FTB Editorial Board
FTB Editorial Board Members Info
Ryszard Amarowicz | POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
Ryszard Amarowicz is a professor at the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Olsztyn, Poland, and Head of the Group of Chemical and Physical Properties of Food. Their research focuses on biologically active compounds in plant raw materials and plant-based foods, their properties and effects on health. Professor Amarowicz serves on the editorial boards of numerous scientific journals, including the Polish Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Section Editor), European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, LWT – Food Science and Technology (Associate Editor), Molecules; Foods; Food Production, Processing and Nutrition; Journal of Food Bioactives (Associate Editor), Oxidation Communications, Journal of Food Safety and Food Quality, Exploration of Foods and Foodomics, and Food Technology and Biotechnology. His main research interests include food analysis, analytical chemistry, phenolic compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, chromatography of natural compounds, and interactions between proteins and phenolics. ↑Back to Top
Roberto Antolović | CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF CROATIA |
Roberto Antolović has been a full professor of biochemistry since 2016 and is currently working at the Catholic University of Croatia, where he also serves as Vice-Rector for Science. He received his VMD degree in 1989 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, and received his PhD in 1990 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia. From 1994 to 1999, he was an assistant professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Endocrinology at Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. In 1995, he received an FEBS fellowship and joined the research group of Prof. Bernard Rossier at the Medical School in Lausanne, Switzerland, Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology. In 1999, Roberto Antolović joined PLIVA Research Institute as a project leader in anti-inflammatory research and director of the anti-infective research group. In 2004, he became director of the Biology Department at PLIVA Research Institute, and in 2006, director of the Biology Department of GSK Research Centre Zagreb. From 2009 to 2016, he was a full professor at the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Rijeka. His research interests include membrane transport, with a focus on the biochemistry of the sodium pump, isolation and characterisation of new cardiotonic hormones and drug development. His expertise also covers drug development in the field of anti-infective research, particularly the development of drug resistance. Professor Antolović is a member of the Croatian Microbiological Society and the Croatian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He has published more than 30 scientific papers in leading international journals, has been an invited speaker at international and domestic scientific meetings, and is a reviewer for several international scientific journals. ↑Back to Top
Angela Casillo | UNIVERSITÀ FEDERICO II |
Angela Casillo is an associate professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Naples Federico II. She graduated in Biology in 2013 and then took a PhD degree in Chemical Sciences in 2016, working on the characterisation of extracellular polysaccharides isolated from extremophiles. Her research activity is mainly focused on the chemistry of glycoconjugates and polysaccharides from microbial sources, with a special focus on structural elucidation through mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy techniques. Her research has resulted in about 70 publications, as well as keynote and invited talks at several international conferences. ↑Back to Top
Verica Dragović-Uzelac | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Verica Dragović-Uzelac, full professor at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, was born in Gospić on 15 January 1970. She has published over 100 scientific papers in the CC/WoS category mainly in the journals with high impact factor. The field of her scientific activity includes the research on the changes of physical and chemical parameters, pectin substances, vitamins, phenolic compounds and plant pigments, the plant hormone melatonin, aromatic compounds during the ripening of fruits and vegetables and during processing and storage. In recent years the main focus of her research has been the influence of conventional, microwave-, ultrasound-, high hydrostatic pressure- and cold atmospheric gas phase plasma-assisted extraction on the stability of biologically active compounds during isolation from natural sources (e.g. medicinal and aromatic herbs, fruit, vegetable and other). She has significant experience in applying various chromatographic techniques (HPLC, UV/VIS PDA, RI, FD, UPLC-MS/MS) for the determination of different classes of natural bioactive compounds and in determination of antioxidant capacity in extracts of bioactive compounds. She has long-term experience in participating in and leading acknowledged national and international projects from the area of chemical properties, nutritional value and antioxidant activity of fruits, vegetables and their products. Professor Dragović-Uzelac has received numerous awards and recognitions: Award of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology for published papers in international journals and extraordinary success in research and educational work, 2014; The Annual Award for Popularization and Promotion of Science, 2012; Certificate for the most successful local EU project in the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2010 to 2013: Marasca sour cherry (Prunus cerasus var. Marasca) as ingredients for functional foods, Ministry of regional development and EU funds of the Republic of Croatia; Gold Medal ARCA 2015, 8th International fair on innovation in agriculture, food industry and agricultural machinery, 2015; Medal ARCA 2007. She currently holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb. ↑Back to Top
Luís Duarte | UNIVERSITY COIMBRA |
Luís C. Duarte is a researcher at the National Laboratory of Energy and Geology (LNEG) working in its Bioenergy & Biorefineries Unit. His main scientific interests span from the selective fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass using innovative methods to the production of high added-value products, preferably using bioconversion, as a way to accomplish full environmental and economic sustainability for the biorefinery concept. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications (76 in WOS journals, 32 in conference proceedings, 8 patents and 8 book chapters in (inter)national books and more than 150 oral and poster communications in (inter)national meetings. He has supervised many grad, MSc, PhD and post-doc fellows and collaborates, frequently with several Portuguese and international universities as invited lecturer and as thesis evaluator. He is Secretary-General for SIADEB, the Ibero-American Society for the Development of Biorefineries (www.siadeb.org) and acts as expert in several other organisations, namely in the European Energy Alliance (EERA-Bioenergy), the European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance (ESEIA), and the European Commission as project evaluator. ↑Back to Top
Ksenija Durgo | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Ksenija Durgo received her BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb. Since 1998, she has been working at the Laboratory of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Biochemical Engineering. Throughout her teaching and research career, she has collaborated in numerous national and international projects. Her scientific and research interests focus on elucidating the mechanisms underlying the genotoxicity of environmental contaminants and bioactive compounds present in food, using various biological test systems. Professor Durgo has extensive experience in working with microorganisms and cell cultures. She is the author and co-author of more than 50 scientific papers indexed in Current Contents/WoS and Science Citation Index databases. She has presented her research findings at 40 national and international conferences through poster presentations, oral presentations and invited lectures. Her teaching responsibilities include lectures, seminars and practical work with students. She is the course coordinator for four elective courses (Ecogenetic Studies, Mechanisms of Evolution, Genetics of Industrial Organisms and Fundamentals of Genotoxicological Research) and teaches on five additional courses. She also supervises students in the preparation of their MSc and final theses, participating in the experimental work and providing technical support throughout the thesis preparation process. To date, she has supervised more than 50 MSc and final theses, as well as three doctoral dissertations, which have resulted in the publication of original scientific papers. Ksenija Durgo has served as Chair of the Organising Committee of the Croatian Congress of Toxicology with International Participation, as a member of the Organising Committee of the Congress of the European Society of Environmental Mutagenesis, and as a member of the Organising Committee of the Congress of the Croatian Genetic Society. She is a member of several national and international scientific societies. For her scientific achievements, she has received the Annual Award of the Association of University Teachers and Other Scientists in Zagreb (2002), the Annual Award of the Biotechnical Foundation (1998), the Award of the Croatian Academy of Engineering (2005), the State Award for Science for research in the field of toxicology (2005), and the Faculty Award for the Best Paper (2020). ↑Back to Top
Raquel P. F. Guiné | POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF VISEU |
Raquel P. F. Guiné is a full professor at the Department of Food Industry at the Polytechnic University of Viseu. She has served as President of the Scientific Board, President of the Board of Representatives, Director of the Department, and Director of undergraduate and master’s programmes. She has also served as Coordinator of the CERNAS-IPV Research Unit and Co-coordinator of the CI&DETS Research Centre. Her academic and research work covers the areas of food science, food engineering, food processing, food chemistry, nutrition, diets and food consumption. She has served as the global project coordinator of the international projects EATMOT (involving researchers from 18 countries), EISuFood (involving researchers from 18 countries) and FoodWISE (involving researchers from 17 countries). Raquel Guiné has evaluated scientific projects for the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal; the Swiss National Science Foundation, Switzerland; the European Science Foundation, France; the Croatian Science Foundation, Croatia; and the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland. In the case of NCN, she has assumed various roles, including Coordinator of the Panel of International Experts. Her activities include participation in the organisation of 32 events and conferences and serving as a member of the Scientific Committee of 60 congresses and meetings. She has supervised or co-supervised 121 graduation theses, 38 master’s theses and 7 PhD theses. Professor Guiné is the author of 27 books, 115 book chapters, 401 scientific articles and 394 papers and abstracts in conference proceedings. Her contributions to scientific and knowledge-transfer meetings include 40 invited lectures, plenary lectures and keynote presentations, as well as 255 oral presentations and 200 poster presentations. In 2021, she was included in the list of the World’s Top 2 % Scientists, developed by Stanford University based on data from Elsevier, in both the Career and Single Year categories. She was again included in both categories in 2022, 2023 and 2024. ↑Back to Top
Stela Jokić | JOSIP JURAJ STROSSMAYER UNIVERSITY OF OSIJEK |
Stela Jokić was born in Našice in 1982. She enrolled in the Postgraduate University Study Program of Food Engineering in 2008 and received her PhD in 2011. She is a full professor at the Faculty of Food Technology Osijek, Department of Process Engineering, University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek. From 2018 to 2021 she served as Vice-Dean for Science, and from 2021 to 2025 as Vice-Dean for Marketing and Business Cooperation. She currently holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Food Technology Osijek. Professor Jokić has been involved in the realisation of numerous scientific and professional projects and has served as project leader in ten projects, primarily related to the extraction of bioactive compounds. She designed and constructed the first pilot supercritical CO2 extraction device in the Republic of Croatia. She has supervised 7 PhD theses. She is the author or co-author of more than 200 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and 22 book chapters. Her cumulative h-index is 52. She has been elected among the top 2 % scientists by Stanford University and Elsevier for four consecutive years. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Croatian Journal of Food Science and Technology. Prof. Jokić has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Croatian Women of Influence Award 2025 (Science and Technology), the National Science Award for 2018 for promotion of science (Republic of Croatia), the Award of the Croatian Academy of Engineering „Rikard Podhorsky“, the National Science Award for 2016 in the field of Biotechnical Sciences, the Danubius Young Scientist Award 2015 for Croatia, the Award of the Croatian Academy of Engineering for Young Scientist „Vera Johanides“ in 2013, the Annual Science Award for 2012 from Osijek-Baranja County, and the National Science Award for 2011 for Young Scientist. She has developed strong communication and professional skills through extended research stays in the USA and several European countries via mobility exchange programs, and has established excellent cooperation with the industry, participating in the development of new products. She has promoted science and the profession through various media, as well as through popular scientific and professional lectures at numerous events. Prof. Jokić is a member of the Croatian Society of Chemical Engineering, the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group, and the TehnOS Association. ↑Back to Top
Marlene Kienberger | GRAZ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY |
Marlene Kienberger is an associate professor at Graz University of Technology, Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Process Engineering and Biotechnology. The focus of her research is the development and smart interconnection of mass transfer unit operations for product purification with a focus on the development of solvents from renewable resources. Unit operations that she is investigating are most prominently absorption, extraction and membrane operations. The fields of interests are: water management and purification for biorefineries, natural deep eutectic solvents for applications including carbon capture or reactive extraction, investigation and description of solubility behavior of organic substances in aqueous process streams, (in situ) isolation of carboxylic acids from biobased process streams. Research led teaching is reflected in her courses that are embedded e.g. in the master program Green Process Engineering. Since 2015 she has been head of the working group biorefinery and has been supervising numerous students during their final works, masters and doctoral thesis. She has been active as main researcher in various scientific national and international projects. At the moment she is coordinator of the Horizon project entitled 'ToFuel – An integrated biorefinery for sustainable aviation fuel production from tomato residues' and was involved in the Up-Whey project as work package lead that utilise whey for lactic acid production and purification. Marlene Kienberger is continuously working with the biobased industry to increase material efficiency and decrease water demand. ↑Back to Top
Martin Koller | UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ |
Martin Koller was awarded his PhD degree by Graz University of Technology, Austria, in 2005 for his thesis on polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from dairy surplus streams which was enabled by the EU-project WHEYPOL (“Dairy industry waste as source for sustainable polymeric material production”), supervised by Gerhart Braunegg, one of the most eminent PHA pioneers. As senior researcher, he worked on bio-mediated PHA production, encompassing development of continuous and discontinuous fermentation processes, and novel downstream processing techniques for sustainable PHA recovery. His research focused on cost-efficient PHA production from surplus materials by bacteria and haloarchaea and, to a minor extent, to the development for PHA for biomedical use. He currently holds more than 100 Web-of-Science listed articles in highly ranked scientific journals (h-index 46), has authored more than twenty chapters in scientific books, edited six scientific books and eight journal special issues on PHA, given plenty of invited and plenary lectures at scientific conferences, and supported the editorial teams of several distinguished journals as Associated Editor, Section Editor or Editorial Board member. Moreover, Martin Koller coordinated the EU-FP7 project ANIMPOL (“Biotechnological conversion of carbon containing wastes for eco-efficient production of high added value products”), which, in close cooperation between academia and industry, investigated the conversion of animal processing industry waste streams towards structurally diversified PHA and follow-up products. In addition to PHA exploration, he was also active in microalgal research and in biotechnological production of various marketable compounds from renewables by yeasts, chlorophyte, bacteria, archaea, fungi or lactobacilli. At the moment, Martin Koller is active as research manager, external supervisor for PHA-related projects, and, since 2009, lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences, Graz. ↑Back to Top
Olivera Koprivnjak | UNIVERSITY OF RIJEKA |
Olivera Koprivnjak graduated in 1988 from the Faculty of Food and Biotechnology in Zagreb. She received her PhD in food biotechnology from the University of Udine (Italy), Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Food Sciences, in 1996. From 1992 to 2002, she conducted research at the Institute for Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč (Croatia). Since 2002, she has worked at the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Medicine, where she is a full professor in the Study of Sanitary Engineering and head of the Chair of Food Technology and Control. Her professional interests include methods for determining and improving food quality, especially in the field of lipids and the sensory properties of virgin olive oil. She is a member of the Croatian Society of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists, and a leader of the professional sensory panel for virgin olive oil at the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka. In 2008, she became a member of the Editorial Board of Food Technology and Biotechnology, and since 2006 she has been a grant reviewer for the Croatian Ministry of Science and Technology. Prof. Olivera Koprivnjak has published 60 papers in the scientific literature. ↑Back to Top
Karin Kovačević Ganić | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Karin Kovačević Ganić was born in Ogulin on 8 August 1972. She studied Food Technology at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb and graduated in 1997. She pursued her professional studies at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, where she obtained the Master’s degree in 2002, and her PhD in Food Technology in 2005. In 2007 she was appointed assistant professor at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology in Zagreb. The research activity of Karin Kovačević Ganić is focused on the chemistry of natural phytochemicals called phenolic compounds addressing two types of effects: those that are important to the taste of wine and those that are related to health effects on wine consumers. In the area of wine quality, her current interest is the effect of oxidation on wine chemistry and on important quality parameters of wine, such as taste and colour. Prof. Karin Kovačević Ganić is author of over 25 scientific and professional papers. In 2008 she was honoured the National Science Award. ↑Back to Top
Like Mao | CHINA AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY |
Like Mao is an associate professor in Food Science at China Agricultural University (CAU) in Beijing, PR China. He received his PhD in Food Science and Technology from University College Cork in Ireland, in 2015. Before that, he got the master’s and bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Engineering from CAU in 2008 and 2006, respectively. From 2014 to 2016, he worked as a postdoc in Teagasc Food Research Center in Ireland, and he joined CAU in 2016. His current research interests include food colloids and structures, food oral processing and functional food ingredients. He has published about 160 papers in scientific journals and 5 books or book chapters. He is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher from 2022-2025. ↑Back to Top
Mirna Mrkonjić Fuka | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Mirna Mrkonjić Fuka obtained her PhD in Life Sciences (dr. rer. nat.) from the Technical University of Munich in 2007. She completed her habilitation in 2011 at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, where she is currently a full professor at the Department of Microbiology. Her research focuses on the structural and functional diversity of microbial communities in different agroecosystems, including fermented food and feed, soil, and sediments, using both culture-dependent and culture-independent molecular methods. Her work includes the development of starter cultures based on lactic acid bacteria, the study of antimicrobial activity against human and plant pathogens, as well as the evaluation of plant growth-promoting potential of indigenous microbiota. She has extensive international experience through research stays and teaching activities in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Poland, New Zealand, PR China and Indonesia. Prof. Mrkonjić Fuka has participated in 23 national and international scientific and teaching projects, serving as principal investigator in 10 of them. She has published more than 50 scientific and professional papers (38 indexed in the Web of Science database), two scientific book chapters, and two faculty handbooks. She is an active member of several scientific societies and serves on national expert panels and committees, including the Committee for the evaluation of academics and scientists in the fields of agriculture, forestry, wood technology, biotechnology, food technology, and nutrition at the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, and the Committee for contained use of GMOs at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia. ↑Back to Top
Bernd Nidetzky | UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ |
Bernd Nidetzky graduated in the area of technical chemistry from Graz University of Technology, where he also obtained his PhD in biotechnology in 1992. From 1992 to 1999 he was a research assistant at the Institute of Food Technology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria, specialising in biotechnology and enzymology. He became an associate professor at the same University in 1999, and in 2002 he was appointed full professorship of biotechnology at the Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Austria. Among many activities, he was a project leader and key researcher at the Research Centre Applied Biocatalysis in Graz, Austria (2002), head of Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering also in Graz (2004), Austrian representative in the Working Group on Applied Biocatalysis within the European Federation of Biotechnology (2007), and project leader and key researcher at the Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering in Graz, Austria (2008). The main areas of his research include applied enzymology and enzyme technology, metabolic and reaction engineering for biocatalysis (fine chemical synthesis) and renewable resource utilisation, glycobiotechnology, heterogeneous enzyme catalysis, and interactions of enzymes with solid surfaces. Prof. Nidetzky is also a winner of several awards. ↑Back to Top
Ashok Pandey | CENTRE FOR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, LUCKNOW |
Ashok Pandey is currently Executive Director of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Lucknow, India. He was formerly Distinguished Scientist at the Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR - Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, India, and Chief Scientist and Head of the Centre for Biofuels, CSIR - National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum; Research Scientist at Zentral Laboratorium, Sudzucker, West Germany and Scientist, Biochemistry Division, National Sugar Institute, Kanpur, India. He is HTBS National Innovation Chair (Biotechnology) and has been Distinguished Professor at UPES, Dehradun, Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at SIMST, Chennai. His main research and technological development interests are industrial and environmental biotechnology and energy biosciences, with a focus on sustainability and circular economy. Professor Pandey is or has been UNESCO Professor and Adjunct, Visiting Professor, or Scientist at universities in France, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, PR China, South Korea, South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, Switzerland, USA, UK, and other countries. Professor Pandey is the recipient of many national and international awards and honours, including Distinguished Fellow of the Biotech Research Society, India (BRSI), Fellow of several national and international academies, such as the International Society for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, World Society for Sustainable Energy Technologies, National Academy of Sciences (India), and an Academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He has been awarded Life-Time Achievement Awards by several societies and academies, including BRSI, ISEES, as well as other national and international awards. Professor Pandey is Founder of the Biotech Research Society, India (BRSI) and International Bioprocessing Association (IBA). ↑Back to Top
Hrvoje Petković | UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA |
Hrvoje Petković is professor of biotechnology at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, where he leads the Microbial biotechnology research group. His expertise ranges from industrial strain improvement, process development, secondary metabolite gene regulation, metabolic end biosynthetic engineering and secondary metabolite drug development. He has contributed to the development of over 20 technologies at the industrial scale, including the development of bioprocesses for the production of antibiotics, anticancer, immunosuppression, antiparasitic drugs, insecticides, vitamins and other metabolites of medical and industrial importance. Professor Petković has been working for and collaborated with many large pharmaceutical and specialised biotechnology companies worldwide; he co-founded Acies Bio Ltd (Ljubljana, Slovenia), where he served for years as CEO and R&D Director. Prof. Petković has led many national, EU and numerous industrially funded projects. He has extensive experience in project and IP management. He is co-inventor in over 10 EU and US granted patents. Hrvoje Petković teaches the Study of Biotechnology and Microbiology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the Biotechnical Faculty. He teaches various subjects from the microbial biotechnology area, such as Microbial biotechnology, Bioprocessing, Industrial biochemical engineering, Secondary metabolites, Metabolic engineering of microorganisms and Industrial biotechnology. During his 35-year career, he has mentored numerous PhD and MSc students. He has co-authored over 50 high-impact scientific publications. ↑Back to Top
Harald Pichler | GRAZ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY |
Harald Pichler obtained his PhD from Graz University of Technology for research on lipid synthesis and transport in yeast under the guidance of Guenther Daum at the Institute of Biochemistry in 2000. Supported by a Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) long-term fellowship, he undertook postdoctoral studies with Howard Riezman at both the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and the University of Geneva dealing with the roles of sterols in endocytosis. Returning to Graz University of Technology during the winter term 2003/04, Harald Pichler joined the newly founded Institute of Molecular Biotechnology headed by Helmut Schwab and extended his research interests to recombinant protein expression and enzyme engineering in bacteria and diverse yeasts. In 2010, he was promoted to assistant professor at Graz University of Technology and established his own research team working on the biotechnology of cellular membranes. Harald Pichler was tenured as associate professor in 2015. The focus of his current work at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology is on recombinant protein secretion from the yeast Pichia pastoris, on membrane protein expression and function in yeasts, on biosynthesis and bioconversion of hydrophobic compounds, especially terpenoids and sterols, and on expression and engineering of industrially relevant enzymes. Harald Pichler is, moreover, a key researcher and project leader at the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib). ↑Back to Top
Ivana Rumora Samarin | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Ivana Rumora Samarin is an associate professor at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. She obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, in 2015. She also received a University Specialist degree in Phytopharmacy with Diet Therapy (in the scientific field of biomedicine and health, scientific field of pharmacy) from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb in 2025. She enhanced her scientific expertise during a three-month stay at the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty in 2017 and at Lodz University of Technology, Institute of Food Technology and Analysis, Łódź, Poland, in 2010. She has extensive experience in the field of nutrition, with a focus on human nutrition and dietary patterns, sustainable nutrition, and food chemistry, particularly the mineral content of food. Ivana Rumora Samarin has authored or co-authored more than 25 scientific and professional papers in international journals, two book chapters, and has participated in several national and international research projects. She has received several awards for her scientific work. She serves as a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals and has been a member of the Croatian Society of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists since 2010 and the Croatian Medical Association since 2018. Ivana is also a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences and the Croatian Journal of Food Technology, Biotechnology and Nutrition. ↑Back to Top
Mauro Serafini | UNIVERSITY OF TERAMO |
Mauro Serafini is a full professor of human nutrition at the University of Teramo. In 2012 and 2013 he was Head of the Functional Foods and Metabolic Stress Prevention Laboratory at Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Centre of Nutrition (CRA-NUT) in Rome, Italy. He is visiting Professor at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology of Zagreb University where he teaches Food, Nutrition and Health. He also teaches at the Master of Phytotherapy, Siena University, Italy; Master in Obesity prevention, Faculty of Medicine, University La Sapienza, Italy, on topics related to functional food and health. He got his degree in Nutrition in 1992 and received his PhD in Experimental Physiopathology from the University of Pavia, Italy. He spent two years as postdoc at the Nutritional Immunology Lab at HNRC at Tufts University, MA, USA, working on the role of vitamin E in immune function during ageing. He received two grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science at Kyoto Medical University, Department of inflammation and in 2015 at Kyoto Women University. Mauro is Editor of JFCA, Nutrition and Aging, and two journals in Frontiers in Nutrition: Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability, and Nutritional Immunology. Referee for many scientific journals and for Croatian, Portuguese and Italian Ministry of Science and holder of research grants from public bodies and industries. Prof. Serafini has published more than 100 IF research papers in the field of dietary modulation of oxidative and inflammatory stress by plant foods. Mauro is the author of highly cited papers on the antioxidant role of tea, plant food and chocolate published in Lancet, Gastroenterology and Nature. Recently, Prof. Serafini has been included by Thomson Reuters in the list of international researchers displaying the greatest numbers of reports designated by Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Papers, ranking among the top 1 % most cited in their subject field and year of publication (2002-2013). He was awarded the Prize ‘Gusto’ for better communication in Nutrition by the Foreign Press in 2015. Serafini’s research mission is unravelling the mechanisms of body’s resistance to diet-induced stressors and to understand the role of plant foods in modulating antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cell-mediated immune response in humans. Recently, Mauro has become a FAO consultant for a novel aspect of his research related to food loss and waste. If you wish to know more, visit Mauro’s official website. ↑Back to Top
Sonja Smole Možina | UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA |
Sonja Smole Možina received her PhD in microbiology from the University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, in 1996. Her professional interests include food-related bacteria and microbiological and molecular-genetic methods for their identification and characterization of their stress response and resistance in food-related environment. From 2008 she has been a full professor of microbiology, food microbiology and food safety and also a coordinator of doctoral study of food science and technology at Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana. She became a member of the Editorial Board of Food Technology and Biotechnology in 2009. Professor Sonja Smole Možina has published alone or as a co-author more than 30 original scientific papers and nearly 50 conference presentations. ↑Back to Top
Ivan-Krešimir Svetec | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Ivan-Krešimir Svetec, full professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, was born in 1971 in Split, Croatia. He received his BSc in Biotechnology form the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, MSc in Molecular and Cellular biology form the Faculty of Science and PhD in Molecular Biotechnology from the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb. He was visiting researcher at the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences (MedILS), Split, Croatia and French Institute of Health and Medical Research (TaMaRa’s lab, INSERM U1001, ex U571), Paris, France. Prof. Svetec has published over 25 papers indexed in WoS database and has been cited more than 200 times. In the focus of his scientific interests are molecular genetics and genome stability, targeted genetic modification of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and non-Saccharomyces yeasts and application of molecular genetic methods in various fields of microbiology. Prof. Svetec received several awards such as the ‘Annual award of The Society of Professors and Scientists in Zagreb for young scientists and artists’. He is a member of the Committee for contained use of genetically modified organisms (Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia) and the Scientific Committee for GMO Food and Feed. Prof. Svetec is an active member of several scientific societies as well as founder and president (2011-2015) of Croatian Association of Genetic Engineers. ↑Back to Top
Renata Teparić | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Renata Teparić is a full professor at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, where she has worked since 1994. Her scientific interests include the biochemistry and molecular biology of yeast, the study of yeast cell wall proteins, investigation of interactions among cell wall constituents responsible for the incorporation of proteins into the cell wall, purification and characterisation of microbial enzymes, and surface display of recombinant proteins in yeast. She teaches various subjects in the areas of biochemistry and molecular biotechnology at undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, and has supervised numerous students’ final projects, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. She has participated as a researcher in six scientific projects and as a leader in two. She has been a member of the Croatian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology since 1994, the Croatian Microbiological Society since 2012, and the Croatian Association of Genetic Engineers (HUGI) since 2014. She served as president of the Organising committee for two and as a member of the Organising committee for three international scientific congresses Power of Microbes in Industry and Environment. ↑Back to Top
Nikolina Udiković Kolić| RUĐER BOŠKOVIĆ INSTITUTE |
Nikolina Udiković Kolić was born in Ogulin on 20 March 1978. She studied Biotechnology at the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb and graduated in 2001. She received her PhD in Biotechnology from the same institution in 2008. From 2001, she has been employed at the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, Division for Marine and Environmental Research. Since 2022 she holds the position of Scientific Adviser, and since 2017 she has served as Head of the Laboratory for Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology. Research interests of Dr. Udiković Kolić include biodegradation of environmental organic pollutants, bioremediation, microbial ecology of soil and water, and antimicrobial resistance in the environment. She was a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University, USA (2012–2013), hosted by Dr Jo Handelsman, and has published over 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, with an h-index of 25 and >3500 citations in WoS (>5000 citations, h-index 29 in Google Scholar, as of April, 2026). She is an Associate Editor of mSystems (2025–2028) and Frontiers in Microbiology (2023 to date), and a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Environmental Quality (2016–2021). Dr Udiković Kolić is a recipient of several awards, including Annual Awards from the Director of the Ruđer Bošković Institute (2019, 2020 and 2024), the Branimir Jernej Foundation Award (2020), and the Outstanding Associate Editor Award from the Journal of Environmental Quality (2019). ↑Back to Top
Joachim Venus | LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AND BIOECONOMY (ATB) |
Joachim Venus, Senior Scientist “Industrial Biotechnology”, holds a diploma in Biotechnology (Anhalt University of Applied Sciences Köthen, 1980–1984) and a PhD in Bioengineering (Technical University Dresden, 1984–1988). Before he began his work at ATB Potsdam in 2003, he worked at the Institute of Biotechnology Potsdam (1988-1991), the University of Potsdam (1992-1996) and the Brandenburg University of Technology (1997-2003). Until August 2024, he was head of the Bioconversion research group and focused on the development and optimisation of fermentation processes for the production of fine and basic chemicals, especially organic acids, from biogenic resources. His research focuses on the pre-treatment and upgrading of renewable raw materials and residues, the development of biorefinery concepts and the establishment of long-term stable, continuously operated bioprocesses. After his retirement in September 2024, he continued to work part-time until the end of June 2025. Since July 2025, he has had a contract with the ATB as a visiting scientist. ↑Back to Top
Donatella Verbanac | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Donatella Verbanac has been working as a Professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Haematology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, since 2018. She teaches general and specialised courses in the field of clinical biochemistry and conducts research-based projects. She started her career at the company PLIVA as an assistant professor and was later responsible for leading international projects in the anti-infectives and anti-inflammatories. In 2009, she became the Head of the Department of Intercellular Communication at the Centre for Translational and Clinical Research at the School of Medicine, University of Zagreb. She is a member of the Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Croatian Chemical Society, Croatian Pharmacological Society, British Biochemical Society and European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. She has authored as many as 50 original scientific papers and reviews, as well as popular articles and texts. Her greatest achievements are the two awards she has received from pharmaceutical companies PLIVA and GlaxoSmithKline, as well as recent projects approved by the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) and the Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovation and Investment (HAMAG-BICRO). ↑Back to Top
Bruno Zelić | UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB |
Bruno Zelić was born in 1973 in Osijek, Croatia. He is a full professor at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb. From 2000-2002, he worked as a young researcher at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute für Biotechnologie, Germany. In 2003, he received his PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Zagreb. From 2009 to 2013 he was a vice dean and from 2013 to 2017 he was dean of Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb. His research interests are in the fields of application of microreactors in biotechnology and development of processes for biofuel production (biogas and biodiesel). More than 80 scientific and professional publications (53 in journals cited in Web of Science), text book Environmental Engineering – Basic Principles, 4 book chapters, 2 patent applications, and more than 10 plenary and invited talks at international conferences present his scientific work. He was a co-founder of the first spin-off company at University of Zagreb and initiator of the start-up based on the results of a PhD thesis that he mentored. From 2018 he is Editor-in-Chief of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly journal. He is a member of Croatian Society of Chemical Engineers and Technologists, the European Federation of Chemical Engineering, EFCE (from 2016 to 2017 he was member of EFCE Executive Board) and Croatian Academy of Engineering. ↑Back to Top
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