Dr. Sofia Bouchebti, PI
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I am a biologist with a deep fascination for social insects. My research has primarily focused on the nutritional behavior of these insects, with three main areas of investigation: 1) individual and collective strategies involved in the exploitation of food resources; 2) decision-making processes related to the types of nutrients consumed or collected; and 3) the behavioral, cognitive, and physiological effects of the consumed nutrients.
During my PhD, conducted at Toulouse III University (France) and São Paulo State University (Brazil), I studied the foraging behavior of the leaf-cutting ant Atta laevigata. By combining field and laboratory experiments, I described a general pattern of the foraging strategy used by these ants.
In my earlier postdoctoral research, first at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) and later at King Juan Carlos University (Spain), I used the nutritional geometric framework approach to explore how macronutrients influence physiological and behavioral traits in social insects (honey bees and cockroaches). In my most recent postdoctoral research at Tel Aviv University (Israel), I studied how nutrients are allocated, utilized, and exchanged among colony members and across generations, using various insect models such as the Oriental hornet, bumblebee, and American cockroach.
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Dr. Ratko Pavlović, Postdoc
I am a biologist with a PhD in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade. My research focuses on the nutritional ecology and social behavior of insects, with particular expertise in insect nutrition. I use physiological, biochemical, analytical chemistry, and behavioral approaches to understand how diet, temperature, and social organization influence performance and stress responses. I have worked with a wide range of insects, including honey bees, bumblebees, hornets, wasps, and cerambycid beetles, and have over ten years of professional beekeeping experience. In addition to nutritional studies, I am involved in biomonitoring research.
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Seth Kwame Asare, MSc student
Building on my BSc in Agriculture (KNUST, Ghana) where I demonstrated linalool’s efficacy against maize weevils (Sitophilus zeamais), I pioneered dual-compound strategies (linalool/nerolidol) during my MPhil in Seed Science (University of Ghana) to combat invasive pests (Prostephanus truncatus) and mycotoxin-producing fungi (Aspergillus flavus). My early research laid groundwork for sustainable, chemical-free grain storage solutions.
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Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Sde-Boqer Campus, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel