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Gaetano Siscaro serves as Associate Professor of General and Applied Entomology (AGRI-05/A) at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, where he has held a permanent position since 2002 within the Faculty of Agriculture. His academic career spans over three decades at the same institution, transitioning from researcher to associate professor while maintaining continuous research activity. Education: Master's Degree in Agricultural Sciences, University of Catania (1985) PhD in Agricultural Entomology, University of Naples Federico II (1992) Dr. Siscaro's research focuses on sustainable pest management in Mediterranean agroecosystems, with specialized expertise in citrus and protected crops. His work integrates biological control strategies through the enhancement of natural enemy biocenoses, particularly targeting whiteflies, scale insects, and leaf miners. He emphasizes field-applicable solutions for economically significant pests while maintaining ecological balance. As an active participant in international scientific networks, he contributes to the IOBC/wprs Working Groups on Citrus IPM and Protected Crops, having organized the 2007 Catania meeting on citrus integrated pest management. His teaching responsibilities include courses such as Applied Entomology and Parasitology for undergraduate agriculture programs. Professional Affiliations: Italian Entomological Society (SEI) - Agricultural Entomology Section (since 1991) IOBC/wprs (since 1992) International Society of Citriculture (since 2004) Italian National Academy of Entomology (since 2018) Gioenia Academy of Catania (Resident Correspondent since 2021)

• Entomology
• Integrated Pest Management
• Biological Control
• +6 more

Michele Ricupero is an Assistant Professor (RTD-B) in the Department of Agriculture Food and Environment (Di3A) at the University of Catania, specializing in Applied Entomology. His research focuses on sustainable pest control in protected crops using biological methods and biopesticides, with emphasis on ecotoxicology of natural enemies. Education includes a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Sciences (with honors), Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, and professional certification as an Agronomist. He conducted international research at institutions including INRA (France), University of Minnesota (USA), and Universidad de Talca (Chile) through Erasmus+ grants. Research interests center on: Biological control of horticultural pests (especially tomatoes) Molecular identification of insects Transcriptomics of plant-insect defenses Bioinsecticide development and ecotoxicology His publications demonstrate strong focus on sustainable pest management, with recent works analyzing non-target effects of pesticides, essential oil formulations, and invasive species dynamics. Awards include: Top Reviewer in Multidisciplinary, Plant & Animal Science (Clarivate, 2019) He advises graduate theses on topics like RNA interference in Lepidoptera and bioinsecticide efficacy. Research funded through PRIN projects, ENI Italy-Tunisia programmes, and Agritech Center. Leads activities in the Biocontrol Lab and serves on the Board of the Italian Entomological Society. Editorial roles include Annals of Applied Biology and guest editorships for Agronomy and Frontiers in Agronomy.

• Entomology
• Biological Control
• Biopesticides
• +4 more

Lucia Zappalà is a Full Professor of General and Applied Entomology at the University of Catania's Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A) since 2020. She serves as University Delegate for International Relations since 2019 and President of the European University Alliance EUNICE since 2024. Her research focuses on Hymenoptera parasitoids, integrated pest management (IPM), and pesticide effects on natural enemies. She is a member of the Italian Entomological Society's Agricultural Entomology section and the Italian National Academy of Entomology. PhD in Agricultural Entomology (University of Naples Federico II, 2001) Postdoctoral fellowship at University of Florida (2003) University of Catania faculty since 2006 Visiting professor at UC Berkeley (2015) Her research spans biological control agent discovery, pesticide risk assessment, and invasive pest management across Mediterranean agroecosystems. She has published over 300 indexed articles (h-index 37) on parasitoid-pest interactions and sustainable control strategies. Recent work examines botanical extract compatibility with natural enemies and essential oil-based plant defenses . She contributes to Phytoparasitica and European Journal of Entomology editorial boards. Scientific awards include a 2003 postdoctoral fellowship. She has served as Principal Investigator for national (FIR, PRIN) and international (FP7, ARIMNET 2) projects, and contributes to EFSA's Plant Health Panel. Her laboratory (Biocontrol Lab, Di3A) conducts applied entomology research on invasive Hemiptera and quarantine pest evaluations .

• Hymenoptera parasitoids
• Biological control
• Integrated pest management (IPM)
• +3 more

Antonio Gugliuzzo is a Research Fellow at the University of Catania , Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), where he focuses on sustainable pest management strategies. He earned his PhD in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science (2022) with the Doctor Europaeus certification and was awarded the Michele Stanca Award 2024 for the Best PhD Thesis in AGR/11 by AISSA. His academic appointments include postdoctoral research in EU-China ADOPT IPM projects (2023–ongoing), a DAAD Research Grant (2021), and prior roles as a research collaborator in agronomy and toxicology studies (2018–2019). Education : PhD in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science (University of Catania, 2022) Master's in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies LM69 (University of Catania, 2017) Research Focus : Entomology and invasive pest management Biological control of Xylosandrus beetles Impact of insecticides on parasitoids Microbial symbioses in pest control Climate change adaptation in agricultural ecosystems Notable Trends in Publications : Developed fungicide strategies against fungal symbionts of ambrosia beetles Investigated sublethal effects of insecticides on beneficial insects Documented novel fungal pathogens transmitted by pests Explored eco-friendly IPM tools in greenhouse crops Systematically reviewed biocontrol methods for invasive beetles Scientific Awards : Editor of Distinction Award (Springer Nature, 2025) Presentation Award for Young Scientists (ICE2024Kyoto, 2024) Best PhD Thesis (AISSA, 2024) ESA Program Enhancement Funds (2022) DAAD Research Grant (2021) Editorial Roles : Associate Editor, Guest Editor, and Peer Reviewer for journals like Neotropical Entomology , Agricultural and Forest Entomology , and Frontiers in Microbiology Professional Experience : Post-Doc (2023–ongoing): Biological control of invasive pests in greenhouse crops DAAD/Erasmus+ (2021): Research on multi-mutualistic interactions in German forests

• Entomology
• Ecology
• Toxicology
• +5 more

Ilda Mannino is an Adjunct Professor at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, affiliated with the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics. She has consistently taught the course 'SUSTAINABILITY 4: IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABILITY' across multiple academic years (2019/2020 to 2024/2025) within the Collegio Internazionale program. Her research focuses on sustainability implementation, science communication quality metrics, and comparative studies on food safety and consumer behavior between the EU and China. Key publications include contributions to JCOM: Journal of Science Communications on quality indicators for science communication and collaborative research frameworks. She has also explored cross-cultural consumer attitudes toward food products and comparative policy analysis between China and the EU on food security and pesticide use. Mannino’s work bridges environmental science with public engagement, emphasizing practical applications of sustainability in policy and education. No specific grants or awards are listed, though her teaching and research demonstrate sustained academic engagement in interdisciplinary sustainability topics.

• Sustainability
• Environmental Science
• Science Communication
• +3 more

Carmelo Cavallaro is a Research Fellow at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A) of the University of Catania since 2017, with ongoing research grants until May 2025. He specializes in integrated pest management and biological control for invasive agricultural pests. Education : Master's Degree in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies (2016, University of Catania, 110/110 cum laude) with experimental thesis on hymenopteran parasitoids for Drosophila suzukii control Professional : Licensed phytosanitary consultant (2023) His research focuses on sublethal insecticide effects on pest-parasitoid systems, water stress impacts on plant-insect interactions, and IPM program validation for tomato pests in protected crops. Recent work examines Drosophila suzukii ecology and control strategies across Mediterranean horticultural systems. Article trends show expertise in parasitoid compatibility with bioinsecticides, olfactory disruption in target insects, and multi-trophic interactions under environmental stress. Collaborates extensively with Prof. Antonio Biondi's entomology research group. Key affiliations include: HORIZON Europe research program (2024-2025) ADOPT IPM project INNORTIFLORIS sustainable horticulture program INTEMAR pest control initiative WATER4AGRIFOOD water stress research DOPCILIETNA cherry production project

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Biological Control
• Entomology
• +3 more

Pompeo Suma is an Associate Professor of General and Applied Entomology at the University of Catania , affiliated with the Department of Agri-Food and Environmental Systems Management (DiGeSA) . His research focuses on biological and integrated pest management, particularly for citrus pests and stored product insects, with applications of semiochemicals in IPM. PhD in Agricultural Entomology (University of Naples "Federico II") Graduated in Agricultural Sciences (University of Catania, 1997) Suma's scientific output includes over 100 publications on topics such as: Ambrosia Beetle Ecology (Xylosandrus species, fungal symbiosis) Molecular Plant Resistance Mechanisms (QTL analysis in citrus) Biological Control Agents (Nesidiocoris tenuis, parasitoids) His recent work (2021-2025) emphasizes invasive species dynamics, climate impacts on pest populations, and sustainable management strategies. Suma also collaborates as a referee for international journals and participates in multidisciplinary research networks across Europe. Current teaching activities include: Module on pest control in agri-food supply chains (University of Catania) Master's program on sustainable agriculture (Saf@Med, University of Reggio Calabria)

• Agricultural Entomology
• Integrated Pest Management
• Biological Control
• +3 more

Alberto Maria Cattaneo is a Researcher (RTD-A) at the Agriculture, Food, and Environment Center (C3A) of the University of Trento, Italy. His work focuses on molecular ecology and chemical sensing in agricultural pests, particularly Drosophila suzukii and Cydia pomonella . Research Interests Integrated Pest Management (IPM) using semiochemicals Molecular characterization of insect chemosensory receptors Evolutionary conservation of chemosensory mechanisms Development of in vitro methods for receptor functional analysis Scientific Contributions Deorphanized IR receptors in key agricultural pests Developed transgenic Drosophila models for receptor studies Recipient of European Seal of Excellence for HIR-ED project Led multi-organism chemoreceptor investigations (insects, crustaceans) Teaching & Mentoring Serves as external lecturer at University of Padova, teaching Biotechnology for plant protection and Research planning to Master's students. Has supervised 12+ students across bachelor's to postdoctoral levels.

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Chemical Ecology
• Molecular Biology
• +11 more