Congrès SPPQ 2026 - Phytoprotection 2.0

Benjamin Péret is a Research Director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and leads the Development and Plasticity of the Root System research team at the Montpellier Institute of Plant Sciences (IPSiM). His research focuses on the mechanisms that control root system architecture and the formation of specialized organs in response to environmental signals, primarily using white lupin cluster roots (proteoid roots) as a model. He has played a key role in establishing white lupin as a reference model for studying root plasticity.

Richard Hamelin is a Professor and Department Head at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver. His research team uses genomic tools to understand, diagnose, and prevent forest diseases caused by invasive pathogens and insects, a challenge that is being intensified by climate change. His work, particularly through the development of genomic databases, enables the rapid identification of high-risk species and the tracing of disease outbreak origins, providing critical information for the management and control of biological invasions.

Michel McElroy holds both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Biology from Dalhousie University. He has developed expertise in agronomy and genetics through his work with a wide range of crops, including forage crops, oats, and hemp. He joined the CÉROM team in 2017, where he has been working on winter wheat breeding using both traditional plant breeding methods and genomic techniques.

Professor Torkamaneh works at the intersection of computational biology and cutting-edge omics technologies. His research leverages artificial intelligence and big data analytics to interpret complex datasets generated from genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. His work focuses in particular on genome editing, especially through CRISPR technologies, as well as metabolic engineering for the production of valuable compounds, including applications in the field of medical cannabis. He is also interested in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and in understanding the mechanisms associated with sex chromosomes.