Professor Monique Eller, from UFV’s Food Department, is the new supervisor of the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology (PPGMBA). Monique, who is a former alumnus of the program, returns to PPGMBA with consolidated work in biotechnology and industrial microbiology. At the head of the Biochemical and Fermentation Processes Laboratory, the researcher has collaborated with several PPGMBA professors in recent years, and celebrates the opportunity to now officially work with the program’s master’s and doctoral students. “It’s a specific student profile that contributes a lot. Micro students are curious, they like to delve deeper into topics and dig until they’ve cleared up all their doubts. They’re not satisfied before that, and that’s a valuable characteristic,” says the professor.

During her time as a PPGMBA student, Monique was supervised by Professor Sérgio de Paula. Nowadays, she is also an advisor at the PPG Food Science and Technology and has been working on two main lines of research, with students from different areas. The first consists of microorganism identification systems. “We have developed new systems based on aptamers, or recombinant proteins, to identify microorganisms of interest, both in the food industry and in the medical field. In this case, we work in partnership with Professor Solimar Gonçalves, also a PPGMBA advisor and DTA professor.”

The other line involves bioprocesses and is currently responsible for most of the professor’s partnerships with PPGMBA colleagues. In this case, there is a subdivision: the prospecting of yeasts and the development of biotechnological products and processes, including single cell proteins, biosurfactants, coffee, vinegar, wine, beer, mead and cachaça. “It has a lot of interface with the PPG’s research, especially with professors Wendel Silveira and Guilherme Martin, for their research into yeasts and fermented foods. With Guilherme, we’ve been working on the development of single cell proteins and products produced with SCOBY – he works with Kombucha and I work with vinegar, but we have a close interface. With Wendel, I’m part of the research networks INCT Leveduras and Rede Soja Mais. We have several projects in common, and I’m co-supervising his students in their research with oleaginous yeasts.”

Monique hopes that working more directly with the PPGMBA students will open up different and complementary paths for the research carried out in her laboratory. “In the area of yeast prospecting, for example, where we currently work on the technological side of yeast, we will have the opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the physiological and genetic aspects in search of improvement.”

Integrated training
Monique’s connection with the work carried out in agricultural microbiology, however, goes beyond the research topics. “I really like the program’s perspective of putting the student in the lead. That’s something I really believe in, and I’ve always seen that trait in the PPG, ever since I was a student.” The integrated training of students is also a focus for the professor, who hopes to contribute with her vision of innovation. “I have several patent applications, I always try to protect the knowledge we generate. My intention is to collaborate by bringing this topic to students in a more natural and intuitive way, so that they understand what novelty is, what inventiveness is, what applicability is, and so that from the very beginning of their scientific careers they can consider these issues when making decisions.”

The creation of new courses related to the development of ideas is also in Monique’s plans. “I want to bring this parallel vision of technological development, entrepreneurship and public-private partnerships. It’s important to seek validation of the problems being addressed in current research, and for this we need to bring in companies and industry. We have an immense capacity to connect and solve the problems faced by various sectors and I think I can also help in this communication with the market.”