Michele Ricupero

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.