​Leon B. Arnaut
PhD student
University of Copenhagen
I’m a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen, working within the Weed Ecology and Evolution group. The title of my PhD is Breaking the Bank: Weed Seed Decay in Soil Seed Banks as a Regulator of Population and Community Dynamics. The project recognises the importance of regulating weed soil seed banks in reducing the use of pesticides in agroecosystems.
The work will focus on understanding how we can regulate the size and composition of weed seed banks through seed decay by utilising the soil microbiome and soil health. Broadly, I aim to do this by combining field and glasshouse experiments with modelling and metagenomics efforts.
Suresh Banisetti
PhD student
Aarhus University
I completed my Master’s degree in Agricultural sciences at the University of Hohenheim, Germany. For my master’s thesis, I examined how supplementary food influences predator-prey dynamics and its role in strengthening biological pest control strategies.
My PhD research investigates how companion cropping influences plant diversity, and the abundance of weeds and arthropod communities, along with their associated ecosystem services. By analysing the synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity and crop productivity, my work aims to develop sustainable crop management systems that balance weed control with enhanced ecosystem functionality. This project contributes practical insights into balancing trade-offs between ecosystem services and crop yields, while addressing the current arthropod biodiversity crisis.
Andrea Cavalieri
Special Consultant
University of Copenhagen
I am the Research Coordinator for One Crop Health in Denmark and the Work Package Leader for WP1 (On-farm Network) and WP2 (Long-term Experiment), facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration and stakeholder engagement across research and practice.
Trained as an agroecologist with a background in weed management, my research focuses on plant–plant–soil–microbe interactions, with a particular emphasis on inter- and intraspecific competition within plant communities. My previous work has investigated how competitive ability, allelopathy, and rhizosphere microbial communities shape these interactions and influence community dynamics. I integrate agronomy, ecology, and molecular biology with applied approaches to enhance crop performance, yield, and quality, while promoting sustainable agricultural systems.
David Comont
Agroecosystem health and pest manager
Rothamsted Research
David Comont is a plant ecologist specializing in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of weed adaptation and arable weed community assembly within UK agro-ecosystems. His research focuses on understanding the underlying principles and selective pressures that drive weed abundance and adaptation, and designing more integrated and agroecologically-guided weed management practices. His work spans national monitoring and epidemiological analysis of weed communities, technological innovation for remote weed detection, and transcriptomic and genetic assessment of individual weed genotypes.
Samantha Cook
Head of insect IPM
Rothamsted Research
I am an insect behavioural ecologist and specialize in developing integrated pest management (IPM) for key pests of arable crops - particularly oilseed rape. My research explores the intersection of IPM and regenerative agriculture, with active projects on conservation biocontrol, automated detection of pests and beneficials, and the urgent question: can IPM save oilseed rape? My work bridges practical farm solutions with cutting-edge ecological science to support resilient, sustainable cropping systems.
My role in the OCH project is to help design monitoring protocols for insects and I am co-supervisor of Laurence Still (PhD student).
The motivation for my work is to reduce insecticide use to conserve beneficial and non-target insects in arable crops. I arrived at this conclusion (that conservation should start at home) after my Conservation Biology undergraduate research in Indonesia where I was nearly stung to death by Asian hornets. I love insects - but not hornets!
Tim Daniell
Professor at the School of Biosciences
University of Sheffield
My research group works on many aspects of sustainable farming. We mainly focus on plant and soil interaction such as plant interaction with the soil nitrogen cycle (mainly nitrification and denitrification) and mycorrhizal relationships. We also work in management related aspects of sustainability, for example, alternative fertilisation. We are also interested in understanding the formation of disease suppressive soils.
Sune Darkner
Professor at the Department of Computer Science (DIKU)
University of Copenhagen
My main interests include Image Registration, Segmentation and Classification of Medical Image Data. I work with estimation of image similarity as my primary interest along with computational well-founded implementation. I strongly believe that the implementation of image processing algorithms should be thoroughly tested and reflect the theoretical properties as well as possible.
I work mainly on neuro-imaging data such as MRI and PET.
Natasha de Vere
Professor at the Natural History Museum of Denmark
University of Copenhagen
I am a biodiversity scientist working on plant-pollinator interactions and plant diversity. I use a combination of environmental DNA, metabarcoding, genomics and museomics to answer questions about how climate and environmental change impacts species diversity and networks over current and historical timeframes.
Role in the Project: How can we use eDNA approaches for bio-surveillance in agroecosystems to reduce pesticide use and promote farmland biodiversity.
Eva Enevoldsen
PhD student
University of Copenhagen
My name is Eva Kroon Enevoldsen, and I will soon be part of the Image section in the Department of Computer Science at Copenhagen University (DIKU). I am coming in as a PhD student, starting December 1st with a focus on simulation, working in APSIM.
I have a MSc in Computer Science from DIKU, which means I will also be spending time on the PhD acquiring domain knowledge in the field of plant and environmental science, to better my ability to both perform and understand the data I am going to work with.
Kelis Fischer
PhD student
University of Sheffield
I am a PhD student based at the University of Sheffield in Tim Daniell’s research group. This group has an interest in nitrogen dynamics in the soil and the impact of farming practices, but my focus is on what is happening in and around the soil to create the phenomena: suppressive soils. These have been found in many systems and are known to reduce crop disease, improving the reliability of yields. This project aims to investigate what might be causing the conditions that promote crop health, with the aim to adapt the mechanisms to allow for application and promotion of suppressive soils on farm land.
Izabela Fistric
PhD student
Rothamsted Research
I am interested in all things plant pathology but I specialize in wheat pathogens and wheat-fungal interactions. While I am only beginning my project I am excited to learn more about how different agricultural practices affect pathogen populations and find out more about the research happening in the wider one crop health project.
Caroline B. Frøhling
PhD student
University of Copenhagen
I am investigating functional biodiversity in weed-insect interactions, where I will be working with wheat and the different weeds, pests and natural enemies associated with wheat.
I will explore the interactions between these organisms and hopefully gain insights about if these interactions can be beneficial for the cropping system. At the moment, I am investigating induced resistance mechanisms to insect pests in wheat as a response to increased weed diversity.
Benjamin Fuchs
Assistant Professor at the Department of Agroecology
Aarhus University
I am a plant ecologist investigating the chemical ecology underlying crop health in sustainable agricultural systems. My research focuses on how plant metabolites and their interactions with microbes and insects influence resistance to pests, pathogens, and environmental stress. Using advanced LC-MS and GC-MS analyses of phytohormones, specialized metabolites, and volatile organic compounds, I identify key phytochemical mechanisms that enhance natural pest control and resilience. By integrating chemical and ecological data, my work aims to replace synthetic pesticides with biologically based strategies, improving crop health and yield stability through optimized plant–microbe–insect interactions in diversified, sustainable farming systems.
Main supervisor of one PhD student and co-supervisor of one. My role relates to utilizing chemical ecology methods to unravel the role of phytochemicals for sustainable pest management.
Stine K. Jacobsen
Associate Professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN)
University of Copenhagen
My research focuses on the biology and ecology of insect pests and their arthropod natural enemies in agroecosystems, functional biodiversity in managed and semi-natural ecosystems, conservation biological control, crop diversification, and integrated strategies for biological pest control. Our methodologies include large-scale field trials, greenhouse experiments, laboratory bioassays, and molecular tools to assess the contributions of predators and parasitoids to pest control and to investigate their utilization of resources such as pollen, nectar, and alternative prey.
In the OCH project, I am the main supervisor of PhD student Caroline Bayer Frøhling, PLEN.
Michael Kristensen
Associate Professor at the Department of Agroecology
Aarhus University
Research topics: Insect pest management, insecticide resistance, molecular entomology, white clover entomology, and policy support.
Role in OCH project: Member of the steering group, PhD supervisor.
Zhao Li
PhD student
University of Copenhagen
My project, “Harnessing eDNA for surveillance and management of crop health pests and beneficials in agroecosystems,” focuses on testing how eDNA and DNA metabarcoding can characterize aerial and terrestrial biodiversity in farmland. I work with soil communities of fungi, plants, arthropods, and microbes, and I identify pollen and fungal spores in air samples. I also compare eDNA-derived biodiversity patterns with datasets on pests, weeds, diseases, and beneficials across the One Crop Health farm networks.
My contribution to the project is to provide biodiversity data from Danish farms and help develop biodiversity indicators that support healthy and sustainable farm management.
Tim Mauchline
Translating Biotic Interactions
Rothamsted Research
Tim is a molecular microbiologist and has spent his entire research career studying microbial interactions in the plant root environment. He uses traditional microbiology, molecular biology and next generation sequencing in his research. He is interested in the ecology of microbial communities in cropping systems, especially the impact of fertilisation, land use and crop genotype on microbial selection and function in the rhizosphere. The aim is to understand the function and potential of plant-associated microbes for nutrient cycling, plant stress tolerance and disease suppression. His ultimate goal is to maximise the contribution of microbes for the development of sustainable agricultural systems.
Bo Melander
Professor at the Deptartment of
Agroecology
Aarhus University
I am a weed scientist working with weed management in organic and conventional horticultural and agricultural crops for almost 38 years. Especially, non-chemical weed control methods have been an important part of my work portfolio.
Topics: Physical weed control of perennial weeds, thermal weed control, potato haulm termination, automated crop thinning, novel cropping systems.
Role within the OCH project: AU co-PI, supervision of one PhD, leading the AU-part in WP2.
Aleksandra Mleczek
Project Manager
University of Copenhagen
Jesper is the Team Leader of the Tech Team at UCPH’s Taastrup Campus, which is also the location of the Danish OCH long term experiment.
He is a classical agronomist with knowledge in crop production, complemented by research expertise.
His topics are platform management, agronomy, digital agriculture, drones, image analysis, and GIS. He has worked extensively in precision agriculture and with drones in plant breeding.
Paul Neve
Professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN)
University of Copenhagen
I work on weeds; their ecology, evolution and management. Weeds are the ultimate plant survivors – thriving in human-influenced environments and capable of rapid adaptation to evolve their way around the approaches that have been developed to manage them.
My group tries to understand the ecological, evolutionary and genetic mechanisms through which weeds establish and persist in agroecosystems. I’ve done lots of work to understand how weeds evolve resistance to herbicides. Now, however, with increasing efforts to reduce reliance on pesticides, we are exploring how weeds interact with crops, microbes, insects, soils and environment*management in agroecosystems. We want to develop a broader focus on the biology and management of weeds in a One Crop Health context.
I am the PI for the One Crop Health project.
Kim S. Pedersen
Professor at the Department of Computer Science (DIKU) & Natural History Museum of Denmark (NHMD)
University of Copenhagen
My primary research area is computer vision which includes topics from image analysis and machine learning, in particular deep learning. I focus mainly on problems in fine grained classification / recognition and regression based on multimodal input, object detection and recognition, and tracking and motion models. I have made contributions to the theoretical foundations of computer vision, including machine learning for low-level vision, image features, scale space theory, and articulated tracking of human motion. I am currently working with methodological development and applications of computer vision within digitisation of natural history collections, biodiversity monitoring, agriculture and precision farming, food sciences, and industrial applications.
Role in the OCH project: Main supervisor for PhD student Markos Aivazoglou-Vounatsos (DIKU) and co-supervisor for PhD student Laurence Still (Rothamsted / Sheffield).
Matthew Perry
PhD student
University of Sheffield
My project focuses on the ecological basis for developing precision agriculture through the removal of chosen weeds. I’m seeking to develop our understanding of how different weed species and communities impact the health of crops and agroecosystems. This would unlock the possibility for identifying and removing harmful weeds, using AI image recognition on weeding robots, whilst retaining weeds which have benefits to crops and/or the agroecosystem.
Patricia O. Ramos
Agroecosystem Health & Integrated Pest management team
Rothamsted Research
My research focuses on reducing the impact of cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) through Integrated Pest Management strategies. This includes improving pest detection methods, understanding and modelling migration and population dynamics, and investigating the role of parasitoids in pest regulation. I have a particular interest in biological control and aim to understand how parasitoids populations can be enhanced through modifications in agricultural practices.
Within the One Crop Health project, I serve as principal supervisor to Laurence Still, collaborating on the development of image processing and machine learning tools for automatic pest identification and quantification. By applying image processing and deep learning techniques for accurate, automated damage assessment, we're creating practical solutions to improve monitoring capabilities for both farmers and researchers. This work bridges fundamental ecology with applied technology, contributing to more sustainable pest management approaches in agriculture.
Claus Rasmussen
Associate Professor
Department of Agroecology
Aarhus University
My core research focus is on bee ecology and evolution, complemented by a broader interest in entomology and enhancing biodiversity at the landscape scale. I also explore the role of insects in agrivoltaic systems (AgriVolt).
In the One Crop Health project, I co-supervise Suresh Banisetti and contribute entomological expertise to support the project.
Sabina Schneider
PhD student
University of Sheffield
My supervisory team comprises Dr Penelope Watt (Sheffield), Dr Muneta Grace Kangara (Rothamsted), and Dr Dorette Sophie Müller-Stöver (Copenhagen). Over the course of this project, I will be using environmental DNA to monitor earthworms as soil health bioindicators.
I am interested in how crop nutrition, health, and yield are influenced by earthworms, both directly and indirectly, under different agricultural regimes. With a background in plant-soil systems and nutrient cycling, I am keen to explore the role of earthworms in crop access to soil nutrients, particularly in low-input systems. The potential for cross-project synergies facilitated by the OCH framework is exciting and will provide essential context, shared datasets, and alternative perspectives.
Laurence Still
PhD student
Rothamsted Research
I’m interested in modernising insect monitoring by combining computer vision, machine learning, and novel sensing to capture ecological information that is often missed or difficult to obtain with conventional survey methods. My current work focuses on faster and more accurate monitoring of cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape, including automated leaf-damage assessment, larval identification from images, and exploring vibrational sensing as a way to quantify larval activity. I’m also excited about the broader ecological value of these approaches, particularly how tools developed for pest monitoring can also reveal biodiversity patterns in non-target species.
Jonathan Storkey
Professor
Agroecology & Pest Management
Rothamsted Research
Jon has a background in weed ecology and is interested in how weed communities respond to management and the impacts on crop yield loss and biodiversity. He currently leads a team covering sustainable crop protection and the management of farming systems to reconcile productivity with agroecosystem health.
Jon is leading on a new Long-Term experiment that is exploring alternative approaches to achieving this goal.
Jonathan Storkey
Tech team leader
Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences
University of Copenhagen
Jesper is the Team Leader of the Tech Team at UCPH’s Taastrup Campus, which is also the location of the Danish OCH long term experiment.
He is a classical agronomist with knowledge in crop production, complemented by research expertise.
His topics are platform management, agronomy, digital agriculture, drones, image analysis, and GIS. He has worked extensively in precision agriculture and with drones in plant breeding.
Amanda Thystrup
PhD student
Aarhus University
My research focuses on the biochemical mechanisms of chemically induced changes in early plant development. Within the One Crop Health project, I investigate how benzoxazinoids, a class of secondary metabolites produced by widely cultivated cereal crops, suppress weeds. These compounds affect weed germination and early growth, giving the crop a competitive advantage and reducing the need for
synthetic herbicides. My current work focuses on uncovering the mechanisms underlying weed germination inhibition and applying this knowledge to enhance the ecological resilience of farming systems.
Markos A. Vounatsos
PhD student
University of Copenhagen
My research will focus on developing automated monitoring systems for fine-grained species classification of insects and plants in agricultural fields. I will address key technical challenges such as working with limited training datasets, handling varied field conditions, and exploring multi-modal approaches that combine imaging with weather data and textual species descriptions.
My work will involve developing deep learning methods based on state-of-the-art computer vision algorithms, investigating few-shot and zero-shot learning techniques, and actively participating in designing data collection procedures across the participating farms in Denmark and the UK.
Penny Watt
Zoologist
University of Sheffield
Penny’s research covers aquatic (fish, amphibians) and terrestrial (earthworms) systems. Her research team have successfully used eDNA to detect different earthworm species in soil from agricultural land and have shown that this is more effective than traditional hand sampling (Llanos et al 2025, Sci. Total Environ. 968, 178793). They are applying this technique to soil samples from different parts of the UK to understand the impact of different agricultural management regimes (conventional vs regenerative) on earthworm diversity. They are also investigating the responses of earthworms to environmental stresses, specifically variation in soil water content, and can efficiently identify large numbers of individuals to species using next-generation sequencing. The One Crop Health project will investigate how earthworm diversity and abundance are related to crop plant growth, production and nutrition under different agricultural regimes.
Jon West
Professor
Agroecology & Pest Management
Rothamsted University
Current research focus: Jon works on multi-disciplinary crop protection projects and leads a lab researching the biology and control of fungal diseases, measurement of plant disease resistance, early detection of diseases and dispersal of spores.
Role in the Project: Plant pathology advice on disease identification and use of spore traps and supervision of a PhD project on impacts of agronomic practices on wheat stem diseases (Bela Fistric).