Insect-Plant Interactions in a Crop Protection Perspective

Dr Nicolas Sauvion is a senior research scientist at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research, in the joint research unit "Biology and genetics of plant-pathogen interactions", Montpellier, France. He is an entomologist working for over 20 years on the hemipteran-plant interactions, especially aphids, whiteflies and psyllids.Dr Sauvion earned his PhD in Biostatistics at Claude Bernard University and National Institute of Applied Science (INSA), Lyon, France in 1995. He received in 2015 from his book co-edited on Insect-Plant Interactions the « Ferchault de Réaumur » award by the French Entomological Society.Today, within a team of epidemiologists, his research focuses on the evolutionary history of psyllids and the phytoplasma diseases transmitted by this group of insects.

Dr Denis Thiéry is research Director at the French Institute of Agronomic Research INRA. He has a Phd in insect behavioural ecology and specialized in plant insect communication and olfaction. During a 3 year postdoc in Wageningen, he studied plant odor perception (EAG/behaviour) in the Colorado potato beetle and aphids with JH Visser. His research at INRA focused on agronomic insect pests and their biological/ecological control. He has published over 200 basic research, extension papers and 4 books, on the European corn borer, the Colorado potato beetle, honeybees, grape pests and their parasitoids, and recently on the invasive hornet Vespa velutina predator of honeybees. He is group leader in INRA Bordeaux, heading the INRA Research Unit Santé Agroécologie of vineyards. He is implicated in the organisation of the IOBC group Integrated protection of viticulture and is associate editor of Bulletin of Entomological Research. He was honoured by the 2015 award ‘Ferchaud de Réaumur’ of the French entomological society and of the 2016 ‘Gold medal’ of the French Academy of Agriculture for its scientific contribution.

Dr Paul-André Calatayud is a senior research scientist at the Research Institute for Development (IRD), France and a visiting scientist at icipe (International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology) since 2002. He is an entomologist experienced with insect - plant interactions (including the third trophic level, the parasitoids); insect behaviour and chemical ecology. Dr Calatayud earned his PhD in Entomology at Claude Bernard University and National Institute of Applied Science (INSA), Lyon, France in 1993, for which, he received the Plant Protection and Environment Organization award from the French government. In 2011, he was awarded a HDR, a French ability diploma to manage research studies in biological sciences from Paris XI University (Orsay, France). He received in 2015 from his book co-edited on Insect-Plant Interactions the « Ferchault de Réaumur » award by the French Entomological Society.He is Editor-in-Chief of Entomology, Ornithology & Herpethology and International Journal of Insect Science ; and he is Associate Editor of the Annales de la Société Entomologique de France.