Pedro Sousa

Pedro Sousa is conducting a PhD in Agrarian Sciences by the University of Porto starting in 2023 within the Environmental Quality and Human Health (HuEL) research group of CESAM/CE3C. He is conducting the project “Towards a sustainable containment of Xylella fastidiosa: Developing a kaolin-assisted biopesticide based on essential oils to control the vector Philaenus spumarius”, under the supervision of professor Ana Aguiar, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, professor Margarida Bastos, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto and professor Maria Teresa Rebelo, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. The project aims to evaluate the potential usage of essential oils and kaolin as an alternative method for diminishing the dispersal of X. fastidiosa, by understanding the toxicological and behavioural effects of these substances in one of its main vectors, P. spumarius.