My research has aimed to better understand the network of interactions that defines the relationships between the environment and infection. I have developed a new axis of research in defining and investigating the interrelationships between nutrition and infection using an integrative and multidimensional approach. This research provides significant insights into the nutritional regulation of the innate immune system, the gut microbiota, and infections by different types of parasites and pathogens.

The methods I have established open a new avenue in the study of insect–symbiont relationships and are of broad interest to numerous research disciplines, spanning from nutrition and life-history theory to public and environmental health. Recently, my interest has centred on translating these findings to pollinator conservation, particularly through improving the health, resilience, and management of honey bees and other pollinating insects. My work increasingly focuses on identifying nutritional, microbial, and environmental drivers of disease in bees, and on developing sustainable, chemical-free strategies, such as microbial probiotics, entomopathogenic fungi, and habitat-based interventions, to enhance pollinator immunity and reduce vulnerability to pests and pathogens. This translational research directly supports evidence-based conservation programs and contributes to safeguarding pollinators, the ecosystems they sustain, and the agricultural systems that depend on them.