Full Professor at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Technologies, University of Bologna (SSD BIO/10 – Biochemistry). Her research activities are carried out in the fields of Nutritional Biochemistry and Food Science. Her research interests are primarily focused on the effects of food components on human health. Her current research is mainly centered on food digestibility and on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of food components.
Education
She graduated magna cum laude in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Bologna in 1983 and obtained a specialization magna cum laude in Food Science (Dietetic curriculum) from the University of Padua in 1986. She earned a PhD in Biochemistry in 1993. In 2019, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Human Nutrition by INRAE (France).
Academic Career
After several years of teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Bologna and the University of Ferrara, she became Researcher in BIO/10 – Biochemistry at the University of Bologna in 2004. In 2015, she was appointed Associate Professor at the University of Bologna within the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Technologies. Since November 1, 2023, she has been Full Professor at the University of Bologna.
Teaching Activities
In the academic year 1999–2000, she began independent teaching activities as Adjunct Professor, delivering courses in Food Science at the University of Bologna and in Biochemical Methodologies at the University of Ferrara.
Since 2004, she has continuously taught as course coordinator and lecturer in several Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs in Sports Sciences, Food Technology, Gastronomic Sciences and Culture, and Food Science and Technology.
She currently teaches Biochemistry and Food Science in the Bachelor’s Degree program in Food Technology, Applied Food Science in the Degree program in Gastronomic Sciences and Culture, and Human Nutrition in the Master’s Degree program in Food Science and Technology.
She also lectures in the Master’s programs “Nutrition and Wellness” at the University of Milan and “Nutrition and Health Education” at the University of Bologna.
She has delivered lectures within the PhD School in Food Science, later renamed Food Science and Biotechnology (Doctoral School in Agricultural Sciences), and within the PhD program in Health, Safety and Green Systems.
Scientific Activity
She has participated and continues to participate in numerous national and international research programs, including:
- PRIN 2005 and PRIN 2022
- Italian Ministry of Economic Development “Industria 2015 – New Technologies for Made in Italy” call: MIAOVER50 Project
- POR-FESR projects: MiMe4Health and ENGAGE.APP
- European FP6 project: HIGHQRTE
- European FP7 projects: BaSeFood, NAMASTE, CHANCE (as Co-coordinator), and PATHWAY-27 (as General Coordinator)
- Horizon 2020 European projects: FutureEUAqua, NewTechAqua, and BIOZOOSTAIN
- Horizon Europe project: Like-A-PRO
Her continuous research activity is demonstrated by an extensive and consistent scientific production, including more than 200 full-length publications in national and international journals and chapters in several books.
She serves as reviewer for numerous international journals in the field of human nutrition and acts as evaluator of research projects and proposals for the European Commission.
Institutional Activities and Academic Appointments
She was a member of the Academic Board of the PhD Program in Food Science and Biotechnology (Doctoral School in Agricultural Sciences). She is currently a member of the Academic Board of the PhD Program in Health, Safety and Green Systems.
From 2021 to 2024, she served as a member of the Academic Senate of the University of Bologna.
Membership in Scientific and Editorial Boards
Editor-in-Chief of the journal Food and Nutrition Sciences and Co-Editor of Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases (until 2014). Member of the Editorial Boards of Food Research International, Nutrients, and Frontiers in Nutrition.
Secretary General of the Federation of Italian Nutrition Societies (FeSIN).
Member of the Executive Board of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition for several terms, including serving as Treasurer.
Awards and Honors
In 2019, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Human Nutrition by the French Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE).
Other Activities
She participated in the entrepreneurial program “Innovative and/or High Knowledge-Content Business Ideas” promoted by the Spinner Consortium of the Emilia-Romagna Region with the SELENIUM BIOTEC project, which was admitted to the related funding scheme (Prot. No. 042/12).
As head of the “Lipids” working group, she contributed to the 2014 and 2024 revisions of the Italian Dietary Reference Values for energy and nutrients (LARN) for the Italian population.
She has also contributed to the organization of numerous national and international scientific conferences.
