Dr Sarkar’s research, titled Enhancing biocontrol of pests in grain crops through generalist predator training and retention, focuses on pre-conditioning and retaining generalist predators to enhance their effectiveness against major canola pests.  

Dr Sarkar said he is excited to undertake this prestigious fellowship, and can’t wait to use the practical outcomes of his research to help Australian growers. 

“My fellowship with GRDC will allow me to dig deeply into research using natural predators to keep pests under control, to provide Australian canola growers with practical solutions for managing insect pests,” Dr Sarkar said. 

“It also more broadly supports sustainability and biodiversity goals in grain production. 

“By integrating chemical ecology, predator training, and habitat manipulation, the project aims to create a novel, eco-friendly pest management system that reduces reliance on chemical pesticides. 

“Current biological control methods often fail due to poor predator retention and limited field efficacy, making this project highly relevant for sustainable pest management. 

“I’ll be focusing on identifying key generalist predators and plant volatiles that influence their behaviour; conducting behavioural studies to assess how training methods and environmental factors impact predator efficiency; and running field trials to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of trained predators using techniques like gut content analysis.” 

Dr Sarkar is a Lecturer from Murdoch University’s School of Agricultural Sciences, whose passion for exploring insect-plant interactions, studying insect behaviours, and investigating biological control methods has seen him recognised with multiple awards throughout his time at Murdoch and globally. 

Dr Sarkar received The Theo Murphy Initiative Award from the Australian Academy of Science (Canberra) in 2025, the best presenter award in the Early Career Researcher sessions at the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation (CCFI) Research Day at Murdoch University in 2024 and the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (China, Beijing). 

He said he continues to be motivated by the opportunity to translate fundamental insect ecology into real-world agricultural impact.

"Seeing our research contribute to more sustainable, resilient, and profitable farming systems inspires me every day to keep pushing the boundaries of biological control."

The GRDC Fellowships invest in Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) to create enduring profitability for Australian grain growers.