Eya Ben Hmad
Tutor: Michele Ricupero
01/10/2024: PhD in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania, Applied Entomology Section. Research project: ‘’Side effects of insecticides on tomato pests' natural enemies‘’. Tutor: Dr. Michele Ricupero.
09/11/2023-09/05/2024: Fellowship at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania. Research project: ''Study of the susceptibility of Plant-derived bio-insecticides to biological antagonists on Bemisia tabaci, Tuta absoluta and their natural enemies. Supervisor: Prof. Giuseppe Eros Massimino Coccuzza.
26/10/2023: Master of Science in Integrated Pest Management graduate from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM-Bari). Master thesis on ''Molecular characterization of a virus of the Tymovirus genus isolated from jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) and assessment of its spread in Italian jujube trees''.
01/04/2022-31/05/2022: First-year Master's project in ''Molecular diagnosis of Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd) in the framework of the production of certified citrus propagation material in Apulia region''
30/06/2021: Engineering degree in Plant Protection, graduate from the Nationa Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT). Graduation project on ''Evaluation of the effectiveness of a chemical fungicide against post-harvest diseases of citrus''.
13/07/2020-16/08/2020: Internship at Olive tree Institute (IO), Sfax, Tunisia. Research project: ''Research into a biological control method against Ectomyelois ceratoniae on pomegranates''.
My research evaluates the environmental impact of pest management strategies in tomato agroecosystems by focusing on the side effects of insecticides on beneficial arthropods. Specifically, I investigate how crop protection chemicals affect the natural enemies that provide essential biological control services. By integrating toxicity bioassays with behavioral assessments and molecular techniques, my work aims to uncover both the direct lethal effects and the subtle, often-overlooked sublethal consequences that can compromise the physiological fitness and efficacy of these valuable organisms