I am a BBSRC DTP PhD student within the Korcsmáros group based at Earlham Institute, where in collaboration with Lindsay Hall at Quadram Institute, I am focusing on understanding how Bifidobacteria modulate autophagy in the gut.

In my PhD project, I aim to combine computational and experimental approaches, including state-of-the-art organoid-based screening, to identify specific pathways through which Bifidobacteria modulate autophagy, and by doing this, influence intestinal homeostasis. Studying these microbe-host connections is essential to understand the mechanisms behind beneficial effects of commensal bacteria.

I hold a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Pavia (Italy) and an MSc in Molecular Nutrition and Toxicology from Wageningen University (Netherlands). My passion for microbiology started when investigating S. aureus bacterial biofilms during a semester abroad at Aarhus University, Denmark. During my MSc thesis at Wageningen University, I used transcriptomics data and bioinformatics to study the effect of dark chocolate intake on cardiovascular disease.

I am passionate about making science accessible to all. I have myself worked as a scientific communicator for the European Food Information Council based in Brussels, where I collaborated on European projects focused on nutrition, health and sustainability.