Together with my friend and colleague Dr. Ibtissem Ben Fekih, I am organizing the second edition of the workshop titled “Arthropod–Fungal Associations: From Parasites to Pathogens”. It will take place on 26–28 May 2025 and consist of lectures, fieldwork, and microscopy practicals. Instructors are myself, Dr. Ibtissem Ben Fekih and Prof. Frédéric Francis from Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech – University of Liège, Dr. Enikő Csata from Université Paul Sabatier, Mr. Lee Davies from Royal Botanic Gardens, Prof. Annette Bruun Jensen from the University of Copenhagen, Prof. Oliver Keyhani from the University of Illinois, and Dr. Noppol Kobmoo from National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC).
The workshop will be organized as a mix of lectures, fieldwork, and laboratory sessions. Lectures will cover topics in conservation, ecology, and biocontrol, in addition to a taxonomic overview of major clades of insect-parasitic and pathogenic fungi. These include Entomophthorales (Entomophthoromycotina, Zoopagomycota), Hypocreales, Laboulbeniales, and Onygenales (Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota). Within Hypocreales, Clavicipitaceae, Cordycipitaceae, and Ophiocordycipitaceae families will be treated.
Registration link. Please register before 10 May 2025 23:59 CET. Cost: 121 EUR/participant.
Payment details
IBAN: BE82250022870968
BIC: GEBABEBB
Name: Nature et Agronomie asbl
Message: Participant’s full name and affiliation
We are excited to organize this workshop for the second time and hope to welcome a diverse body of participants to Belgium! Please email me if you have any questions.
Danny Haelewaters
Meeting venue
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
Passage des Déportés 2
5030 Gembloux
Belgium
Instructors
Danny Haelewaters (PhD 2018, Harvard University) is Head of the Laboratory of Fungal Ecology and Evolution (LFEE) at the Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology and a Visiting Professor at Ghent University. His team focuses on biodiversity monitoring and understudied groups of fungi in understudied habitats. He focuses on Laboulbeniomycetes and has done fieldwork around the globe, including in Brunei, Iceland, Honduras, Malaysia, Mozambique, and Panama. He also leads #TeamLaboul, an informal group of students who are all broadly interested in fungal parasites and pathogens. Google Scholar.
Ibtissem Ben Fekih (PhD 2016, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia) is a Postdoctoral Research at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech – University of Liège, Belgium. Her research focuses on insect-pathogenic fungi in the orders Entomophthorales and Hypocreales, biological control strategies, and multitrophic interactions. She worked in several countries including Tunisia, China, and South Korea. Google Scholar.
Enikő Csata (PhD 2015, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania) is a CNRS researcher at Toulouse University, CRCA/CBI lab (France). Her research focuses on host-parasite interactions, particularly the fascinating dynamics between fungi and their ant hosts. She is especially interested in how parasitic fungi manipulate ant behavior and physiology to their advantage. Google Scholar
Lee Davies is the Fungarium Collection Manager at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Along with curating the collection, he teaches fungarium and field techniques for mycological collections in Madagascar. His research interest is the funga of Madagascar, particularly entomopathogenic fungi and the genus Amanita.
Annette Bruun Jensen (PhD 2001, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark) is an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her research focuses on the interaction between microorganisms and insects, particularly insect-pathogenic fungi. She has worked with a broad range of insects (including bees, ants, flies, aphids, and beetles) and several fungal groups (Ascosphaera, Entomophthorales, and Hypocreales) on many national and international projects including both applied and fundamental research questions. Google Scholar.
Oliver Keyhani (PhD 1994, Johns Hopkins University, USA) is the LAS Distinguished Professor in Natural Sciences at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His research focuses on physiological and molecular mechanisms of fungal-insect interactions including both fungal pathogens and fungal mutualists of insects. Google Scholar.
Noppol Kobmoo (PhD 2010, University of Montpellier, France) is a researcher at Thailand’s National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC). His research integrates classical taxonomy, evolutionary genomics, and ecology to build an evolutionary framework for understanding fungal diversity, particularly entomopathogenic fungi of the order Hypocreales. Currently, the scope of work has also expanded to include agricultural applications, using these fungi as biocontrol agents and plant-growth promoters. Google Scholar.
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