Circles Final Conference

This page collect the information about the speakers invited to the Circles final conference “Unlocking the potential of microbiomes for sustainable food production” (Brussels and online, 17th September 2024). Click here for more information regarding the event.

Marco Candela is Full Professor in Chemistry and Biotechnology of Fermentation at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Marco is Coordinator of the EU Collaborative project CIRCLES, “Controlling mIcRobiomes CircuLations for bEtter food Systems”. He is leading the Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnologies at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. He is member of the Bioeconomy Thematic Unit at the University of Bologna and vice-coordinator of the international PhD program “Innovative technologies and sustainable use of Mediterranean Sea fishery and biological resources” at the University of Bologna.

Simone Rampelli  is Researcher at the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (University of Bologna, UNIBO)
published relevant contributions on human, animal and plant-associated microbiome and bioinformatic approaches for microbiome data. He has been awarded with a Seal of Excellence for the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Action (2020) and appointed as Lecturer in Fermentation Biotechnologies at the University of Bologna, where he has the opportunity to pass down to the students his experience and passion for microbiome science.

Marco Basili  began to be interested and working in microbial ecology. He is doing an international PhD in Innovative Technologies and Sustainable Use of Biological Resources (FishMed-PhD) focusing on Exploring the fish microbiome in Mediterranean species. At the same time, He is also involved in several projects that aim to explore the importance of the microbiome and its functions both associated with marine organisms and in other various marine environments.

Davide Bulgarelli obtained a PhD in Crop Sciences at the University of Milan before leaving his native Italy for Germany, to take a post-doctoral position at the Max Planck Institute of Cologne. In 2013 Davide established his own research group at the University of Dundee (UK), where he is currently a Reader. Davide’s team aims at contributing to sustainable development by dissecting the genetics of plant-microbiota interactions.

Susheel Bhanu Busi is a molecular ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Oxfordshire, England. His diverse career includes positions at leading organizations like Google, Imagilin Technology—a probiotics company—along with academic roles at the University of Missouri and the University of Luxembourg. Dr. Busi holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, with a research focus on studying microbial ecosystems across various environments including humans, animals, soils, freshwater systems, and the built environment. His work particularly emphasizes the ecological drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and how microbial interactions contribute to its spread, making significant strides in understanding this global health challenge.

Estefania Perez Calvo Spanish national, is Principal Scientist at dsm-frimenich ANH. She holds a Veterinarian Degree and PhD in Animal Nutrition from University of Zaragoza, Spain. She joined DSM in 2013 and in her role, she is involved in innovation projects developing new feed additives and investigating nutritional strategies for improved gut health and performance in a sustainable manner.

Andrea Castagnetti specialized in the field of human microbiota by obtaining a post-doc year at the Microbial Ecology Unit of the University of Bologna. In 2015 he co-founded Wellmicro Srl, a company dedicated exclusively to the provision of high-tech services for the study of the human microbiota with patented methodologies. Since 2021, Wellmicro has joined the Named Group and he holds the position of General Manager of the company.

Stéphane Compant received his PhD degree from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, his habilitation from the University of Bordeaux and was Associate Professor of Microbiology at the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse in France before to work at the AIT. His research focuses on the ecology, functions and exploitation of plant-associated microorganisms. He further uses advanced microscopy techniques to study plant-microbe-(microbe) interactions, describes beneficial properties and modes-of-actions of microorganisms to develop biopesticides that can be used to tackle plant pests and diseases.

Kostas Kormas is Professor of Aquatic microbial ecology at University of Thessaly. He received his Biology BSc and Marine Biology PhD from the National and Kapodistrian Unviersity of Athens, Greece. He leads the Microbial Communities and Habitats in Aquatic Environments Laboratory (MiCHAEL) of the University of Thessaly, Greece, since 2005. He works on aquatic animal-microbe interactions, with special emphasis of wild and farmed fish.

Lene Lange is Company Founder and Owner, PhD & Dr.Scient. at LL-Bioeconomy, Research & Advisory. She has experience from Director of Research positions in both private sector (20 years at Novo Nordisk and Novozymes) and academia (full professor positions at three Danish universities, UCPH, AAU, DTU). BBI-JU, Vice Chair, Scientific Committee, advisory to the EU Commission; newly appointed to Scientific Committee of CBE-JU; member of Danish Bioeconomy Panel, advisory to the Danish Government since 2014.

Pimlapas Leekitcharoenphon is Senior Researcher at Technical University of Denmark (DTU). She specialises in genomic epidemiology, bioinformatics, food safety and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with over 90 publications. Her work includes developing machine learning tools for bacterial analysis, significantly advancing food safety as well as bacterial genome analysis for AMR. She teaches students onsite at DTU and online globally via online courses.

Eva Lucic is Researcher at INOQ GmbH. Lucic is a molecular biologist specializing in plant-microbe interactions. Currently, she works in the R&D department at INOQ GmbH, a company that sells mycorrhizal inocula. She focuses on advancing knowledge in the intricate relationships between plants and arbuscular mycorrhiza, while developing innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture.

Rosa Doménech-Mata is leader of the Industrial Biotechnology department at ITENE. She earned her PhD in Biophysical Studies of AIDS-related viral proteins and certain bacterial proteins in search of new antivirals and antibiotics at Miguel Hernández University (UMH) in Spain. She completed her postdoctoral research at Oxford University, focusing on biophysical and in-cell studies of protein mutations associated with various cancers. Since 2022, Doménech-Mata has led the Industrial Biotechnology department at ITENE in Valencia, where she is dedicated to advancing sustainable and impactful research for the benefit of society.

Yitagele Terefe Mekonnen is a PhD student in Food safety at the University of Bologna (UNIBO). The title of his PhD project is “Identification of microbiome tailored strategies to improve safety and sustainability of poultry meat-based products within the circular economy framework”.

Giorgia Palladino is a PostDoc research fellow at the Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. Palladino specializes in microbiology, microbial ecology, and molecular biology at the Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology, University of Bologna. She focuses on characterizing host-associated microbial communities and studying microbial-based responses to anthropogenic impacts in natural ecosystems and food systems.

Taina Pennanen is Research Professor at Natural Resources Institute Finland. She is a microbial ecologist and her work is focused on soil microbial communities, particularly on the fungi in soils and plant-associated interactions from the perspective of host plant genotypic variation and plant pathogen resistance.

Kati Räsänen is research scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland. Räsänen coordinates the sustainability assessment efforts of the CIRCLES project at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). She has extensive experience working on numerous projects involving life cycle assessment (LCA). Her work focuses on evaluating and enhancing the overall sustainability of product chains in microbial applications.

Vincenzo Michele Sellitto is Associate Professor at Faculty of Agriculture (Timisoara) & Scientific Advisor at L.G. ITALIA srl. Sellito is an agronomist, Member of the Academy of Georgofili, Ph.D. in Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry, expert in sustainable agriculture techniques and the use of soil microorganisms in agriculture. Along with that, he is a Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture in Timișoara and a Scientific Advisor of L.G.ITALIA srl.

Carmen Bianca Socaciu is Senior Consultant at Gate2Growth (Denmark). She manages large EU Agrifood and Bioeconomy projects, specializing in strategy and business development for early-stage companies across various sectors in EU-supported initiatives. Having coached over 150 companies, she leverages a decade of experience in replication, upscaling, and capacity building to excel at identifying and developing promising project outcomes, ensuring that EU projects make a real impact

Paolo Trevisi is Full Professor in Animal Nutrition and Feeding at the University of Bologna. Trevisi specializes in animal nutrition and feeding at the University of Bologna. He is a member of the Study Commission on Pig (EAAP) and Associate Editor for the Italian Journal of Animal Science. Paolo’s research is focused on the interaction nutrients/host for the gut maturation in pigs to increase robustness, as well dietary interventions to prevent the antibiotics use. Additionally, he is a co-author of 129 (H-index=28).

Wasim Uddin is Senior Scientist, Norwegian Veterinary Institute, in Norway. Wasimuddin completed his PhD in pathogen genetics at the Czech Academy of Sciences and has held prominent scientific roles across leading European institutions. His work focuses on improving human, animal, and environmental health through the One Health framework. By integrating multidisciplinary approaches, including high-throughput sequencing and advanced bioinformatics, he has significantly advanced our understanding of host-pathogen-microbiome interactions, with important implications for both animal and public health.