BEYOND's first doctoral thesis defense

On 11 December 2023, Andrea Radici defended this doctoral thesis on

A modeling framework for the development of eco-efficient control strategies against aerial plant pathogens

Un cadre de modélisation pour le développement des stratégies eco-efficientes de lutte contre les agents pathogènes aériens des plantes

In addition to an introduction, conclusions and perspectives, the thesis consisted of 4 chapters on :

• Network-thinking to optimize surveillance and control of crop parasites. A review.
• Early-detection surveillance for stem rust of wheat: insights from a global epidemic network based on airborne connectivity and host phenology.
• A metapopulation framework integrating landscape heterogeneity to model an airborne plant pathogen: the case of brown rot of peach in France.
• Global benefits and domestic costs of a cooperative surveillance strategy to control transboundary crop pathogens.

Andrea’s work was part of WP3 of the BEYOND project. He was BEYOND’s first doctoral student, so it is understandable that we are particularly proud.