Staff Profile

Johny Hilaire is currently employed as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow by Newcastle University in the UK and working in the School of Natural & Environmental Sciences as part of the Innovative Network for Next Generation Training and Sequencing of Virome (INEXTVIR) Project. The latter envisions determining the virome in specific European crops, enhancing virus detection performance, comprehending the effect of the viruses on life and the environment, and exploring the agronomic and socio-economic effect of virome for policy responses. This project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 813542. 

Qualifications 

Johny holds an MSc in Public Policy from the University of Erfurt, specialising in international affairs, cooperation and development and nonprofit management, and a BSc in Philosophy from the State University of Campinas, focusing on the philosophy of science. Hitherto, he obtained two merited-based international scholarships, including CAPES for bachelor, and DAAD for master's. Prior to joining Newcastle University,  Johny worked as an intern with the organisation of American States (OAS) in the USA. He speaks English, Portuguese, German,  French and Creole fluently. 

Interests 

Johny is passionate about agricultural policy, risk-benefit perception and communication, and has a keen interest in professional experiences both in academia and in international organisations. 

Johny Hilaire is part of the INEXTVIR project. Alongside 14 other Early-Stage Researchers spread throughout Europe, he aims to generate knowledge on risk-benefit perception and communication associated with virome in agriculture. His research examines societal perceptions of ongoing risks and benefits connected with the virome in agriculture across Europe. Johny is keen to conduct a systematic scientific investigation to understand European societal perceptions of the risks and benefits of the virome in agriculture, as well as societal preoccupation regarding potentially related policies. He is convinced that such comprehension is critical to link communication with effective agricultural policy options that consider societal matters and preferences. The major accomplishments he anticipates are as follows: the identification of factors that drive societal responses to arise risks and benefits of the virome in agriculture in Europe; discovery of societally desirable policy responses and effective communication strategies, which can be applied through NGOs, policy cycle, industry, and the whole society. The kind of policies that his research is driven by are the ones that integrate lay people in constructive debate about current and emerging issues related to the virome in agriculture in Europe. 

• Hilaire J, Tindale S, Jones G, Pingarron-Cardenas G, Bacnik K, Ojo M, Frewer LJ. Risk perception associated with an emerging agri-food risk in Europe: plant viruses in agriculture. Agriculture and Food Security 2022, 11, 21.