Education

Purdue University
Department of Entomology
West Lafayette, IN
Ph.D., Insect Genetics in Entomology
2004 - present

University of Kentucky
Department of Entomology
Lexington, Kentucky
Master of Science in Entomology
2001 - 2004

Agricultural College, Aswaraopet, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Department of Agriculture
Hyderabad, India
Bachelor of Science in Agriculture
1995-2000

Certificate in Applied Management Principles; 60 in-class hour mini-MBA for Ph.D. students in Sciences offered by the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University (May 14-25, 2007).

Certificate in Insect Pathology Short course offered by Midwest Institute for Biological Control, University of Illinois Urbana Champagne, Champagne, IL, U.S.A. (June 4-8, 2007)

Research and Teaching Experience

Purdue University
Department of Entomology
West Lafayette, IN
Research Assistant

• Molecular ecology of Maruca vitrata in sub-saharan Africa.
• Aspects of molecular basis of metabolic resistance to pesticides in insects using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system.
• Cowpea digestive genomics and proteomics project looking at the response of cowpea weevil to different diets.

Purdue University
Department of Entomology
West Lafayette, IN
Graduate Research Assistant (2004 - current)

Visiting Scholar
Institute for Agriculture Research (IAR)
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU)
Samaru-Zaria, Nigeria, 2006

Visiting Scholar
Institut National De La Recherche Agronomique Du Niger (INRAN)
Maradi, Niger, 2006

U.S.D.A.
A.R.S.
Beltsville, MD
Visiting Scholar (2004)
Gained hands on experience on Enzyme immunoassays (EIA) for determination of ecdysteroid levels

University of Kentucky
Department of Entomology
Lexington, Kentucky
Graduate Research Assistant (2002 - 2004)

University of Kentucky
Department of Entomology
Lexington, Kentucky
Laboratory Teaching Assistant (2003)
Insect physiology

Student worker (Fall 2001)

• Duties included insect rearing (tobacco horn worm, Ichneumonid and braconid wasps and Heliothis sp.)

NRCS Sorghum project
Data Collector (2000)

• Survey conducted, in Adilabad Dt., Andhra Pradesh, on sorghum varieties grown and agro-economic practices followed by the farmers.

Agricultural College, Aswaraopet, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Department of Agriculture
Hyderabad, India
Under Graduate work experience (1999)

• Rural Agricultural Work Experience Program (RAWEP)
  A.R.S. Madhira, Khammam Dt., A.P. India. Acted as a liaison between Agricultural research Station and farming community (Extension role). RAWEP includes recording the agro-economic practices followed by the farmers in Cotton, Chillies, Paddy and Vegetable crops, conducting field demonstrations related to IPM practices in Cotton that include pest monitoring (using pheromone traps), NPV and Bt pesticide use and stem application of Imidacloprid.

Workshops/Trainings/Short Courses Attended

• Symposium on Gene Flow (risk assessment for transgenic crops). 11-13 Dec, 2007, NCWSS Annual meeting, St. Louis, MO.
• Insect Pathology Short Course – Midwest Institute for Biological Control.  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. 4 - 7 June, 2007.
• Applied Management Principles – Krannert Centre for Executive Education, Purdue University.  11- 25 May, 2007.
• Teaching Workshop – Purdue University, Centre for Instructional excellence. Fall 2006.
• Bioinformatics Workshop, Purdue University.  Fall 2005.

Research Grants Awarded

Russel O. Blosser Environmental Grant (student competitive grant), Purdue University. 2005-06. $1500 was awarded for research related to Cowpea insect pests.

Awards & Honors

• J. Edwin Sameth Memorial Scholarship, Purdue Entomology. 2007-08.
• William L. Brehm Memorial Scholarship, Purdue Entomology. 2006-07.
• Ross Fellowship. 2004-05.
• Student Travel Grant Award, University of Kentucky. 2003.
• Kentucky Graduate Scholarship. 2001-2003.

Publications

Refereed articles published

• Li, H.-M., Margam V.M., Murdock L.L., and B. R. Pittendrigh. 2007. Changes in Drosophila melanogaster midgut proteins in response to Bowman-Birke Inhibitor.  Insect Molecular Biology, 16: 539-49.

• Sun W., Margam V.M., Sun L., Buczkowski G., Bennett G. W., Schemerhorn B., Muir W. M., and Pittendrigh B. R. 2006.  Genome-wide analysis of phenobarbital-inducible genes in Drosophila melanogaster. Insect Molecular Biology, 15: 455–464.

• Margam V.M., Gelman D.B., and Palli S.R. 2006.  Ecdysone titres and analysis of temporal expression of ecdysone regulated genes during metamorphosis in Ae.aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Insect Physiology. 52: 558-68

• Palli S.R., Tice C.M., Margam V.M., and Clark A.M.  2005. Biochemical mode of action and differential activity of new ecdysone agonists against mosquitoes and moths. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology. 2005. 58: 234-42.

Book chapters published

• Pittendrigh, B.R., V. M. Margam, L. Sun, and J. Huesing.  Insecticide resistance in the post-genomics era, in Insect Resistance Management: Biology, Economics, and Prediction.  Ed. David Onstad. 2007. Pg. 39-68. Academic Press.

• Pittendrigh, B.R., J. E. Huesing, L. Sun, V. M. Margam, and P. J. Gaffney.  2007.  Negative Cross Resistance: past present and potential for the future, in Insect Resistance Management: Biology, Economics, and Prediction.  Ed. David Onstad. 2007. Pg. 107-134. Academic Press.

Presentations

• Addressing gene flow issues in Cowpea for West Africa. Remy Pasquet, Venu Margam*, Barry Pittendrigh, Mohammad Ishiyaku, Ibrahim Baoua, Clementine Dabire, Malik Ba, Joseph Huesing, and Larry Murdock.  Poster presentation at Gene Flow Symposium held in conjunction with North Central Weed Science Society’s 62nd annual meeting.  Dec 2007.

• Proteomic analysis of Drosophila melanogaster midgut responses to Bowman-birk inhibitor. Hongmei Li*, Venu M. Margam, Larry Murdock, Williams Muir and Barry Pittendrigh. Student competition, 54th Annual meeting of the ESA. Indianapolis, IN.  December 2006.

• Body and Head Lice: Past, present and future. Venu M. Margam* and Barry. R. Pittendrigh.  Research Symposium talk. National Pest Management Association (NPMA), PestWorld conference. Grapevine, TX.  October 2006.

• Characterization of Maruca vitrata populations using molecular markers. Margam V. M., Fatokun C.A., Tamo M., Srinivasan R., Pittendrigh B.R., and Murdock L.L. Poster presentation at - Regional partnership to enhance bean/cowpea consumption and production in Africa and Latin America. A conference organized by Bean/Cowpea Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP) and the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA). Dakar, Senegal. September 2005.

• Biochemical mode of action and differential activity of new ecdysone agonists against mosquitoes and moths. S.R. Palli*, V.M. Margam, A. Clark, C.M. Tice. XV International Plant Protection Congress. China. 2004.

• Ecdysone titres and expression profiles of genes involved in the ecdysone cascade during the last larval instar and pupal stages of Aedes aegypti. Venu M. Margam, Dale B. Gelman, and Subba R Palli. Presented at the Entomological Society of America (E.S.A.) annual meeting and exhibition, Cincinnati, OH. 2003.

• Ecdysone titres and temporal profiles of NR genes involved in ecdysone action in larvae of Aedes aegypti. Venu M. Margam. Presented at the Ohio Valley Entomological Association (OVEA), Indianapolis, IN. 2003.

Professional Affiliations

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2006-present.
• Entomological Society of America (ESA), 2002-present.
• Gamma Sigma Delta, Honor Society for Agriculture, University of Kentucky and Purdue chapters, 2003-present.
• Golden Key International Honour Society - inducted Fall 2007.
• Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG).
• Ohio Valley Entomological Association (OVEA), 2003-06.
• Network for the Genetic Improvement of Cowpea for Africa (NGICA).

Service Activities

Volunteer for

• Purdue Entomology (2005-present).
• The annual Tippecanoe County butterfly count. 2005 and 2007.
• Friends of the West Lafayette Public Library. 2007.
• Judging team – 53rd Annual Lafayette Regional Science & Engineering Fair, W. Lafayette, IN. 2005.
• Judging team – Fayette County (Kentucky) Public Schools Science Fair. 2004.
• North Central Branch Entomological Society of America Meetings (N.C.B., E.S.A.), W. Lafayette, IN. 2005.
• 21st Annual meeting of the American Society for Virology, Lexington, KY. 2002.
• National Service Scheme camp, College of Agriculture (ANGRAU), Aswaraopet, India. 2000.

Other Activities

• “Increase in insecticide use on cowpea in Africa - not surprising any more” - a report by Venu Margam. 2007. NGICA ejournal. (http://www.entm.purdue.edu/ngica/ejournal/pub01.html)
• Co-writer for the Genomics Analogy Model for Educators (G.A.M.E.) developed by Drs. Barry R. Pittendrigh and Kathryn Orvis, Purdue Entomology. 2005-06 (131,052 page loads to date). GAME website
• “India” - Guest lecture for Global Awareness Course (AGRY 350), Purdue University.  Spring 2007.
• Student member on the Department of Entomology IT committee. 2007-08.
• Served as Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG) senator (elected) representing the Entomology Graduate Students, 2005-06.
• Served as PGSG member on Purdue University student affairs committee.
• “India: The World’s Largest Democracy”. Presented as part of Global Awareness Course (AGRY 350) and International Awareness Week event on April 12th 2005, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN.