Rajeev joined Oxitec in November 2020 as Director of U.S. Programs. He is responsible for managing teams and resources to evaluate the efficacy and duration of Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti to control local populations of this invasive species in the U.S.

Rajeev completed his B.S. in entomology from Cornell University, his M.S. in entomology from UMASS-Amherst, and his Ph.D. in parasitology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Hadassah Medical School. He completed postdocs in insect immunity at CNRS-Strasbourg, France, and in mosquito vector competence at UC-Davis. Rajeev was Associate Director of Vector Biology and Zoonotic Disease at SRI International, where he managed programs in novel target site validation for mosquito larvicides and adulticides and bed bug control in lower-income housing, resulting in patents for ectoparasite detection. He served as Director of Entomology at Clarke Mosquito, where he was responsible for the validation of molecules as novel active ingredients in mosquito larvicides and adulticides. He has served as a medical entomology consultant for companies interested in commercializing new products for mosquito, black fly, tick, and bed bug control. He works one-on-one with mosquito and vector control districts in the U.S. to assess, improve, and institute mosquito surveillance and control.