SupervisoryTeam

Supervisor Photo

Mª Jose Beriain Apesteguia

Supervisor Details

Email: mjberiain@unavarra.es

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: Universidad Pública de Navarra

Short Biography: Maria Jose Beriain is a professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the Universidad Publica de Navarra (Spain). She has participated in 40 research projects with public funding. She has collaborated with domestic and international research centers and universities for conducting 25 projects with private SMEs funding (e.g., Tegasc en Ireland, and University of Illinois), and co-authoring scientific and technical reports with peers from Texas Tech University, and La Universidad del Zulia (Venezuela). She has published 80 peer- reviewed journal articles, 15 book chapters, 100 abstracts in conference proceedings of domestic and international meetings, and she has served on 13 PhD, student committees. She has conducted projects on the evaluation of meat quality and development of new meat products with improved nutritional profile. Currently, she is PI of the strategic regional project ALISSEC for the development of new plant-based food products focused on circular economy.

Co-Supervisor Photo

Débora Villaño Valencia

Co-Supervisor Details

Email: deboravillano@unavarra.es

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: Universidad Publica de Navarra

Short Biography: Débora Villaño Valencia is professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the Universidad Publica de Navarra (Spain). Her research lines are related to the evaluation of nutritional quality of plant-based foods. It includes the characterization of phytochemical composition, bioavailability studies and nutritional clinical trials to evaluate metabolic effects of food products in overweight/T2DM/healthy subjects. She has participated in 12 research competitive projects of public funding (one as co-PI at national level), as well as in 14 projects with private SMEs funding. She has published 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, 16 book chapters, and she has participated in 36 national and international congress. Recognition of three six-annual research periods (sexenios): 2000-2018. This research is carried out in parallel to her teaching activities at the School of Agronomy, Biotechnology and Food Sciences, and the Faculty of Health of UPNA.

Added Value: Dr. Débora Villaño Valencia has supervised/is supervising 4 PhD students, and more than 30 master/degree students from diverse backgrounds. She has extensive experience in the development of studies in the nutritional field and can provide solid knowledge in aspects of bioaccesibility and bioavailability of the products developed in the project.

Supervisor Photo

Pedro Mena Parreño

Other Co-Supervisor

Email: pedromiguel.menaparreno@unipr.it

Organization Type: University

Organization Name: Human Nutrition Unit Department of Food and Drugs, University of Parma (http://www.unipr.it/

Short Biography: As a tenured Associate Professor at the Human Nutrition Unit, Dept of Food and Drugs of UNIPR, he has developed a keen interest in the bioavailability and biological activity of plant bioactives, their inter- individual variability (including metabotyping approaches) and the application of realistic experimental models. He has published >150 papers in international journals, comprising top journals in the field of phenolic compounds and nutrition sciences. He has been involved in international projects (H2020 PREVENTOMICS, PRIMA MED4Youth, COST Action POSITIVe, JPI HDHL FoodPhyt, etc.) and has secured funding from national (PNRR ONFOODS, FARE CARE-DIET, etc.) and private (Ferrero group, Lavazza, Indena, etc.) initiatives. His work in the field has been acknowledged through an ERC Starting Grant (PREDICT-CARE), related to the study on the inter- individual variability in metabolism and response to dietary (poly)phenols, leading cutting-edge research projects. Scopus ID: 39863361900

Added Value: Dr. Mena has supervised/is supervising 8 postdoctoral researchers, 2 doctoral students - working in academia or industry now- (plus 7 Ph.D. ongoing), 3 research fellows, more than 60 master students from diverse backgrounds, and more than 10 visiting researchers from different countries, showcasing his proficiency in providing guidance at advanced levels. He has a vast network of collaborations (>500 international coauthors in his papers), including the most relevant nutrition research centres and authors. His outstanding experience and commitment to robust and translatable science makes him an ideal, capable, enthusiastic supervisor for the PhD fellow in the international mobility period, related to cutting-edge studies on metabolism and metabo-types of dietary bioactive compounds.

ResearchGroup

Description: The research group "Animal Production, Food Science and Nutrition" includes 8 permanent researchers, 5 postdocs, 10 predocs and has achieved the national excellence assessment (B) by the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation. Among their research lines are: - Meat quality and technology -Development of texturized foods adapted to dysphagia -Development of sustainable healthy foods with alternative proteins and vegetable by-products. With the incorporation of Dr. Débora Villaño lines of research have been implemented on characterization of vegetable bioactive compounds (linked to ALISSEC), interactions with food matrix and bioavailability studies. Academic partners include University of Illinois on research on meat quality, CEBAS-CSIC and University of Parma on food composition, UCAM on nutritional trials and La Rioja on microbiology. Non- academic partners include Espiga I+D Alimentaria S.L.U., with research collaborations established related to oat bran and ?-glucans, as well as other food industries as Sanygran, AN, Ingredalia, Tutti-Pasta.

ResearchLine

Description: Evaluation of health properties of sustainable foods based on industrial by-products The research line aims to obtain sustainable healthy foods from by-products of agri-food industry. Specific objectives include the characterisation of bioactive compounds and proteins present in legume and vegetable by-products. Design and creation of new products will be carried out, using high hydrostatic pressure (HPP) and texturization technologies. Physicochemical, nutritional and sensory parameters will be evaluated to ensure the quality of the resulting products and the sustainability of the process will be considered. Health properties of novel foods will be addressed by studying the bioavailability of the compounds and nutrients incorporated, both in validated in vitro models and in human intervention studies. Furthermore, these markers of intake will be correlated with markers of effect in nutritional intervention studies in humans, focusing on metabolic imbalances (glycaemic control).

CareerDevelopment

Objectives

  • Future postdoc employment at the University
  • Increased employability in the non-academic sector
  • International mobility
  • Building collaborative networks
  • Trainings to enhance career opportunities
  • Application of postdoctoral grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
  • Application for projects and funding (Horizon Europe, national plans, etc.)
  • Involvement in teaching, supervision, or mentoring

Expected Outputs

  • PhD defense
  • Application of grants (MSCA, Juan de la Cierva, etc.)
  • Publication of articles
  • Developing new products, solutions, or services
  • Attendance to international conferences

Training Skills

  • Project Management
  • Time Management
  • Grant Writing
  • Communication to the civil society and public engagement
  • Open Science
  • Gender and diversity dimension of research
  • Ethics and Research Integrity
  • Teaching
  • Supervision
  • Policy making, such as Green Deal and sustainable practices
  • Intellectual Property
  • Research Valorization
  • Business skills, negotiation, marketing
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership
  • Training for job interviews, CV writing
  • Advanced Digital Skills
  • Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence
  • Spanish
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