About Euphresco - Governance

Ms Steinmöller Silke

Ms Steinmöller is the Chair of the Euphresco Network Management Group. She is a plant pathologist at the Julius Kühn-Institute, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, which belongs to the portfolio of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity in Germany. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the area of plant health with her work focus mainly on pest risk assessment and management. Her main area of work is in survey coordination and development of the German multiannual survey programme for Union quarantine pests. Dr. Steinmöller has been actively involved in both EUPHRESCO ERA-Net projects as member of the project management group and has also been part of the network management group of the self-sustainable Euphresco network until 2019.

Mr Kenyon David

Mr Kenyon is Chief Plant Health Officer for Scotland at Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) and acts as a national coordinator for all plant health policy, inspectorates and science whose remit extends across agriculture, forestry and the natural environment. This ensures that outputs from Euphresco projects will be embedded in local action.

Ms Souza Richards Rose

Dr. Rose Souza Richards has been the Phytosanitary Affairs Manager (prev. Seed Health Manager) at ISF since March 2020. In this role, she liaises with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and coordinates industry-wide responses to World Trade Organization (WTO) notifications on national phytosanitary regulations. She oversees key ISF initiatives such as the Systems Approach, the Regulated Pest List Initiative, and the International Seed Health Initiative. Dr. Souza Richards holds a BSc in Agronomic Engineering from the State University of Bahia, Brazil, an MSc in Plant Pathology from the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil, a second MSc in Plant Diversity from the University of Reading, UK, and a PhD in Plant Molecular Virology from the University of Nottingham, UK. In addition to her role at ISF, Dr. Souza Richards is the Chair of the ePhyto Industry Advisory Group (IAG). She collaborates with the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) and the WTO to enhance global phytosanitary measures and facilitate international trade in seeds. Her extensive experience includes roles at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in New Zealand and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in England demonstrating her expertise in plant health and regulatory affairs.

Mr Nam Kiwoong

Mr Nam is a researcher at the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE, France), where he is affiliated with the Division of Plant Health and Environment. His research focuses on the invasion dynamics of pest insects that threaten agriculture. Dr Nam utilizes cutting-edge genomic tools and artificial intelligence to study their resistance to synthetic insecticides and GMO crops, and to enhance the monitoring of transboundary pests, through leading national, European, and international collaborative projects.

Mr Balan Rebijith

Mr Balan is a molecular entomologist and research scientist at the Plant Health and Environment Laboratory, Ministry for Primary Industries (PHEL–MPI), New Zealand. His research focuses on the diagnostics, molecular ecology, and sustainable management of economically important insect pests affecting agricultural crops. With over fifteen years of experience in entomology, Rebijith integrates advanced genomic, bioinformatic, and molecular tools to develop innovative pest identification systems, biocontrol strategies, and RNA interference (RNAi)-based pest management solutions. He has led and collaborated on several national and international projects on high-throughput sequencing, GMO diagnostics, and biosecurity surveillance, contributing to improved detection and management of invasive and regulated pest species. His work has been recognized globally through prestigious awards, including the Alfred Russel Wallace Award (Royal Entomological Society, UK, 2016) and the Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers (JIRCAS, Japan, 2019).

Mr Kaymak Suat

Mr Kaymak is the Head of the Plant Health Research Department at the Republic of Türkiye's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies. Mr Kaymak has a PhD in mycology and molecular biology and has worked in government institutions as a researcher and manager. He has been supporting and monitoring plant health research topics since 2015.