Corentin Clavé

I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Plant Protection Biology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). My research focuses on the mechanisms and ecological consequences of Microbial Induced plant Resistance on trophic interactions and biocontrol efficacy. In particular, I study how beneficial fungi influence the communication between sweet pepper plants (Capsicum annuum) and the natural enemies of insect pests, including the hoverfly Eupeodes corollae, which provides both flower pollination and biological control of insect pests such as aphids. By bridging microbe-plant-insect interactions with a chemical ecology approach, my work aims to better understand the full potential of beneficial microbes in sustainable plant production.

I hold a BSc in Life Sciences (2019) and a MSc in Ecology and Evolution (2021) from the University of Bordeaux (France). In April 2025, I was awarded a PhD jointly supervised at both the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples "Federico II" (Italy) and the Insect Biology Research Institute at the University of Tours (France). My doctoral research focused on the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana, investigating its role as an endophyte in tomato plants and its impact on the performance of the lepidopteran pest Spodoptera littoralis.

In addition to my research activities, I gained initial teaching experience in undergraduate courses at the University of Tours in 2023.