Paolo Alfonso Pedata is a researcher at the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection (IPSP), Portici (IT). Education: Master’s degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Naples "Federico II" (1988); PhD in Entomology (1995). Work experience and interests: Ecological studies, with a particular regard for the population dynamics of harmful insects and their antagonists; morpho-biological and systematic characterization of natural antagonists, in particular the parasitoid Hymenoptera of the Aphelinidae; embryonic development strategies of the parasitoids of the genus Encarsia; the monitoring of invasive and quarantine species and biological control strategies for their control; the study of the mechanisms of resistance to polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons in Drosophila melanogaster and its microbiota to identify the genes and metabolic processes involved in the degradation of the xenobiotic and to identify new strategies for the recovery of contaminated environments; the development of alternative management strategies of crop residues in the chestnut ecosystem for the production of quality compost. Member of the Italian Entomological Society (SEI) since 2013.