Chiara Dall’Asta is Full Professor of Food Chemistry at the Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma (Italy).
Academic and Professional Career
2024 – Director of the “G. Casnati” Centre for Services and Measurements (CIM), University of Parma
2024 – Honorary Professor of Food Science, Queen’s University Belfast (UK)
2023 – Rector’s Delegate for Doctoral Education, University of Parma
2019–present – Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Food Science, University of Parma
2016–present – University Representative and subsequently Rector’s Delegate for Relations with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
2014–2020 – Expert member of several EFSA Working Groups and the CONTAM Panel
2014 – Associate Professor of Food Chemistry (CHIM/10), Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma
2005 – Assistant Professor (Researcher) in Food Chemistry (CHIM/10), Faculty of Agriculture, University of Parma
2004–2005 – Research Fellow, Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, University of Parma
2004 – Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Agrobiotechnology, IFA-Tulln, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
April 2004 – PhD in Food Science and Technology, University of Parma
April 2000 – MSc Degree in Chemistry, University of Parma
Research Activities
Her research focuses on the safety of plant-derived foods and novel foods, with particular emphasis on naturally occurring bioactive compounds and toxicologically relevant substances. Her early research addressed the formation, stability, and biotransformation of mycotoxins, as well as the chemical mechanisms underlying their toxicological activity. She has made significant contributions to the identification and characterization of masked and modified mycotoxins and to the understanding of their toxicological relevance.
More recently, her research has expanded to metabolomics and systems biology approaches for investigating the biological responses of plants and mammals following exposure to xenobiotics and bioactive compounds. During the last five years, she has further developed advanced untargeted analytical methodologies for food fraud detection and the assessment of food integrity through chemical fingerprinting approaches.
A parallel research line focuses on the development and application of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological effects of individual chemicals and complex mixtures. In the field of risk assessment, Professor Dall’Asta has developed extensive expertise in co-occurrence and co-exposure assessment, with particular attention to data quality requirements for the exposure assessment of chemical contaminants and natural toxins.
Institutional Responsibilities
Since 2021 – Vice-Chair and Quality Assurance Officer of the international joint Master’s Degree Programme Food Safety and Food Risk Management.
Since 2020 – Member of the University Patent Committee.
2019–2022 – Coordinator for postgraduate orientation for the Food Science degree programmes within the Department of Food and Drug.
Since 2012 – Member of the Academic Board of the PhD Programme in Food Science.
2012–2016 – Departmental Coordinator for International Mobility (former Department of Food Science), University of Parma.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=it&user=8yVcLtUAAAAJ
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=58202884900
Publons: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/C-3173-2008
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0716-8394
