’s technician/manager in Fall 2022. She's been involved in a number of projects including the effects of plant growth promoting bacteria on aboveground plant-insect interactions and applied projects on fruit fly management. In Fall 2023 Sarah became a MS student conducting research on insecticide resistance in Tephritid fruit flies and developing new IPM methods using microbial insecticides for Tephritid fruit fly control. Tephritid species targeted include melon fly (Zeugodacus cucurbitae), oriental fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), and Mediterranean fly (Ceratitis capitata).

April switched over to our lab in Fall 2021 when her advisor moved to Texas. She was initially studying the effects of diet on honeybee resistance to parasites. Now she studying the effects of nutrient concentrations on insecticidal bait consumption by melon flies.

Colby is an undergraduate researcher helping to develop a novel control method for cockroaches. He's been in our lab since Spring 2023.

Alice has been in the lab since Fall 2023. She works on various projects, including an independent project on the effects of microbial insecticides on diamondback movement and feeding behavior.

Maya joined our team in January 2022 as a Graduate Assistant under the co-mentorship of Dr. Ikkei Shikano and Dr. Andrea Jani. Her research is primarily focused on the gut bacteria of the diamondback moth (Plutella Xylostella), exploring its role in insecticide resistance and the influence of farming practices on the bacterial profile of these moths across farms on Oahu and Maui.

Maya's involvement in various projects highlights her expertise in entomology and microbiology, including research on microbial communities in soil and terrestrial crustaceans, and her role as a Teaching Assistant in UH's entomology lab. Possessing skills in molecular methods, statistical analysis, and field sample collection, Maya has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of DBM-microbe interactions. She is eager to continue her learning in the years ahead.

Maya completed her MS in Summer 2024.

Naoki Kihata (undergraduate student) visited the lab for 2 months during the sumer of 2021 from Colby College. As the picture shows, he clearly had a good time :) Naoki conducted an independent project on enemy-risk effects on diamondback moth larvae and helped out on other projects. He published a first author paper on his work (https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13090818) and co-authored on Morgan's paper (below). Sadly, he chose to join the PhD program at Cornell University. 

Christian first joined the lab as a lab/field technician in summer 2020 and started as a MS candidate in Fall 2020. He developed a new IPM tool to control Tephritidae using bait stations treated with entomopathogenic fungi. We obtained a provisional patent for the technology in 2023. He finished his MS in Fall 2022, and is currently employed as a Patents2Products Fellow in the Shikano lab.

Kevin joined the lab in Fall 2021. He is examined the effectiveness of planting insectary plants in avocado and cabbage agroecosystems to facilitate predation on pest insects. He published a research article on parasitoid-induced movement in diamondback moth larvae in the journal Arthropod-Plant Interactions. Kevin graduated with his MS degree in Fall 2023.

Morgan joined the lab in Spring 2020. She studied the various plants for dead-end trap crop properties for the control of diamondback moths. She published two research articles, one in Biological Control on the potential influence of a naturalized weed acting as a trap crop, and one in Arthropod-Plant Interactions on the age-dependency of a dead-end trap crop. Morgan graduated with her MS degree in Summer 2021.

Undergraduate students

We are always looking for students interested in insects, ecology and pest management to volunteer as a lab helper or conduct independent research as part of a directed research course (PEPS 499). Please contact me (ishikano[at]hawaii.edu) if you're interested.

MS and PhD opportunities

We are currently (as of Nov. 28, 2023) considering accepting applications for a PhD student. Please email me (ishikano[at]hawaii.edu) ASAP to discuss research ideas and to see if our lab would be a good fit for you! 

Postdoc opportunities

The Shikano Lab (University of Hawaii) and the Mason Lab (USDA-ARS Hilo) are currently (as of Nov. 28, 2023) recruiting a Postdoctoral Scholar to assist with a project to formulate microbial inoculants for establishment in the guts of Tephritidae fruit flies, and assess their effects on fly performance. More information and application details can be found here: Postdoctoral Research Specialist (Microbial Inoculants) 
Note that while the position is technically with University of Hawaii at Manoa, the position will be based in Hilo, HI, at the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.
Feel free to contact me (ishikano@hawaii.edu) if you have any questions or need further information.