Ÿnsecter – Profile of Pedro Escalante, Head of Rearing Techniques in R&D

10/11/2019

Get to know Pedro, the Spanish insect enthusiast who came to France to pursue his passion

Pedro is an Ÿnsecter who dreamed of becoming an entomologist from a young age. Since 2012, Pedro has been working on insect-related topics. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Biodiversity from the University of Alicante in Spain, where he is originally from, Pedro worked for two years as a Breeding Technician on different areas as protein production and biological pest control. Then, he left Spain to join Ÿnsect in France, occupying the same role. In less than a year, he rose to the top to become the head of his own team, holding the position of Head of Rearing Techniques in R&D. For him, joining Ÿnsect was an obvious choice: why did I choose Ÿnsect? It’s like asking a footballer why he aims to play at PSG over a small village club!

 

Every day, Pedro manages a team of three people and works in parallel with many teams on various subjects related to insects. “I really like the fact that I can work with my team and touch on different areas, from the laboratory to industrial operations“. For him, the three most important qualities required to do his job are, organization: “It is imperative to be very organized and rigorous in order to to carry out the various tasks“; patience: “You have to be aware that not everything can be done right the first time and that it sometimes takes time to achieve your goal“; and “having four arms“, Pedro laughs, adding: “things move quickly in the company and you have to be able to be on a multitude tasks at the same time“.

 

Pedro is also one of the first Ÿnsecters to have benefited from the ten weeks of parental leave initiated by the company. “My paternity leave was incredible. Thanks to the ten weeks, I was able to fully enjoy the first two months of my child’s life and be with my family. This opportunity is priceless to me.” His feelings towards this initiative is what he draws on to describe the company: ” Ÿnsect is a company where you are challenged all the time. It is a revolutionary idea, and I am very proud to participate in it. But above all, it is a human-centered company, where employees are close to one another and measures have been put in place to enable everyone to live as well as possible.”