Brief Biography
Stefano is a plant health specialist with experience across regional, national and European institutions. He supports the work of the Technical Panel on Commodity Standards and the Technical Panel on Diagnostic Protocols, and contributes to the activities of the Africa Phytosanitary Programme. Before joining the IPPC Secretariat, Stefano worked as a Plant Health Inspector for the Italian National Plant Protection Organisation, where he carried out plant health management activities at the regional level. He has also worked at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), where he contributed to pest risk assessment and pest surveillance related activities. Earlier in his career, Stefano gained experience with national plants for planting certification systems, as well as in agronomic consulting, applied agricultural research, and plant health laboratory diagnostics. These roles strengthened his understanding of plant production systems, phytosanitary risks and evidence based approaches to plant health. Stefano has a master’s degree in International Horticultural Science, complemented by academic and research periods at Wageningen University and Research, Technische Universität München and the University of Missouri. He has contributed to scientific publications and technical guidelines and has presented plant health work at international meetings.