About me
My journey in entomology
I completed my Degree in Biology (Licenciatura) from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2017. During my studies at this institution, I joined Dr. Jorge Zavala's lab to work on plant-insect interactions between soybeans and two common insect pests (fall armyworm and thrips). After this, I moved to Canada for graduate school and obtained my PhD in 2024. My research in the Prager Lab focused on focused on a leafhopper species (aster leafhopper) capable of transmitting a plant pathogen (Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris) to various crops in Western Canada and the US Upper Midwest. I was interested in examining and understanding several behavioral responses of this insect and how these responses can be further altered by phytoplasma infection. A brief overview of this project can be found in this presentation for the Rising Stars of Entomology showcase and in two Canola Council Research Hub articles (1, 2). Following my PhD, I joined the Louisiana State University AgCenter (US) as a postdoctoral researcher, where my research focused on the transmission of aphid-vectored viruses in sweetpotatoes.
Research interests
My broad research interests include plant-insect interactions and plant-insect-pathogen interactions, particularly those involving plant species of horticultural and agricultural importance. I am most interested in factors mediating and modulating insect behavior, including plant secondary metabolites, and plant defense responses. I am also interested in how the understanding of insect behavioral responses and movement among host plants within ecosystems can be directed towards practices that manage pests in an effective and sustainable manner. By combining behavioral and transmission assays with other analyses, my goals are to contribute to our understanding of the complex interactions within horticultural and agricultural systems, and to use this knowledge to develop more efficient IPM practices for growers.
Editorial activity
I am happy to announce that I became a member of the editorial board of Écoscience and the International Journal of Pest Management in April 2026.