meet our team
INSECTFRASS group includes 8 senior researchers from 3 different Universities (Democritus University of Thrace, KU Leuven, University of Torino), and 1 Research Institute (Benaki Phytopathological Institute) and 6 young researchers
Maria Pappas
PI
M. Pappas
Dr. Maria Pappas is a Professor in Entomology and Acarology at the Department of Agricultural Development and member of the Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology and Zoology at Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). She has a first degree in Agricultural Sciences (Crop Protection) and a PhD in Entomology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany) and the University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands) on topics related to plant-herbivore interactions. In 2014 she was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Award to perform research at the University of California, Riverside. Her main research interests are in ecology of arthropods (pests and biocontrol agents) and in plant-herbivore interactions. Her current work is focused on biological control and tritrophic interactions between arthropods, plants and microbes. She has published in leading scientific journal in the fields of entomology, biological control and plant science on topics related to herbivore-plant interactions, integrated pest management and biological control. She has coordinated and/or participated in projects funded by the EU, international and national bodies (PRIMA, H2020-MSCA, COST, DAAD, GSRT-Greece, Greek Ministry of Education, Onassis Foundation), and the agro- and biocontrol industry. She is member of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee of DUTH and the Head of the Department of Agricultural Development (DUTH).
Publication records: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4563-3023.
Eva Sinapidou
Senior researcher
E. Sinapidou
Evaggelia Sinapidou is an Associate Professor in Plant Protection Biotechnology and is the Director of Pharmacology and Eco-toxicology the Lab in the Department of Agricultural Development (Democritus University of Thrace). She has participated in the Greek edition of G. Agrios’s book Plant Pathology and is a co-author in 11 papers (Scopus) and 2 book chapters that have been cited 413 times. She teaches Genetics, Molecular Biology, Plant Pathology, Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions and Molecular Plant Breeding. She has coordinated a research project in plant breeding corn in association with symbiotic microorganisms in the rhizosphere and has been a member of the research group in projects related to plant microbe interactions in relation to tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress.
Selected publications include:
- Sinapidou, E., Williams, K., Bahkt, S., Tor, M., Crute, I.R., Bittner-Eddy, P.D. and Beynon, J.L. 2004. The RPP2 locus of Arabidopsis accession Col-5 contains at least two genes required for isolate specific recognition of Peronospora parasitica isolate Cala2.
- Forsyth A., Mansfield J.W., Grabov N., Sinapidou E., de Torres M., Grant M., 2010. Genetic dissection of basal resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola in accessions of Arabidopsis. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions® 2010 23:12, 1545-1552
- Sinapidou, E., Pankou, C., Gekas, F., Sistanis, I., Tzantarmas, C., Tokamani, M., Mylonas, I., Papadopoulos, I., Kargiotidou, A., Ninou, E., Papathanasiou, F., Sandaltzopoulos, R., Tokatlidis, I.S., 2020. Plant yield efficiency by homeostasis as selection tool at ultra-low density. A comparative study with common stability measures in maize. Agronomy, 10 (8), art. no. 1203
- Pankou,C., Koulymboudi, L., Papathanasiou, F., Gekas, F., Papadopoulos, I., Sinapidou, E., Tokatlidis, I. S., 2023. Testing Taylor’s Power Law association of maize interplant variation with mean grain yield. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 22(2): 2–9
Michail Orfanoudakis
Senior researcher
Michail Orfanoudakis
Curriculum vitae
Dr MICHAIL ORFANOUDAKIS
NAME: MICHAIL ORFANOUDAKIS
Phones: 2552041105 (work), 6944385255 (mobile)
E-mail: morfan@fmenr.duth.gr
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
FORESTRY AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT, ARISTOTEL UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Thesis: “Symbiotic relationships of Alnus glutinosa with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and with Frankia.” Supervisors: Dr J.E.Hooker and C.T. Wheeler+
Academic professional experience: Current post : Associated Professor in Forest Soil Science in Democritus University of Thrace. Department of Department of Forestry and Environmental Management and Natural Resources. University of Wales: Lab teaching Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Part time teaching in soil Science MsC teaching : Soil remediation and revegetation of high disturbed sites. Erasmus +(2017): I was invited lecturer at the under graduate (BSc – Biosciences) and MSc course (Ecology and Evolution) of the Univ. of Franfurt – Institut für Ökologie, Evolution und Diversität Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main by Professor Wolfgang Brüggemann. The invitation was under the ERASMUS + frame, organised by the EU.
Research projects
Parisipation in 3 running projects
- LIFE‐STEMMA: Strategic Environmental Management of Mount Athos in the Context of Climate Change
- Ecoboost (Prima): Strengthening functional biodiversity to maximize ecosystem services in Mediterranean
Participated in 6 research projects
- The role of mycorrhizal symbiosis at the agricultural ecosystems. (national funded)
- Climatic and environmental changes as they were recorded at the tree rings of Aleppo pines located at the Attica basin (National Funded).
- The role of AMF at the natural vegetation of grass land ecosystems (National Funded).
- FoResMit (Life): Recovery of degraded coniferous Forests for environmental sustainability Restoration and climate change Mitigation.
- CONFORMIT (Life): The role of plantation at the linguine excavation sites of West -central Macedonia on the environmental protection and mitigation of climatic change.
- Myccorn : The ability of maize genotypes to exploit the inputs available individually and analysis for suitable mycorrhizal inoculum to improve productivity (National funded)
- Aster (Prima): Agri-ecological strategies and tools to enhance sustainability and ecosystem services in tomato cultivation.
Grants & Awards
IKY postdoc grants on: The role of Mycorrhizal symbiosis at the degraded soils: The effect of mycorrhizal symbiosis, at the drought stress.
Related publications :
- Gianluigi Mazza, Alessandro E. Agnelli, Paolo Cantiani, Ugo Chiavetta, Foteini Doukalianou, Kyriaki Kitikidou, Elias Milios, Michail Orfanoudakis, Kalliopi Radoglou, Alessandra Lagomarsino: (2018) Short-term effects of thinning on soil CO2, N2O and CH4 fluxes in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Science of The Total Environment 09/2018; 651(Pt 1), DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.241
- F Doukalianou, K Radoglou, A E Agnelli, K Kitikidou, E Milios, M Orfanoudakis, A Lagomarsino (2019): Annual Greenhouse-Gas Emissions from Forest Soil of a Peri-Urban Conifer Forest in Greece under Different Thinning Intensities and Their Climate-Change MitigationPotential.Forest Science 2019;DOI:10.1093/forsci/fxy069.
- Doukalianou F., Kitikidou K., Radoglou K., Milios E., Orfanoudakis M., Lagomarsino A. (2020) Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 5 (2), art. no. 35 DOI:10.1007/s41207-020-00170-2
- Doukalianou F., Spyroglou G., Orfanoudakis M., Radoglou K., Stefanou S., Kitikidou K., Milios E., Lagomarsino A. (2022) Effects of Forest Thinning on Soil Litter Input Nutrients in Relation to Soil CO2, CH4, and N2O Fluxes in Greece Atmosphere, 13 (3), art. no. 376.
Ioannis Koufakis
Post Doctoral Researcher
Ioannis Koufakis
Dr. Ioannis Koufakis is a Post Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Agricultural Development of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). He holds a degree in Agricultural Sciences as well as an Integrated Master, with specialization in crop production and plant protection. He also obtained a Master of Science degree from Wageningen University (the Netherlands) in Organic Agriculture, with a specialization in Agroecology. He has completed a four-month internship in the R&D department of the beneficial insects production company BIOBEST in Westerlo, Belgium. He also worked as an interim scientific officer at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Parma, Italy, where he contributed to the drafting of scientific opinions on major pests and diseases affecting various crops. He conducted his doctoral studies in Agricultural Entomology at DUTH, which were funded through a competitive scholarship awarded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI). Dr. Koufakis has participated in a large number of scientific conferences and has published research articles in peer-reviewed international journals. Since 2017, he has been working as a scientific associate in several research projects at the Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture (ELGO–DIMITRA). Moreoever, he is an Adjunct Lecturer of Agricultural Zoology at the Hellenic Mediterranean University. Finally, he is a member of the Hellenic Entomological Society (HES), where he served as Treasurer on the Board of Directors from 2022 to 2025.
Maria Athanasiadou
Post Doctoral Researcher
Maria Athanasiadou
Dr. Maria Athanasiadou is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Agricultural Development and a member of the Laboratory of Agricultural Entomology and Zoology at Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). She obtained her Diploma in Agricultural Sciences from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), followed by an M.Sc. in Crop Protection from the University of Göttingen (Germany) and a Ph.D. in Biology from Leibniz Universität Hannover (Germany).
She has gained international research experience through internships and collaborations with leading academic and industrial institutions, including Koppert Biological Systems R&D (The Netherlands), Bayer Crop Science (Germany), and Georg-August Universität Göttingen (Germany).
Her work has focused on behavioral ecology, biological control, plant-insect interactions, and automated, robotic-based insect monitoring and trapping to advance push–pull strategies in integrated pest management (IPM). She has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals in entomology, pest management, and biological control. Her academic excellence has been recognized through competitive awards, including a DAAD scholarship, an IAESTE scholarship, and a Best Poster Presentation Award at the 63rd German Plant Protection Conference.
Anastasia Pantelidou
PhD student
Anastasia Pantelidou
Anastasia Pantelidou is an Agricultural Scientist and PhD candidate at Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), with a strong academic background and research experience in sustainable agriculture, plant protection, and biological control. Her doctoral research focuses on the effects of insect mass-rearing by-products on phytophagous pests. She holds an MSc in Sustainable Production Systems and Environment in Agriculture, with a research emphasis on the effects of plant protection products on natural enemies, and a BSc in Agricultural Development. Her undergraduate thesis examined the impact of melatonin on apple seedling growth under salinity stress. She has actively participated in several nationally funded research projects (2024–2025) related to environmentally friendly plant protection, functional biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Her experience includes laboratory and field experimentation, data analysis, and participation in international and national scientific conferences. She is certified in food safety and quality management (TÜV NORD) and is a certified Agricultural Advisor.
Iordanis Vrochidis
PhD student
Iordanis Vrochidis
Iordanis Vrochidis is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Agricultural Development of the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH), Greece. He holds a Degree in Agricultural Sciences and a Master’s degree in Sustainable Production Systems and Environment from DUTH. He has international research experience through an Erasmus traineeship at the Agricultural Biotechnology Center in Gödöllő, Hungary. Since 2019, he has been working as a research fellow at DUTH, contributing to national and EU-funded projects focused on sustainable crop protection and agroecosystem services, including ECOBOOST and Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Crop Protection in Mediterranean Horticulture. In parallel, he serves as an Adjunct Teaching Assistant in laboratory courses related to genetics, molecular biology, and plant molecular interactions, and as an Instructor at the Lifelong Learning Centre (KEDIVIM) of DUTH. His expertise includes molecular biology workflows, plant phenotyping, insect rearing, and the design and monitoring of field and laboratory experiments.
Marcel Dicke
Project advisor – Wageningen UR
Marcel Dicke
Marcel Dicke (Wageningen University, the Netherlands) is an insect ecologist with special attention for the ecology of microbe-plant-insect interactions, ranging from field conditions to underlying molecular mechanisms. He discovered that plants respond to insect herbivory on the shoot with the production of volatiles that attract the enemies of the herbivores (coined ‘crying for help’) and is now involved in research showing that the effects of herbivory on the shoot extend to plant roots, resulting in the exudation of compounds that modulate the rhizosphere microbiome to favour microbes that benefit plant growth and resilience (‘crying for help belowground’). Moreover his team demonstrated that frass and exuviae of insects can be used to promote beneficial microbes in the soil that benefit plant growth, resilience, flowering and yield. This connects his extensive research on insects as food and feed for a circular and sustainable food system to sustainable crop production.
He has received various awards for his research, including the NWO Spinoza award (a.k.a. the Dutch Nobel Prize), awarded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and the Rank Prize for Nutrition (Trustees of Rank Prize Foundation, United Kingdom). He has supervised more than 115 PhD students (https://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/wda?q=dicke), published more than 550 articles in peer-reviewed journals (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VpMlC1YAAAAJ&hl=nl). He wrote several books, including (1) the text book Insect-Plant Biology. 2nd edition by Schoonhoven, L.M., van Loon, J.J.A., & Dicke, M. 2005. Oxford University Press. 421 pp. and (2) the Insect Cookbook, Food fod a Sustainable Planet, by A. van Huis, H. van Gurp and M. Dicke 2014.Columbia University Press. 191 pp.
Benaki Phytopathological Institute
Eirini Anastasaki
Senior researcher
Eirini Anastasaki
Dr Eirini Anastasaki is a Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Biological Control of the Benaki Phytopathological Institute (BPI). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology from the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA). Her postgraduate studies focused on the study and exploitation of natural products and were funded by a scholarship from the Heraclitus II programme. Her current research interests include the collection and identification of plant volatile organic compounds using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), insect chemical ecology, and the behavioral study of insects through electroantennography techniques (EAG, GC–EAD). She has co-authored 26 scientific publications in peer-reviewed international journals and has contributed to more than 50 publications in national and international scientific conferences. She is/was a team member of 23 national and international research projects (Horizon 2020, COST, Interreg, HFRI, GCRT, etc). She has also served as Principal Investigator (PI) in two research projects funded by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food through the Rural Development Programme (RDP) and the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.).
Panagiotis Milonas
Senior researcher
Panagiotis Milonas
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.
KU Leuven
Bart Lievens
Senior researcher
Bart Lievens
Bart Lievens is a full professor at KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium), where he leads the Plant-Microbe-Insect Interaction Group within the CMPG Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM). His research primarily focuses on the role of microorganisms in plant-insect and insect-insect interactions, with the aim of enhancing plant pollination and biological pest control. In addition, he investigates the direct insect-killing capabilities of microbes as potent biocontrol agents. To this end, his group applies tools and concepts from multiple fields, including microbiology, microbial ecology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, chemical ecology, and entomology. His scientific impact is reflected in over 250 peer-reviewed papers, an h-index of 55 (Web of Science), and more than 17,000 citations.
For a list of his publications, see: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/cv?Username=u0019097
For more information about the research group: http://www.kuleuven.be/pme-bim
University of Torino
Rosemarie Tedeschi
Senior researcher
Rosemarie Tedeschi
Dr. Rosemarie Tedeschi is an Associate Professor of General and Applied Entomology at the Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences of the University of Turin (Italy). She holds a PhD in Biological and Integrated Pest Control and a degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Turin. Her research focuses on insect vector–phytopathogen–host plant interactions, with particular emphasis on phytoplasma and virus transmission, insect immunity and microbiome, and innovative and sustainable pest management strategies, including RNAi-based approaches and physical control methods. Her work also addresses edible insects and insect health in relation to diet. She has coordinated and participated in several national and international research projects funded by competitive programs (PRIN, PRIN-PNRR, PRIMA, LIFE, PON) and regional and private foundations. She has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals in the fields of entomology, plant pathology and pest management. She serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Plant Disease and Protection and as a member of the Editorial Board of Insects (MDPI).
Her H-index (Scopus) is 24.
Publication record: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4846-5045
Ahmed Yehia Saad Oraby
Senior researcher
Ahmed Yehia Saad Oraby
Dr. Ahmed Oraby is a postdoctoral researcher in the Entomology Unit of the Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences at the University of Turin, where he also obtained his PhD in Entomology. He holds a BSc in Organic Agriculture from the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University (Egypt), and an MSc in Sustainable IPM Technologies for Mediterranean Fruit and Vegetable Crops from the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, CIHEAM (Italy). His current research focuses on insect biology and insect–plant interactions, with particular emphasis on insect-mediated transmission of plant bacterial pathogens and the use of insects as sustainable food and feed sources, emphasizing research activities on yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor). He has developed strong expertise in insect sampling and rearing, molecular biology techniques, and microbiological methods. His earlier professional experience spans the food industry and agricultural sectors, including roles as Operation lead in BSF (Hermetia illucens) production facility at Proteinea (Egypt), Quality Control Specialist at Chipsy Food Industries, PepsiCo (Egypt), Extension Engineer at the Egyptian BioDynamic Association (Demeter, Egypt), and GLOBALG.A.P. Inspector at HEIACert (Egypt).
