The Program is supported by a team of qualified professors and researchers from diverse fields. In addition to their teaching activities within the Program and coordination of ongoing research lines and projects, they also contribute to undergraduate education and outreach initiatives at the University.
Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Microbiology) from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Areas of expertise: Isolation and screening of microorganisms with biotechnological or clinical relevance. Selection and improvement of wine and brewing yeasts. Identification of genes of
industrial and clinical interest. Evaluation of microbial virulence factors. Microbial control of phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria, as well as animal pathogens. Genetic improvement of grapevines and other plants.
Areas of expertise: Veterinary microbiology and genetics, with an emphasis on animal virology. Investigation of the diversity and molecular evolution of viruses in domestic and wild animals, aiming at diagnosis, control, and vaccine development.
Areas of expertise: Evaluation of the biological effects on oxidative damage and antioxidant defenses caused by different raw materials, isolated active compounds, or formulations, as well as the validation of their safety and efficacy in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and beverages.
Areas of expertise: Development of solid-state and submerged microbial cultivation processes using agro-industrial by-products. Design of bioreactors and control systems for monitoring and optimization of process parameters. Synthesis, purification, and characterization of microbial metabolites with applications in the pharmaceutical, food, chemical, petrochemical, environmental, and energy sectors, as well as other biotechnology-based sectors.
Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Areas of expertise: Biological control of plant diseases. Characterization of Trichoderma and Bacillus isolates, their direct and indirect mechanisms, and study of strategies to optimize the propagation of these bioagents, aiming at the development of biostimulants and biofungicides. Characterization and use of essential oils in phytosanitary management.
Areas of expertise: Development of methodologies for assessing the cytotoxicity of natural, synthetic, and biomaterial products. Development of biocompatible materials for healthcare and environmental applications.
Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil. Postdoctoral Fellow at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, England.
Areas of expertise: Development of integrated bioprocesses for the conversion of biomass into value-added products, such as biofuels, organic acids, mycoproteins, probiotics, nutraceuticals, and agricultural bioinputs, employing enzymatic and fermentative technologies, as well as nanofomulations based on biopolymers such as lignin and chitosan.
Areas of expertise: Use of animal models (rodents and zebrafish) to test plant and fungal extracts with nutraceutical or pharmaceutical potential, and to understand the chronic and subclinical effects of environmental pollutants. Methods for removing endocrine-disrupting substances from environmental samples.
Areas of expertise: In silico analysis of promoter sequences. Development of pipelines for genome assembly and annotation. Software development for applications in health and life sciences.
Areas of expertise: Chemical characterization of natural products and assessment of food and beverage quality. Studies on the mechanisms of active compounds and the diagnosis of human and veterinary diseases. Metabolomic and proteomic evaluations, as well as the development of analytical methods for identifying target compounds using advanced tools such as high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Areas of expertise: Research, development, and service provision in methods of energy production and other biotechnological products, with an emphasis on waste valorization. The work primarily focuses on the isolation, identification, and study of microbial consortia involved in anaerobic digestion, utilizing metagenomic techniques and functional prediction of environmental and clinical samples.
Ph.D. in Science in the field of Organic Chemistry from the University of São Paulo, Brazil. Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Areas of expertise: Development of synthetic methodologies using biocatalysis for sustainable biomass valorization processes. Development of micro- and nanostructures for the stabilization and controlled release of bioactive compounds for agricultural applications.
Areas of expertise: Molecular diagnosis and epidemiology in animal health/production. Development of innovative biotechnologies for the agribusiness industry.
