Since March 2020 she is Full Professor of General and applied Entomology (SSD AGR/11).
She was born on 14/12/1974; in 2001 she got her PhD in Agricultural Entomology at University “Federico II” of Naples (Italy). Since 2006 she’s been working at the University of Catania as Post-doctoral fellow (2006-2010), as Assistant professor (2010-17) and as Associate Professor (2017-2020). She was visiting scientist at the Dept. of Entomology of the NHM, London; Dept. of Entomology and Nematology of the University of Florida; IVIA, Spain; University of California, Berkeley.
She is Principal Investigator of several national and international projects (e.g. PRIN2015; ARIMNET2).
She is member of the Editorial Board of the journals Phytoparasitica, Entomologia Generalis and European Journal of Entomology; as well as referee for several ISI journals.
She is member of the Plant Health Panel at EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) for the 2018-2021 term.
Her main research topics are Hymenoptera parasitoids, their biology and applications as biocontrol agents in agricultural systems; the side effects of pesticides on arthropod natural enemies. She is author of more than 100 papers, published or in press on national and international journals as well as book chapters by international editors. ORCID: 0000-0002-2804-3980.

SISCARO G., LO PUMO, C., TROPEA GARZIA G., TORTORICI S., GUGLIUZZO A., RICUPERO M., BIONDI A., ZAPPALÀ L. (2019) Temperature and tomato variety influence the development and the plant damage induced by the zoophytophagous mirid bug Nesidiocoris tenuis. Journal of Pest Science, 92: 1049-1056.

SOARES M.A., CAMPOS M.R., PASSOS L.C., CARVALHO G.A., HARO M.M., LAVOIR A.-V., BIONDI A., ZAPPALÀ L., DESNEUX N. (2019) Botanical insecticide and natural enemies: a potential combination for pest management against Tuta absoluta. Journal of Pest Science, DOI: 10.1007/s10340-018-01074-5.

CAMPOLO, O., CHERIF, A., RICUPERO, M., SISCARO, G., GRISSA-LEBDI, K., RUSSO, A., CUCCI, L.M., DI PIETRO, P., SATRIANO, C., DESNEUX, N., BIONDI, A., ZAPPALÀ L.*, PALMERI, V. (2017) Citrus peel essential oil nanoformulations to control the tomato borer, Tuta absoluta: Chemical properties and biological activity. Scientific Reports, 7 (1), art. no. 13036, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13413-0.

NASELLI M, BIONDI A, TROPEA GARZIA G, DESNEUX N, RUSSO A, SISCARO G, ZAPPALÀ L (2017) Insights into food webs associated with the South American Tomato Pinworm. Pest Management Science, 73(7): 1352-1357. DOI: 10.1002/ps.4562.

ABBES K, BIONDI A, KURTULUS A, RICUPERO M, RUSSO A, SISCARO G, CHERMITI B., ZAPPALA’ L. (2015) Combined Non-Target Effects of Insecticide and High Temperature on the Parasitoid Bracon nigricans. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0138411. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138411.