THIS PREDOCTORAL (PROGRAM CODE A7101) RESEARCH-BASED FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE AFRI FARM BILL PRIORITY AREA "PLANT HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRODUCTS". POSTHARVEST LOSSES OF GRAIN EXCEED $100 BILLION GLOBALLY, BUT THIS SECTOR OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS OFTEN NEGLECTED. INSECTS AND MICROBES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF LOSSES, INCLUDING LARGER GRAIN BORER (LAGB), MAIZE WEEVIL (MW), AND RICE WEEVIL (RW) AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF ASPERGILLUS AND FUSARIUM SPP. FUNGI. HOWEVER, UP TO NOW THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE FOCUS ON THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EACH, NOR HOW THEY MAY SYNERGISTICALLY ACT TO IMPAIR GRAIN QUALITY. INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS HAVE INDICATED THAT THERE HAS BEEN A STARK RISE IN PROBLEMS WITH OFF-ODOR OR 'MUSTY' GRAIN DUE TO MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION. THUS, MY OBJECTIVES SPECIFICALLY INCLUDE 1) DETERMINING THE DISTRIBUTION OF LAGB, MW, AND RW ALONG WITH ASSOCIATED MYCOFAUNA IN THE US AND GREECE, 2) EVALUATING WHETHER LAGB AND MW ACT AS VECTORS FOR MYCOFAUNA, AND 3) ASSESSING WHETHER THE COMBINED PRESENCE OF BOTH STORED PRODUCT INSECTS AND MICROBES INCREASES THEIR SUCCESS AND WORSENS GRAIN QUALITY, INCLUDING OFF-ODOR PROBLEMS. SUPPORT BY EUROPEAN COLLABORATORS AND STAKEHOLDERS WILL BE LEVERAGED TO INCREASE THE GLOBAL AND INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE OF THE PD. THIS PROPOSAL SUPPORTS THE AFRI EWD PROGRAM BY FOSTERING OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP BY UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS THROUGH A DYNAMIC AND INTERACTIVE MENTORING PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES IMPROVING SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND ADVOCACY AS WELL AS MENTORING OF UNDERGRADUATES THROUGH CONSISTENT AND REGULAR FEEDBACK, ULTIMATELY LEADING TO TRANSFORMATIVE, INDEPENDENT SCIENTISTS CAPABLE OF SOLVING PRESSING 21ST CENTURY AGRICULTURAL PROBLEMS.