SupervisoryTeam
Elena Gonzalez Fandos
Supervisor Details
Email: elena.gonzalez@unirioja.es
Organization Type: University
Organization Name: University of La Rioja
Short Biography: Elena González Fandos, is responsible for the Technology, Engineering and Food Safety Research Group of the University of La Rioja. She has extensive research experience in the field of technology and food safety. She has published more than 80 articles, 56 of them in journals included in JCR. She has participated in 34 research projects, 4 of them funded by the European Union. She has presented more than 160 contributions to national (89) and international (73) conferences. She has published 10 books and 22 book chapters. In 2017, due to her research career, her candidature was selected to be part of the Scientific Committee of the Food Safety and Nutrition Section of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), a position that she has maintained for 4 years in accordance with the statutes of the mentioned agency. During this period, she has contributed in 21 reports on issues related to food safety. Since 2019 he is a member of the National Network of Emerging Risks.
Carina Almeida
Co-Supervisor Details
Email: carina.almeida@iniav.pt
Organization Type: Non-academic institution
Organization Name: National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research
Short Biography: Carina Almeida finished her PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering in 2010 (University of Minho, UM). After a post-doctoral fellowship (2011-2014), she moved to a startup company (Biomode, 2014 to 2016) as CSO. This startup, founded by her together with two colleagues, reached Seed and Series A funding agreements with Portuguese venture funds. In 2017, C. Almeida has moved to INIAV, the national reference laboratory for food safety and animal health) as a Senior Scientist; and since 2020 she also serves as the Head of the Food Safety Unit of INIAV. C. Almeida has authored or co-authored 63 papers in peer-reviewed international journals, 14 book chapters and 6 patents. She has more than 1600 citations (Google Scholar) and an H-index of 18 (scopus). She is currently supervising 2 post-docs, 4 PhD and 2 master students. She participates (or participated) as a PI and as team member in 15 National projects (4 as coordinator and 5 as PI at a partner institution) and 7 international projects (2 as PI in a partner institution).
Added Value: C. Almeida main research interest are to explore the epidemiology/genetic diversity of infectious agents with human and veterinary impact. She is also interested on innovative tools that can be used to control those agents. She is experienced in the development of rapid diagnostic techniques and has been collaborating with international expert on specific fields, such as Ahmed Wahed (isothermal amplification); Jeffrey DeStefano (aptamers development) or Charles Franz (WGS). She is co-inventor of 6 patents and has successfully submitted 3 products to AOAC international (PTM certification).
ResearchGroup
Description: The Research group consists of 6 members: 1 professor, 3 assistant professors and 2 pre-doctoral students. It also has 3 student collaborators. The group network of academic partners includes 14 universities from Portugal, France, Romania, Norway, UK, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and Spain: University do Minho (Portugal), University de Tras-os-Montes (Portugal), Portuguese Catholic University. Oporto (Portugal), University of Perpignan (France), University of Agriculture Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj (Romania), University of Bergen (Norway), Institute of Food Research. Norwich (UK), University of Perugia (Italy), University of Verona (Italia), University of Hochschule Geisenheim (Germany), University of Eszterházy Károly (Hungary), University of Zaragoza (Spain), University of León (Spain), University Complutense of Madrid (Spain). The group network of non-academic partners includes 4 institutions, and 2 companies: National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research (Portugal), National Institute of Research for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRA) Toulouse (France), Public Health Laboratory of Vizcaya (Spain), Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Gers (France), Zeulab SL (Spain), OX-Company (Spain).
ResearchLine
Description: Title: Characterization and control of bacteria resistant to antibiotics in the food chain According to the World Health Organization antimicrobial resistance is one of the main threats to health that mankind will have to face over the next decades. In 2050, it will become the most frequent cause of mortality. The acquisition and transmission of antibiotic resistance has been attributed to the misuse of antibiotics in human and animal health. There is a growing concern about the possibility of transmission of resistance to antibiotics through food chain. The fight against antibiotic resistance must be approached from a One Health perspective, since human health, animal health and the environment are interconnected. Therefore, it is important to address the role that animals and the food chain play in increasing resistance to antibiotics. The research line is addressed towards this challenge of food security and sustainable improvement of production systems, the aims are: to identify and characterize phenotypically (resistance to antibiotics) strains isolated from animals, farms, and environment. Genotypically characterization of selected isolates using massive sequencing techniques.
Others
Description: The proposed research line is integrated into the "One Health" strategies, contributing to national health programs developed with regard to antibiotic resistance control plans, promoting human health. It also has an impact on both animal and environmental health. In addition, it contributes to the policies of the European Union contained in the 4th Health Programme (2021-2027) which addresses the need to reduce antibiotic-resistant infections. The importance of reducing this serious health problem is also raised in the European Action Plan to combat antibiotic resistance. The European Green Pact envisages reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock by 50% by 2030. The proposed line of research deepens this problem. Also, within the Action Plan for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the European Union articulated in 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the proposed line of research will contribute to the following: SDG 3 HEALTH AND WELL-BEING SDG 5 GENDER EQUALITY SDG 8 DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH SDG 9 INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SDG 11 Sustainable cities and communities SDG 12 RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION SDG 13 CLIMATE ACTION SDG 15 LIFE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS
CareerDevelopment
Objectives
- Increased employability in the non-academic sector
- International mobility
- Building collaborative networks
- Trainings to enhance career opportunities
- Application for projects and funding (Horizon Europe, national plans, etc.)
Expected Outputs
- PhD defense
- Publication of articles
- Attendance to international conferences
Training Skills
- Communication to the civil society and public engagement
- Open Science
- Gender and diversity dimension of research
- Ethics and Research Integrity
- Policy making, such as Green Deal and sustainable practices
- Research Valorization
- Training for job interviews, CV writing
- Advanced Digital Skills
- Spanish
ProposedSecondment
Name of Institution: National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinary Research
Type of Organisation
Other Comments: Research Centre
Co-supervision in the Non-Academic Institution
The co-supervisor Carina Almeida will contribute to the training of the Ph student mainly in the use of massive sequencing techniques. On other hand, the National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinarian Research I. P. (INIAV) is the State Laboratory of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, that develops research activities in the agricultural and veterinary fields. INIAV provides laboratory services, scientific and technical support to both farmers and industry; and its National Reference Laboratories perform official analysis in the fields of Animal Health, Plant Health, Food and Feed Safety.
Duration of the Secondment
Duration: 3 months
Objectives
- Learning on the job
- Technology transfer
- Leadership skills
- Professional development opportunities (employability)
- Building partnerships
Added Value
The National Institute for Agrarian and Veterinarian Research I. P. (INIAV) is the National Portuguese Reference Laboratory, since it performs official analysis in the fields of Animal Health, Plant Health, Food and Feed Safety, it is a good training for the Ph student for working in an official or private laboratory. It is an additional value from that obtained at the University.