Research areas

I am a molecular biologist with a specialization in microalgae—unicellular photosynthetic organisms that play a crucial role in global ecosystems and hold significant promise for addressing the climate crisis. My research centers on the genetics and biochemistry of ecologically and industrially important algal species, with a focus on harnessing their largely untapped potential for innovative and sustainable environmental and industrial applications.

Using tools from functional genomics and synthetic biology, I aim to understand, re-design, and engineer key traits in algal cells. This work supports the development of novel algal strains optimized for biotechnological and environmental purposes.

I hold a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Bologna (Italy), and a Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Biochemistry from Ghent University (Belgium). Before joining the Department of Green Technology at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), I conducted research in algal molecular biotechnology and synthetic biology at the University of Technology Sydney, in collaboration with the CSIRO Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform (Australia).

Research Interests

Algae biology, genetics and biochemistry | molecular biotechnology | synthetic biology