Partners

INRAE

Anne-Nathalie Volkoff is a Senior Researcher at DGIMI, an INRAE-UM research unit studying interactions between insect pests and their biotic (plants, pathogens, parasites) and abiotic (temperature) environments, with a focus on the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera frugiperda.
Her research centers on the biology of natural enemies and the molecular mechanisms of host–parasitoid interactions, particularly those mediated by symbiotic viruses essential for parasitism success, which she investigates using genomics and functional genomics approaches.

Ecobertura

Dr. Fernando Pinacho Crisostomo holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Organic Chemistry, focusing on the synthesis of bioactive compounds and developing new methodologies for natural product synthesis. His postdoctoral work at Scripps Research Institute and UC San Diego (UCSD) centered on understanding noncovalent molecular interactions and applying these fundamental concepts to Medicinal Chemistry. After research roles at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of La Laguna, Dr. Pinacho Crisostomo transitioned to entrepreneurship. He is the founder of Ecobertura, a company dedicated to the synthesis of insect pheromones and the development of novel monitoring techniques for pest presence using modern communication technology.

Astrid Groot is professor and department head Evolutionary and Population Biology at the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam. Her research topics revolve around evolutionary chemical ecology, focusing mostly on the evolution of mate choice through sex pheromones, but also on the chemical ecology and evolution of host – parasite interactions. She is especially interested in translating fundamental insights in these processes to sustainable pest management practices, including monitoring and mating disruption with sex pheromones, and biocontrol using microbial infections.

Within EUFAWREADY, she focuses on a) the effect of microbial infections, selected from WP6, on FAW larvae host plant preference and performance, and on adult mate preference and oviposition choice (in WP2), and b) the discovery potentially unidentified sex pheromone compounds and the determination of region-specific ratios of known sex pheromone compounds in FAW populations along the southern edges of Europe (in WP4).

See also https://www.uva.nl/profiel/g/r/a.t.groot/a.t.groot.html

Prof. Yousef Yousef is a researcher at the University of Córdoba (Spain) and executive director of the María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence (DAUCO). His work focuses on entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) for pest control, exploring their efficacy, ecological roles, and multitrophic interactions. He co-authored the first biological license between the University of Córdoba and Koppert for a Metarhizium brunneum strain to control olive fly. He has published 40+ Q1 papers, led competitive research projects, supervised numerous students, and received several awards for innovation in olive-grove health and microbial pest control.

Dr Stefan Toepfer is a project manager and research scientist at CABI, currently serving as task leader in the EUFAWREADY project, where he oversees the development of an IPM toolbox against fall armyworm for European farmers. He collaborates closely with CABI scientists in Switzerland and Brazil on biological control research and implementation.

With a background in biology, ecology, insect behaviour and biosafety, Dr Toepfer specialises in biological control and integrated crop management. He has extensive experience developing, managing and implementing international collaborative projects that promote sustainable agriculture. He also delivers training programmes in integrated crop and pest management, agricultural research methods and biological control for farmers, advisory services, and academic partners worldwide.

Dr Toepfer holds an adjunct professorship at Szent István University in Gödöllő, Hungary, and a visiting professorship at the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing, China. His work focuses on supporting partners in developing, transitional and developed countries to reduce pesticide reliance and adopt more sustainable crop management practices.

Pensoft Publishers

Nikolay Mehandzhiyski is a senior communication expert, working at Pensoft Publishers, with experience coordinating communication and dissemination activities in several Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects.

Sarah Labruyère is Plant Health Coordinator and National Technical and Quality Manager at FREDON France, the leading French network of experts dedicated to plant health. Holding a PhD in landscape ecology, she coordinates all Plant Health activities at the national level and liaises with competent authorities on matters related to quarantine pests. She also manages the network's quality management system for ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation (inspection standard) required for official monitoring of European quarantine pests.

Dr Ené Leppik is the CTO and co-founder of Agriodor, a deep-tech company developing allelochemicals technologies for sustainable crop protection. A Chemical Ecologist by training, she specialises in insect behaviour, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the development of innovative crop protection solutions. Ené leads Agriodor’s R&D strategy and oversees international collaborations.

BPI

Dr Panagiotis Milonas, is the Director General of BPI. Dr Milonas is specializing in insect behavioral ecology, chemical ecology, integrated pest management and biological control. He has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Entomology (2002) and an MSc degree in Crop Protection (1996) from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. He has conducted postdoctoral research in chemical ecology Natural Products at the National Scientific Research Center “DEMOCRITUS” and in behavioral ecology at the University of Minnesota, USA with a fellowship from OECD and Fulbright foundation in 2007 and 2012 respectively. He is/was the Project Manager or participates in several National or International Projects. Since July 2018 is a member of the Plant Health Panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). He has authored numerous scientific publications, reports, and opinions in the fields of plant health and entomology.

Communications specialist with hands-on experience in Horizon projects, focused on clear messaging, stakeholder engagement, website content management, and behind-the-scenes coordination. Skilled in translating complex project results into accessible stories, maintaining project websites, supporting partners, and ensuring smooth communication workflows. Passionate about the “back work” that keeps EU projects meaningful, organised, and connected to real people.

Experienced Communications Consultant with a strong track record in stakeholder engagement across the nonprofit and public communication sectors. Specialised in strategic communication, social media, event management, and content development, helping organisations connect effectively with diverse audiences. Alina has supported numerous NGOs and community-focused initiatives by strengthening outreach, facilitating dialogue, and building trusted networks.

Elisabete Figueiredo is an Assistant Professor at ISA teaching courses in applied entomology, zoology, and integrated pest management. Her main research interests are the biological and integrated control of pests, as well as pollination. Specifically, she has worked on biological control agents (baculovirus, parasitoids and predators), the impact of cropping practices on biological control, biotechnical control, and on developing protection strategies and programs for integrated and organic production.

Mélanie Fortier completed her PhD on pea root exudation and its role in resistance to water stress and Aphanomyces euteiches at the University of Rouen (France). Her research focused on the microscopic and biochemical characterisation of the Root Extracellular Trap (RET), as well as the collection and NMR-based analysis of root exudates.

Since 2024, she has held the position of Head of the Plant Pathology and Conversion Laboratory at RAGT. She works on a wide range of pathogens and pests affecting the major crops developed by RAGT, including maize, sunflower, rapeseed, pea, fodder crops and soybean. As part of her responsibilities, she contributes to the European research project EUFAWREADY, aimed at assessing varietal resistance to fall armyworm.