Malaria is responsible for over half a million deaths annually, however, these are primarily in the developing parts of the World. The reason why it remains a problem in only a few places is because the incidence is particularly high and the methods of diagnosing the parasitic illness are not efficient enough. Moreover, understanding the behaviour of the plasmodium parasite vector (the female  Anopheles mosquitos) is important in order to better protect vulnerable populations.

In this project, hyperspectral imaging is employed to characterize the optical properties of both male and female Anopheles mosquitos. The goal is to obtain a spectral fingerprint of each mosquito with the aim of distinguishing them. This project then will serve as an important step toward insect monitoring using Lidar techniques over distances sometimes spanning several 100s of meters. This will then provide an understanding of when the activity of these dangerous mosquitos peak, as well as where they like to be, such that necessary measures can be taken to efficiently protect people. This project is running in collaboration with the Department of Combustion Physics in Lund and the African Spectral Imaging Network (AFSIN) with university nodes in 8 sub-Saharan African countries where the research is primarily conducted.