Faculty

Cynthia Canêdo Da Silva
Cynthia Canêdo Da Silva
Areas of expertise:
Molecular and Microbial Genetics, Molecular Ecology, Cytogenetics
E-mail:
ccanedo@ufv.br ccanedosilva@yahoo.com.br
Lattes

Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Minas Gerais, Brazil. Holds a bachelor’s degree (both licentiate and bachelor’s) in Biological Sciences and a master’s degree in Agricultural Microbiology, both obtained from UFV. Earned a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and, in 2012, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at CPQBA/UNICAMP, funded by Petrobras. Her research focuses on Environmental Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, and Metagenomics, with an emphasis on the characterization, taxonomic and functional monitoring of microbiota in environmental samples such as soil, industrial effluents, and produced water from petroleum extraction.

Denise Mara Soares Bazzolli
Denise Mara Soares Bazzolli
Areas of expertise:
Molecular and Microbial Genetics, Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms, Agricultural Microbiology
E-mail:
dbazzolli@ufv.br dbazzolli@gmail.com
Lattes

Full Professor at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), based in the Department of Microbiology. She holds a degree in Nutrition from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (1997), a master’s degree (1999), and a Ph.D. (2003) in Agricultural Microbiology from UFV. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Molecular Genetics of Bacterial Pathogens at Imperial College London, UK. Currently, she serves as the Director of the Institute of Biotechnology Applied to Agriculture (Bioagro/UFV) from May 2019 to May 2027 and is the Coordinator of the Bacterial Molecular Genetics Laboratory (LGMB/Bioagro).

She has expertise in Molecular Genetics and Microorganisms, with research focused on the study of the resistome of bacterial pathogens, molecular typing, and gene expression regulation in animal pathogenic bacteria (including the study of small regulatory RNAs and extracellular vesicles). Her work also involves the development of new vaccine strategies, diagnostics, and monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in and for swine. Additionally, she investigates the isolation and genetic characterization of actinobacteria (genus Streptomyces spp.) and soil predatory bacteria (Myxococcus spp.) with an emphasis on discovering new bioactive compounds for controlling bacterial and fungal pathogens of medical and agricultural importance.

She actively promotes the use of the alternative model Galleria mellonella to replace animal testing in research, aligned with the global 3Rs initiative—Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement of animal use in scientific activities. She maintains strong collaborations with researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Portsmouth, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Felipe Alves de Almeida
Felipe Alves de Almeida
Areas of expertise:
Sustainability and circular economy in the food industry
Food bioprotection by lactic acid and propionic bacteria
Quorum sensing and quorum quenching in pathogens and food spoilage agents
E-mail:
felipe.alves@ufv.br
Lattes

Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) since 2024. Graduated as a Dairy Technician from the Cândido Tostes Dairy Institute (ILCT) in 2007 and a degree in Biomedicine from the President Antônio Carlos University (UNIPAC) in 2011. He completed his Master’s and Doctorate in Agricultural Microbiology (CAPES concept 7) from UFV in 2014 and 2018, respectively. He worked as a Food and Dairy Technician at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), on the Governador Valadares campus – MG, between 2018 and 2022. From 2022 to 2024, he was a Professor and Researcher at the Cândido Tostes Dairy Institute (ILCT), linked to the Minas Gerais Agricultural Research Corporation (EPAMIG).

Hilário Cuquetto Mantovani
Hilário Cuquetto Mantovani
Areas of expertise:
Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms, Anaerobic Microbiology, Rumen Microbiology
E-mail:
hcm6@ufv.br
hcmantovani@gmail.com
Lattes

Full Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) and a research productivity fellow from CNPq. He holds a degree in Agronomic Engineering and a Master’s in Agricultural Microbiology from UFV, a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Cornell University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDA-ARS).

He served as the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology at UFV (2011–2016) and was a Member (2014) and Coordinator (2015–2016) of the Advisory Board for Biological Sciences and Biotechnology (CBB) at FAPEMIG. He leads and participates in international collaborative projects and serves as a scientific advisor for several funding agencies (FAPEMIG, CNPq, FAPESP, CAPES, BBSRC, UKRI) and as a reviewer for national and international journals.

His expertise lies in Microbiology, with an emphasis on Microbial Biology and Physiology, Microbial Ecology, and Rumen Microbiology. His research focuses on the study of microbiota associated with animal development, health, and performance, working primarily on the following topics: alternative or complementary strategies to antimicrobials and additives used in animal production; the gastrointestinal microbiome of ruminants and monogastric animals; identification, characterization, and applications of antimicrobial peptides; synergy of bioactive molecules; anti-virulence agents; antibiotic resistance mechanisms; and the genetics, physiology, and ecology of anaerobes.

José Guilherme Prado Martin
José Guilherme Prado Martin
Areas of expertise:
Food microbiology, food hygiene, good manufacturing practices in food industry, bacterial biofilms, dairy technology, antimicrobials in natural products
E-mail:
guilherme.martin@ufv.br
Lattes

Holds a Bachelor’s and Teaching Degree in Biological Sciences from UNESP, as well as a Master’s and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from ESALQ/USP. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Agriculture and Food Development Authority (TEAGASC) in Ireland, participating in the APC Microbiome Ireland project (UCC) under the supervision of Dr. Paul Cotter (Capes Print Program, Call 41/2017).

Currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), he is the founder and coordinator of the Laboratory of Microbiology of Fermented Products (FERMICRO/UFV). He supervises Master’s and Ph.D. students in the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology at UFV (CAPES Rating 7). He also coordinates the Research Group on Fermented Food Microbiology at UFV and collaborates with the Food Technology Research Group at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC).

He is a founder and coordinator of the UFV Reference Center for Bioprocesses, a collaborating researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology on Yeasts (CNPq), and the coordinator of the Study Group on Agricultural Microbiology (NEMA/UFV).

He is the editor of the book “Microbiologia de Alimentos Fermentados” (Blücher, 2022), the first textbook in Portuguese dedicated to the microbiology of food fermentation, and “Trending Topics on Fermented Foods” (Springer Nature, 2024). He is the creator and curator of the traveling science project “Fermenta Móvel” (supported by CNPq’s Program for Museums and Science and Technology Centers), and manages the science communication project on social media @fermicro.ufv.

As a technical judge in national and international competitions for fermented foods and beverages, his main research areas—closely integrated with teaching and outreach activities—include:

  • Prospecting microorganisms from fermented foods for industrial applications
  • Studying the influence of microbiota on the physicochemical, sensory, and functional properties of fermented foods
  • Designing innovative fermented foods and developing prototypes for educational purposes in the field of food fermentation.
Luciano Gomes Fietto
Luciano Gomes Fietto
Areas of expertise:
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology,
Cell Signaling, Biotechnology
E-mail:
lgfietto@ufv.br

Lattes

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP), MG (1996). He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Department of Biochemistry at the Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo (USP) (2001), where, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Suely Lopes Gomes, he received excellent training in molecular cloning techniques and the study of gene expression regulation.

In 2002, he joined the Center for Research in Biological Sciences (NUPEB) as a postdoctoral researcher. Since 2006, he has been a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV).

In 2019, he worked as a visiting professor at Université Laval, supported by CAPES (Grant No. 88887.321682/2019-00), collaborating with the research group of Professor Richard Bélanger.

Currently, he is a Full Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UFV, conducting research at the Molecular Biotechnology Laboratory, where his work focuses on the study of stress responses in plants and yeasts.

Marcos Rogério Tótola
Marcos Rogério Tótola
Areas of expertise:
Applied Microbiology, Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, Petroleum and Environmental Microbiology, Microbial Ecology
E-mail:
totola@ufv.br totolaufv@gmail.com
Lattes

Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) (1984), a Master’s degree in Agricultural Microbiology from UFV (1993), a Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from UFV (1998), and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Arizona (2002).

Currently, he is a Full Professor at the Federal University of Viçosa. He has experience in the field of Microbiology, with an emphasis on Microbial Ecology, Environmental and Petroleum Microbiology, and Soil Microbiology. His research focuses mainly on the following topics: Bioremediation, Microbially Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR), Biogenic Acidification, Microbially Induced Corrosion (MIC) in the Oil and Natural Gas Industry, Microbial Indicators of Soil Quality, and Biosurfactants.

Marisa Vieira De Queiroz
Marisa Vieira De Queiroz
Areas of expertise:
Molecular and Microorganism Genetics, Microbiology, Plant HealthE-mail:
mvqueiro@ufv.br mvqueiro@hotmail.com
Lattes

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (1985), a Master’s degree in Genetics and Plant Breeding from ESALQ/USP (1988), and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from ESALQ/USP (1993). She is currently a full professor at the Federal University of Viçosa. She has experience in the fields of Genetics and Biotechnology, with an emphasis on Molecular Genetics of Microorganisms, the molecular basis of pathogen-host interaction, plant pathogen control, enzyme production, and plant growth promotion by microorganisms.

Marliane de Cássia Soares da Silva
Marliane de Cássia Soares da Silva
Areas of expertise:
Microorganisms in seedling production
Microorganisms of the coffee plant
Edible mushrooms: production and enrichment with mineralsE-mail:
marliane.silva@ufv.br
Lattes

She holds a Bachelor’s and Teaching degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Viçosa. She also holds a Master’s and Ph.D. in Agricultural Microbiology, with part of her doctoral studies conducted at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Portugal. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV). She has experience in the field of Microbiology, with an emphasis on Agricultural Microbiology, primarily working on the following topics: arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, ectomycorrhizal fungi, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, microorganisms associated with plants as allies in the environmental recovery process in degraded areas and areas undergoing revegetation, microorganisms associated with eucalyptus, micropropagation, enzymes and oxidative stress, enrichment of mushrooms with selenium and lithium, soil and coffee fruit microorganisms to improve coffee drink quality, mushroom production in agro-industrial residues, selenium bioavailability, and cell and molecular biology (PCR, DGGE, Metagenomics, and next-generation sequencing). She also participates in university extension projects and science popularization activities. Currently, she co-supervises several undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students, as well as being involved in various research projects.

Mateus Ferreira Santana
Mateus Ferreira Santana
Areas of expertise:
Population biology of plant pathogens, transposable elements in phytopathogenic fungiE-mail:
mateusferreirasantana@yahoo.com.br
Lattes

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Viçosa (2007), a Master’s degree (2009), and a Ph.D. (2013) in Agricultural Microbiology. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV). He is currently the coordinator of the Biological Sciences course at UFV. He has experience in the area of Genetics and Genomics of Microorganisms, primarily focusing on the following topics: use of reverse ecology tools to understand microbial interactions, slow-growing bacteria, isolation and use of microorganisms as bioinputs of agro-industrial interest, genomic and molecular analysis of bacteria, analysis of mobile genetic elements and their role in the adaptation and evolution of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms. He is also interested in molecular markers and genetic variability analysis.

Maurício Dutra Costa
Maurício Dutra Costa
Areas of expertise:
Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, Mycorrhizal Associations, Nutrient CyclingE-mail:
mdcosta@ufv.br mauducos@gmail.com
Lattes

He graduated in Agronomy from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in 1990. He completed his Master’s degree (1995) and Ph.D. (2002) in Agricultural Microbiology at the same university. In 2010, he undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut Nationale de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA-Nancy, France). He is currently a Full Professor at UFV. He has experience in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry. He develops research and teaching activities in the following areas: Soil Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, Geomicrobiology, Plant-Microorganism Interactions, Mycorrhizal Associations, Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms, Mineral Solubilizing Microorganisms, and Nutrient Cycling. He supervises Master’s and Ph.D. students in the graduate programs in Agricultural Microbiology and Phytotechnology at UFV.

Monique Renon Eller
Monique Renon Eller
Areas of expertise:
Yeast prospecting for product and process innovation
Bioprocesses from the perspective of circular bioeconomy and sustainability
Development of colorimetric systems for detecting microorganismsE-mail:
monique.eller@ufv.br
Lattes

Associate Professor in the Department of Food Technology and advisor in the Postgraduate Program in Food Science and Technology at the Federal University of Viçosa. CNPq DT-2 researcher in the area of ​​Biotechnology and Industrial Microbiology. Leader of the research group “Biotechnological Products and Processes in the Food Industry” and coordinator of the “Laboratory of Biochemical and Fermentative Processes” and the “Fermentation Laboratory”. Member of the INCT_Leveduras (CNPq) and Soja + (Fapemig) Research Networks. Creator of the UFV Bioprocess Reference Center, a program that aims to foster technological development and innovation in Minas Gerais. Works on research lines for the use of microorganisms and their enzymes for the production of fermented products and in the development of detection systems for contaminants in food and related industries. Works in partnership with several companies for technological development and innovation in biotechnology. He teaches the following subjects: Industrial Biochemical Processes (TAL415), Enzymatic Catalysts in Bioprocesses (TAL417), Kinetics of Biochemical Processes (TAL416), Biochemical Engineering (TAL615), Immobilized Enzymes (TAL617) and Scientific Communication: Research Planning and Writing (TAL770).

Olinto Liparini Pereira
Olinto Liparini Pereira
Areas of expertise:
Mycology, Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry, Plant PathologyE-mail:
oliparini@ufv.br

Lattes
⠀⠀

He holds a degree in Agronomy (1999), a Master’s degree in Agricultural Microbiology (2001), a Ph.D. in Phytopathology from the Federal University of Viçosa (2006), and a postdoctoral fellowship in taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of fungi at the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (formerly CBS/KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre) (2017). He has experience in the areas of Phytopathology and Agricultural Microbiology, with an emphasis on Mycology, mainly working on the following topics: Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of filamentous fungi, Etiology of fungal plant diseases, Fungal biodiversity in Brazilian ecosystems, and Mycology applied to the development of agricultural bioinputs. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Phytopathology at UFV and served as a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Agronomy course at UFV from 2006 to 2013. He has served/serves as a section editor for the following journals: Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo (Soil Microbiology/Mycorrhiza section), Tropical Plant Pathology (Etiology/Mycology section), Sydowia (Fungal Systematics and Evolution section), and Fungal Systematics and Evolution (Fungal Plant Pathogens section). He was the Head of the Department of Phytopathology at UFV from 2015 to 2019. He supervises Master’s and Ph.D. students in two graduate programs at UFV, Phytopathology (PPGFito) and Agricultural Microbiology (PPGMBA), both with a CAPES rating of 7. He is a member of the international advisory board for fungal taxonomy at Faces of Fungi – Mushroom Research Foundation/Mae Fah Luang University (since 2014) (http://www.facesoffungi.org/) and the UNITE taxonomic database for fungal sequences (since 2013) (https://unite.ut.ee/). In 2014, he was awarded the Carlos Luis Spegazzini Medal, given every four years by the International Mycological Association (IMA), to a Latin American mycologist who has distinguished themselves for their contributions in the field (http://www.ima-mycology.org/awards/young-mycologist-award). He was ranked in the 2021 Top 10,000 Scientists of Latin America, published by the AD Scientific Index. He was Vice-President of the Brazilian Society of Mycology (2019-2024) and is currently the Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation at the Arthur Bernardes Foundation (FUNARBE) (since 2020). h-index: 35. 

Poliane Alfenas Zerbini
Poliane Alfenas Zerbini
Areas of expertise:
Genetics, Genetics of Plant-Pathogen Interaction, Functional Genomics, Molecular Virology, Plant Transformation and Transgenic AnalysisE-mail:
palfenas@ufv.br
Lattes

She holds a degree in Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Viçosa (2000), a Master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Breeding from the Federal University of Viçosa (2006). She was a Junior Postdoctoral fellow in the Molecular Plant Virology Laboratory at the Federal University of Viçosa (2006-2008) and a PRODOC fellow in the Agricultural Microbiology program at the Federal University of Viçosa (2008-2012). She is currently a professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Federal University of Viçosa. From July 2022 to August 2023, she was on a sabbatical leave at the University of California, Berkeley. Her main area of expertise is in Virus Ecology, Viruses that infect phytopathogenic microorganisms, using viruses as tools for disease control in plants, and studying virus-host relationships.

Sérgio Oliveira De Paula
Sérgio Oliveira De Paula
Areas of expertise:
Immunology, Virology, Applied Microbiology, Infectious Diseases in Animals
E-mail:
depaula@ufv.br
⠀⠀
Lattes

He holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Federal University of Viçosa (1999), a Master’s degree (2001), and a Ph.D. (2004) in Basic and Applied Immunology – Pathogenic Bioagents from the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto – USP. He is currently a Full Professor at the Federal University of Viçosa and Coordinator of the Molecular Immunovirology Laboratory in the Department of General Biology/UFV. He has experience in microbiology and molecular genetics, primarily working on the following topics: genomes, dengue, SARS-COV-2, Zika, Mayaro, vaccines, molecular diagnostics, bacteriophages, and heterologous protein expression. He supervises graduate students in the Cellular Biology (Capes 5) and Agricultural Microbiology (Capes 7) programs at UFV. He is a reviewer for projects from several funding agencies and serves on the editorial board and as a reviewer for several national and international journals. He was the executive director of the Regional Technological Development Center of Viçosa – CENTEV / UFV from 2015 to 2019. He was a member of the Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Chamber – CBB of Fapemig from 2018 to 2020. He is the current coordinator of the Microscopy and Microanalysis Center (NMM) at UFV.

Simon Luke Elliot
Simon Luke Elliot
Areas of expertise:
Entomopathogenic and endophytic fungi (emphasis on Hypocreales) – intelligent prospecting; distribution and in planta ecology in native forest; diversity of insect pathogens in the Atlantic Forest; prospecting for resistance to biotic stresses (pests, diseases), abiotic stresses and growth promotion; ecosystem services in soil; development for pest management.
Nucleopolyhedrovirus – prospecting for caterpillar management, interactions with insect immune defense.
Fungi associated with leaf-cutting ants – ecological interactions and possibilities for microbial control.
Entomopathogenic fungi as a model for the study of coinfections.
Phytopathogen-insect vector interactions.
E-mail:
selliot@ufv.br⠀
Lattes

He holds a degree in Biology from the University of Southampton (1991), a master’s degree in Crop Protection from the Long Ashton Research Station, University of Bristol (1992), a PhD in Agricultural Entomology from the Imperial College at Silwood Park (1997) and post-doctorates from the University of Amsterdam (1997-2000), Imperial College London (2000-2004) and University College London (2023-4). He worked as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire (2004-2006), initiating new undergraduate courses in Biology and Animal Biology and coordinating five undergraduate courses. He is currently a Full Professor at the Federal University of Viçosa. He was a member of the Coordinating Committee of the Postgraduate Program in Entomology at UFV (Grade 7 by CAPES) from 2008 to 2013 and 2021 to 2023, and for eight and a half years he was Coordinator (2013-2021). He was a Visiting Professor at University College London from 2023 to 2024 (with a CAPES scholarship). His field of activity is the Ecology of Insect-Microorganism Interactions, aiming at increasing ecological realism in studies in this area and their applicability for the management of insect pest populations. He is Associate Editor of the journal Ecology and Evolution and Editor of the Entomology in Focus book series. He has published 69 articles in indexed journals, with 1,675 citations and an H-index of 23 by the Web of Science. Reasearch Gate www.researchgate.net/profile/Simon-Elliot Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com.br/citations?user=IX41wHoAAAAJhl.

Solimar Gonçalves Machado
Solimar Gonçalves Machado
Areas of expertise:
Food Microbiology, Milk and Dairy Microbiology, Food Spoilage Microorganisms
E-mail:
solimar.machado@ufv.br
⠀⠀
Lattes

She holds a degree in Food Engineering from the Federal University of Viçosa – UFV. She has a specialization in Dairy Products and Quality from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires – Nancy/France. She earned a Master’s degree in Agricultural Microbiology from the Federal University of Viçosa and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Microbiology with an emphasis on Food Microbiology from the same institution. She has worked as a teacher in Basic, Technical, and Technological Education at the Federal Institute of Northern Minas Gerais, where she taught courses in Milk and Dairy Processing and Applied Microbiology. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Technology at the Federal University of Viçosa

Tiago Antonio de Oliveira Mendes
Tiago Antonio de Oliveira Mendes
Areas of expertise:
Molecular Biology, Immunology, Parasitology, Pharmacy, Bioinformatics
E-mail:
tiagoaomendes@ufv.br tiagomgmendes@yahoo.com.br
Lattes

He holds a technical course in Chemistry from CEFET-MG (2004), a degree in Pharmacy from UFMG (2009), a Master’s in Parasitology from UFMG (2011), and a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from UFMG with a sandwich period at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-Heidelberg, Germany). He was a postdoctoral resident at the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology at UFMG. He is currently the Executive Director of Research, Development, and Innovation at Biopark Educação (Toledo, PR). He was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UFV from 2016 to 2024. He is a member of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Alumni Association, an Affiliate Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (mandate 2022-2026), an Ordinary Member of the Brazilian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SBBq), a member of the Brazilian Society of Biosafety and Bioprotection (SB3), a member of the Brazilian Association of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (AB3C), a member of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science (SBPC), and a member of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID). He serves as a permanent advisor to the Graduate Program in Applied Biochemistry (Capes Concept 5) and the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology (Capes Concept 7) at UFV, as well as the Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (Capes Concept 7) at UFMG. Since 2019, he has served as the Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Applied Biochemistry at UFV. He was also a full member of the UFV University Council (2017-2021). He has been a Visiting Professor/Researcher at renowned international institutions, including the Pasteur Institute (France) in 2016, Aberystwyth University (Wales) in 2017, Queens University (Northern Ireland) in 2018, Cornell University (USA) in 2022, and CIRAD-Montpellier (France) in 2023. He was a guest member of the Brazilian delegation at the BRICS Young Scientist Forum in 2023 in South Africa. He leads the research group on Synthetic Biology and Modeling of Biological Systems, which develops projects related to the diagnosis and control of infectious diseases, including prototyping and validation of serological and molecular diagnostic tests, identification and optimization of new bioactive compounds against pathogens, and vaccine development. Among the developed projects, a partnership with private companies stands out, which includes prototyping lateral flow immunochromatographic rapid tests for the diagnosis of diseases such as leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, viral diseases like Dengue, Zika, and COVID-19, and partnerships for the development of vaccines against multiple pathogens, such as a trivalent vaccine against tick-borne zoonoses (ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis), enteric pathogens in pigs (Lawsonia, Brachyspira, E. coli, and Salmonella), and pathogens in cattle. He also develops new disruptive technologies for the detection and control of infectious agents, including electronic devices for point-of-care pathogen quantification in biological samples using fiber optics functionalized with antibodies or aptamers, approaches for reversing bacterial resistance through genome editing using CRISPR-Cas9, and the development of cellulose-based bioplastics with antimicrobial activity for pathogen elimination in effluents and food through the use of filters and packaging. In the field of education, he has been an evaluator for MEC/INEP since 2016, working in evaluations of the recognition and renewal of recognition of undergraduate and technological courses, as well as the evaluation of higher education institutions.

Wendel Batista Da Silveira
Wendel Batista Da Silveira
Areas of expertise:
Biology and Physiology of Microorganisms, Industrial Microbiology and Fermentation
E-mail:
wendel.silveira@ufv.br wendbs@gmail.com
Lattes

He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Microbiology from the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), with part of the Ph.D. program carried out at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. His postdoctoral research in metabolic engineering was conducted at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Microbiology at UFV, Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology at UFV, and a productivity research fellow (1D) of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). He coordinates research projects in the areas of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology related to the production of biofuels, industrially relevant metabolites, and lipids, such as ingredients for the plant-based food sector. In the field of Yeast Physiology, he leads projects related to stress responses to ethanol, 2-phenylethanol, and acetic acid, as well as the regulation of sugar, glycerol, and lipid metabolism in yeasts, using metabolic modeling, functional genomics, and systems biology. He advises undergraduate and graduate students studies in the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology at UFV.