Advisory Board and Editors Agricultural Science
Gianni Barcaccia
Since 2017, Dr. Gianni Barcaccia is a full Professor of Plant Genetics and Genomics at the School of Agriculture Science and Veterinary Medicine of the University of Padova (Italy) and Adjunct Professor of Plant Breeding at the University of Georgia, Athens (USA). Education: M.Sc. degree in Plant Genetics and Breeding in 1991 and Ph.D. title on Plant Reproductive Systems and Population Genetics in 1995 at the University of Perugia, Italy. Tenured Professor of Plant Genetics and Genomics at the University of Padova from 2001 to 2016.
Head of the Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources Animals and Environment (DAFNAE) at the University of Padova for the academic years 2019-2023 (www.dafnae.unipd.it). Vice-director and Coordinator of the Department Commissions for Scientific Research, Technology Transfer and Third Mission from 2014 to 2019.
Head of the Laboratory of Genomics for Plant Breeding, University of Padova. Research expertise on plant reproductive systems and barriers (male-sterility, self-incompatibility and apomixis), use of molecular markers for population genetics and genomics selection, and marker-assisted breeding. Principal investigator of BreedOmics, a laboratory service of genomics for breeding populations and for genetic identification of varieties and genetic authentication of their foodstuffs. Molecular techniques: DNA fingerprinting, SSR genotyping, SNP haplotyping, DNA barcoding, NGS sequencing (www.giannibarcaccia.com).
Matthew PG Barnett
I'm currently a Senior Research Scientist in the Physiology & Health Team at AgResearch Limited, one of New Zealand's Crown Research Institutes (CRIs). I'm based at the University of Auckland's Liggins Institute, being involved in several projects investigating the importance of nutrition for health throughout life. The primary focus of these projects is intestinal health, but I'm also interested other aspects of human health, including cognition and mobility.
I graduated from The University of Auckland in May 2005 with a PhD in Biological Sciences. My thesis research focused on the importance of a mother’s diet during gestation and lactation on the risk of type-2 diabetes in her offspring. Since 2001 I've worked for AgResearch in a range of roles (including Research Associate, FRST Postdoctoral Fellow, and Research Scientist) and on a variety of topics. I was part of the Nutrigenomics New Zealand collaboration from 2004-2014, working on understanding how our diet and genome interact to influence health with a particular focus on intestinal function.
I was the Section Editor (Nutrigenomics) for the European Journal of Nutrition from 2014 to 2019.
Giorgia Batelli
Dr. Giorgia Batelli is a Plant Genetics Researcher at the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources. She received her Degree in Plant Biotechnology (2003) and PhD in Plant Biology and Chemistry (2007) at the University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy. She studies physiological and cellular mechanisms employed by plants (Arabidopsis, Solanaceae) to respond to salt and drought stress with a focus on ABA-mediated signalling, using a variety of molecular and genetic tools.
Jacqueline Batley
Professor in the School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia. I hold an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. Research interests include plant-pathogen interactions, crop genetics and genomics, genome sequencing, Brassicas, structural variation, diversity genomics, methylation
Travis Beddoe
Prof. Travis Beddoe is a multidisciplinary scientist, training initially as a plant biochemist before studying molecular chaperones in mitochondrial targeting as a PhD student (awarded March 2004), and eventually training in biophysical and structural biology in immune receptors as a postdoctoral researcher. He started his independent research career at Monash University with an NHMRC CDA fellowship (2008) followed by a Pfizer Australia Research fellowship (2010) in the area of glycan specificity in bacterial pathogenesis and physiology. Dr. Beddoe changed research fields when he was recruited to La Trobe University in 2014 as a senior lecturer to establish a laboratory focused on livestock-pathogen interactions in the School of Animal, Plant and Soil Science located in the AgriBio centre. His research is concentrated on aiding animal health with a focus on field-based diagnostics, molecular understanding of the role glycans and glycan-binding proteins play in disease pathogenesis and vaccine development.
Viktor V. Brygadyrenko
Dr. Viktor Brygadyrenko is an Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology and Ecology at Oles Honchar Dnipro National University.
His main scientific projects include:
- Effect of heavy metal ions on the development of invertebrates.
- Morphological variability in populations of beetles in conditions of anthropogenically altered ecosystems.
- Trophic relations of species in litter macrofauna of Ukraine.
- Structure of litter macrofauna communities in forest ecosystems of Ukraine.
- Influence of medicinal plants, flavourings and source materials, approved for use in and on foods, on eggs and larvae of nematodes of mammals.
- Ecological niches of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Ukraine.
- Morphometric variation in ground beetles.
Rishi R. Burlakoti
Dr. Rishi Burlakoti is a Research Scientist- Plant Pathology at Agassiz Research and Development Center, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC). His research programs focuses on diseases of high value horticultural crops including berry crops, field and greenhouse vegetables crops of British Columbia. Dr. Burlakoti is also an Adjunct Professor in Faculty of Land and Food System, University of British Columbia (UBC) and in Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph. Dr. Burlakoti is serving in editorial boards of ‘Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology’, ‘Canadian Journal of Plant Science’, and ‘Plants’. Dr. Burlakoti is a member of Canadian Phytopathological Society (CPS) and International Society for Horticultural Sciences. He is also a life member of Society of Agricultural Scientist Nepal and Nepalese Society of Horticultural Science, Nepalese Professional of Americas.
Dr. Burlakoti earned PhD in Plant Pathology from North Dakota State University, USA. Before Joining AAFC, Dr. Burlakoti worked as a Plant Pathologist in World Vegetable Center and led the Mycology and Bacteriology units at Center’s headquarters in Taiwan. He also worked as a Research Lead an Agricultural Consulting Company, Weather Innovations Consulting LP, in Canada. Dr. Burlakoti lead several applied research projects on diversified crops including vegetables, field crops and fruits to improve disease/pest management capacity and to increase crop productivity.
Rachel A Burton
I am currently a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, based at the University of Adelaide. I undertook my PhD at the John Innes Centre, Norwich. My expertise is in the areas of plant molecular biology particularly as it relates to cell wall biosynthesis, remodeling and degradation and how these impact cereal end use quality. I also have an interest in the development and application of novel experimental methods for transcript profiling and gene discovery.
Yunpeng Cao
Dr Yunpeng Cao is Associate Researcher (CAS Key Laboratory of Plant Germplasm Enhancement and Specialty Agriculture) at Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research interests mainly focus on the Systematics and Evolution, Genomics, Fruit Development and Regulatory Mechanism.
Fiore Capozzi
Fiore Capozzi is a researcher in Botany at the Department of Biology at Univeristy of Naples Federico II. His research interests concern: i) studies of plants as biomonitor of air quality; ii) studies on phytoremediation and on the effects of pollutants on plant organisms; iii) studies on factors affecting the growth of plants in Space environment.
Maria Carmen Collado
Maria Carmen Collado (PhD 2005) holds a Research Scientist position at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC) in Valencia (Spain). Her research work is multidisciplinary and includes microbiology, food science, nutrition and human health. Her interests are focused on probiotics, microbiota and health and nutrition during pregnancy and early life period.
Stéphane Compant
Stéphane Compant (PhD. Reims, France 2007; Associate Professor of Microbiology at the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse in France since 2009; Sabbathical years since 2012; Project leader/Scientist at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology since 2012; Habilitation in 2017 at University of Bordeaux/Bordeaux Sciences Agro) has coordinated several research and training programmes for national and international agencies. He is a leading research expert in microbial ecology of endophytic bacteria and fungi interacting with plants, beneficial or not. He also works on beneficial plant-microbe interactions in general, and biocontrol of plant diseases using various biocontrol agents from different sources. Stéphane Compant was a member of the Management Committee France, as well as a STSM member on European cost action FA1103. He also represented Austria on European cost action FA1303, co-chair of microbial ecology, EIP-Agri Pests and Diseases in Viticulture, and serves on various review committees and scientific journal boards.