"I have the huge privilege of working alongside a veritable army of extremely talented peers, mentors, and undergraduate collaborators. The people at SFU are what make this school worth going to!"

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Emmanuel Hung

May 11, 2023
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Biological Sciences doctoral student in the Faculty of Science

I am an entomologist interested in understanding the sensory biology and behavioural ecology of blood-feeding insects. I earned my BSc with honours in the Biological Sciences at SFU and am in the process of pursuing a PhD.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I first came to SFU from Alberta for my undergraduate studies. After a few stints in the Center of Wildlife Ecology and the Earth2Ocean research group, I eventually found a home in the Gries lab. I’ve since held seasonal positions in industry (Elmhirst Diagnostics and Research) and government (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada) and am currently continuing my work with the Gries lab.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

My research is all about trying to understand how parasites find their hosts, and what makes one host more appealing than another. The parasite I study is the blood-feeding stable fly, which is a major worldwide pest of livestock. Just like how humans use multiple senses (sight, smell, taste, etc.) to decide what they want to put on their dinner plate, stable flies also decide on who they want to suck a blood meal out of based on multiple types of sensory data. The fun part is trying to figure exactly how each sense contributes to their decision making. Its especially tricky because we as humans are essentially blind to a lot of the stimuli that flies rely on.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I have the huge privilege of working alongside a veritable army of extremely talented peers, mentors, and undergraduate collaborators. The people at SFU are what make this school worth going to!

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

I am grateful to have received the NSERC CGS-D scholarship. This award gives me the freedom to focus on my studies and pursue my research full-throttle.

Contact Emmanuel Hung: emmanuel_hung@sfu.ca

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