Hannes Schuler

Hannes Schuler is a Tenured Associate Professor of Agricultural and Forest Entomology at the Faculty of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (UniBZ). His research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of insect pest species, with particular emphasis on host-microbe interactions and symbiont-mediated adaptations. He leads the Schuler Lab and is a member of the Competence Centre for Plant Health at UniBZ.

Dr. Schuler's primary research interests include:

• Evolutionary ecology of insect pest species
• Microbial symbionts and their impact on host ecology and evolution
• Population genomics of invasive insect species
• Sustainable pest management approaches
• Tripartite interactions between phytoplasma, vectors, and microbiomes

His research combines genomic and population genomic approaches with in vivo experiments in laboratory and semi-field settings. Dr. Schuler's lab has made significant contributions to understanding the role of bacterial symbionts in invasion processes, particularly in fruit flies (Rhagoletis species), psyllids, and bark beetles. Recent work has focused on the microbiome of invasive species, symbiont-mediated adaptations, and the development of sustainable pest control strategies that reduce chemical pesticide use.

Dr. Schuler has edited a special issue of the journal Insects titled "Insect Symbionts: Evolution and Application," which features 11 publications spanning topics from symbiont-driven seasonal adaptation to Wolbachia-mitochondrial DNA associations. His research has been presented at numerous international conferences including the European Conference of Entomology and the Population Genetics Group Meeting, with recent presentations at CNIE 2025 in Siena covering apricot aphids, olive fly symbionts, and psyllid symbionts.

Among his notable achievements:

• Successful supervision of multiple PhD students including Maja, Juan, and Giulia Calia
• Securing funding for multiple research projects on insect symbionts and pest management
• Establishing international collaborations with researchers across Europe
• Organizing lab activities and mentoring junior researchers

Dr. Schuler actively supervises Master's and PhD students, teaches courses on plant protection, theory of scientific method, and plant and livestock health, and maintains an active research program with multiple ongoing projects investigating the role of symbionts in invasion biology and sustainable pest management.