Olga AMEIXA

Olga Ameixa is a Ph.D. in Ecosystems Biology, University of South Bohemia, the Czech Republic where she studied predator-prey dynamics of aphids and coccinellids and the influence of invasive Harmonia axyridis on coccinellid native communities. After completing her Ph.D., she worked as a Junior Researcher at the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CzechGlobe) on the behavioural ecology of the invasive Harmonia axyridis. Prior to this, she worked as an IPM adviser for 3 producers’ organizations and did her MSc thesis on the behavioural ecology of Diglyphus sp. parasitoids and leafminer control.
Currently, she is a researcher working in the Biology Department & CESAM at the University of Aveiro and cE3c from University of the Azores (Portugal). Her research interests include insect ecology, biodiversity, their biocontrol potential as well as their biotechnological uses. She has taught Entomology at the Biology Department of the University of Aveiro and continues to supervise undergraduate and graduate students. Currently, her research work includes monitoring insect biodiversity from coastal areas with emphasis in pests and parasitoids from halophyte plants with agronomic interest in a context of saline agriculture. This work is complemented with a citizen science program “Diversidade.ID” to engage citizen scientists in unravelling coastal insect biodiversity. She is also the PI of a project which studies biotechnological uses of coastal insects in aquaculture feeds. Olga is still involved in other outreach activities such as bioblitz, summer academies (for high school students), or activities with elementary schools.