Dr Corrado Minetti

I graduated in biology (zoology and ecology) at the University of Turin (Italy) and in medical parasitology and entomology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) (UK), followed by a PhD in molecular epidemiology at Liverpool University. During my postdoc at LSTM I worked in the laboratory and on the field in Ghana on the epidemiology and molecular xenomonitoring of filariasis, malaria, and arboviruses. I also completed a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) training fellowship in public health microbiology at the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Ricardo Jorge (INSA) in Lisbon. 

Memberships

Society for Vector Ecology SOVE, Royal Entomological Society RES, Microbiology Society, Applied Microbiology International AMI, British Society for Parasitology BSP, EPIET Alumni Network

Research

My research is focussed on the eco-epidemiology of microbes in arthropod vectors, and in particular mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit. I am particularly interested in exploring and testing novel tools (from metagenomics to bioacustics) to improve how we sample and detect both vectors and their microbes in nature, and in using this information to better understand microbial ecology, transmission, and impacts on pathogen surveillance and control in both humans and animals (One Health). 

Current projects

1. Characterizing the virome and mycobiome of insects and disease vectors using a combination of fieldwork and metagenomic sequencing (with Ilias Kounatidis)

2. Environmental DNA/RNA detection of insects, vectors, and pathogens by exploiting sugar feeding, pollination, and other insect behaviours (funded through the 2026 NERC Environmental Omics Facility Pilot competition)

3. Using bioacustics to improve the identification and surveillance of UK-native mosquitoes and other insects (in collaboration with enstic – Insect management solution)

Interested in doing an internship or a PhD (including self-funded)? 

Contact me via email or Linkedin (links on the left side of the page) to discuss options, including rotations/projects in the following doctoral training partnerships:

ILESLA - Interdisciplinary Life and Environmental Science Landscape Award (with University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes) - next call expected in Autumn 2026 (for October 2027 entry)

CENTA – The Central England NERC Training Alliance - next call expected in Autumn 2026 (for October 2027 entry)