Who we are & what we do

Our short expert bio

Francis Schaffner, French, PhD, expert in medical and veterinary entomology, focusing first on mosquitoes (Culicidae), but also on biting midges (Culicoides spp.), sand flies (Phlebotominae), and biting flies.

We devoted the first part of our career, from 1985 to 1998, to sustainable mosquito control and to mosquito taxonomy in France, first in Alsace, later on the Mediterranean coast (EID Méditerranée). From 2007 to 2013, we joined the University of Zurich, Switzerland, Institute of Parasitology (IPZ), developing research and surveillance programmes of insect vectors. We remain associate researcher at that Swiss institute. We also worked from 2009 to 2016 for Avia-GIS, a Belgian company that is developing tools for surveying vectors.

Since 2016, we are performing as a freelance consultant, mainly supporting international bodies (ECDC, EFSA, WHO) and national authorities to develop networking (e.g. VectorNet), performing needs assessments and designing risk management plans for vector-borne diseases.

We have 35 years of experience in surveillance, control, taxonomy, ecology of insect vectors and transmission of human and animal vector-borne disease pathogens, in Europe but also in EU Overseas Countries and Territories, in Middle East and in Northern Africa. We are recognised as a leader in mosquito taxonomy and in management of invasive mosquitoes, and throughout our career we devoted much time to training and capacity building.

Our expert profile
On Research Gate
On Mendeley
Our research group at UZH/IPZ

Outcomes of our activities
As of November 1st, 2020, we already published 114 articles in peer-reviewed journals and 50 other papers, booklets, book chapters or CD-ROM, 107 reports, and we presented 227 contributions to international (191) or national (36) meetings.
Find all publications (pdf files on Research Gate)
Download the full publication list (UZH/IPZ)
Besides, we have been frequently interviewed or cited by medias, including Nature (2012), Lancet Infectious Diseases (2014), and Science (2008, 2010, 2012).

CONTACT

Francis Schaffner Consultancy – Surveillance and management of biting insects
Lörracherstrasse 50
4125 Riehen (Basel-Land)
Switzerland
fschaffner.consult@gmail.com