Euphresco collaborative project
Agroscope is the Swiss center of excellence for agronomic research. Its research is primarily targeted towards practice-oriented applied research for the agriculture and food sector. Involved in this project are the Biosafety Research Group which is engaged in studying and assessing the environmental impact of novel organisms in agriculture, including invasive species, biological control agents and genetically engineered organisms and the Neobiota Research Group, which supports the surveillance of the territory and develops sustainable, proactive and reactive management approaches for invasive alien species that are noxious for the Swiss agroecosystems.
Jana Collatz is an Entomologist/Ecologist and research associate in the biosafety research group, working on the benefits and risks of macro-organisms in biological control. A focus of her research is on the factors that mediate the establishment and spread of non-native arthropods in new habitats.
Kiran Horrocks is an Entomologist/Ecologist and postdoctoral researcher in the biosafety research group, working on biological control options for emerging/high risk arthropod pests. His research interests include theoretical and practical approaches to risk and feasibility assessments related to biological control, particularly in the context of preparedness against biosecurity risks.
Ramona Maggini is a Biologist-Ecologist/Modeler in the Neobiota research group, developing research in the field of plant protection against invasive alien organisms that are potentially problematic for the Swiss agroecosystems. In particular, she models the potential for establishment of invasive alien species so as to spatially-explicitly assess risk, target monitoring, optimize management and inform biological control.