Profile: Wilson Rodrigues Valbon

While some cycles begin in our team, we are also proud of those that end. The BraIN & Phy team it has honored to present our newest alumni, Wilson Rodrigues Valbon.

Graduated in Agronomy from the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Alegre campus, in 2014, Wilson started his journey at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) the following year. In 2015, Wilson entered the master’s degree through the Post-graduate program in Entomology (PPG Ent) and shortly there after, in 2016, already a Master, he started the doctoral program through the same program and institution under the guidance of professor Eugênio E. de Oliveira.

He decided to be part of UFV after being enchanted by the dimension and beauty of the institution during his participation in the III Simpósio de Entomologia, in 2011. “UFV has always been prominent in the agricultural and entomological areas. The fact that the program is well regarded, having professors with graduation in Entomology or related fields. In addition, students have the opportunity to carry out part of the research abroad as well having international experience. All those things immensely contributed to my choice”, reports Wilson.

Wilson Valbon joined the team in 2015, as soon as he enrolled in his master’s degree. He says that he has always been interested in toxicology, he wanted to understand the insect-insecticide interaction, specifically understanding how insecticides lead insects to disorientation or death. He was deeply interested in toxicology throughout his under graduation and he found a professor who is an expert in toxicology to guide him.

Wilson developed research focused on insect physiology and its ecological relations with the most diverse environmental pollutants. During the master’s degree, with the co-supervision of post-doc Hudson Tomé (currently a researcher at Eurofins EAG Agroscience LLC, Florida, USA), he investigated sublethal effects of pyrethroids and insect growth regulators in aquatic invertebrates, analyzing the toxicity and behavioral changes of two groups of aquatic insects, Belastomatidae e Notonectidae. During the doctorate, with the co-supervision of Professor Gustavo Martins (Department of General Biology, UFV), he developed projects with Aedes aegypti, investigating resistance of different populations to insecticides. In his sandwich doctorate at Michigan State University, with the co-supervision of Professor Ke Dong (Department of Entomology), he investigated the mechanisms involved in repellency by plant essentials oils and volatile pyrethroids in populations of A. aegypti and, in parallel, the roles of cationic channels in susceptibility and behavioral of the organism. This jog earned him a post-doc in the same line of research.

            On June 19^th, 2020, Wilson defended his doctorate, with the thesis entitled “Interactions between mosquitoes and their environment: Biological control agents and physiological basis for insecticidal actions, resistance, and repellency”.

            Wilson reports had quite positive experiences during his period working with the team. “I could interact with many different people, thoughts and ideas in few square meters. In addition, I organized and I also took part in many social events in different communities of Viçosa. During the meetings, we used to make presentations and discuss science, and the same time, we were also trained to face the public during seminars and lectures”.

            Throughout his academic life, Wilson could count on teachers and researches who have been great inspirations to him, like his tutor during scientific initiation (2011 to 2014), and currently a university teacher. He reports that he always had the support of his father, who encouraged him to go further and further, and a friend from the undergraduate and from the same laboratory, who encouraged him to enter the entomological area, who came to be his wife. He also adds that the contribution of the BraIN & Phy team was essential to achieve his goals. “As the scientist and philosopher, Isaac Newton said: “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants””.

            Currently, he continues to work on his projects started during his doctorate, now as researcher and part of the Professor Ke Dong’s team at Duke University (Departament of Biology), Wilson looks back with pride on his journey. When asked what advice he leaves for future students, Wilson said: “Being part of all of this will be a great opportunity to grow professionally and personally. Remember, the main fuel for achieving success within a workplace, a laboratory, is enjoying what you do. As Steve Jobs said: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do”.

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