Personale docente

Qualifications. 1995 Master in Agriculture Sciences, Universita' Cattolica Sacro Cuore Piacenza Laurea in Scienze Agrarie 110 e lode. 2003. Ph.D. in Natural Sciences at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland. Brief outline of academic history. 1995-1999 Microbiologist, at the Catholic University, Piacenza, Italy, Department of Microbiology. 1999-2000 Microbiologist at the Nestlè Research Center (NRC, Lausanne, Switzerland). 2000-2003. Ph.D. graduate student, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Switzerland. 2003-2005 Postdoctoral Research Scientist with a Marie Curie Fellowship, Department of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork. 2005 –2010 Non-Tenure track (Professor with contract) at the Department of Genetics, Biology of Microorganisms, Anthropology and Evolution, University of Parma, Italy. 2010-2014 Assistant Professor at the Department of Genetics, Biology of Microorganisms, Anthropology and Evolution, University of Parma, Italy. 2019 (January)-present Full Professor at the Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Italy. Teaching activities. During his career, Prof. Ventura has been involved in many teaching programs including both formal lecturing as well as teaching through the supervision and direction of research performed by undergraduate, postgraduate and visiting students. 2003-2004 Temporary lecturer for Practical microbiological laboratory classes at the Department of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork. 2004-2005 Temporary lecturer of Genomics of Probiotic Bacteria, postgraduate teaching course at the Master in Food Science and Technology, National University of Ireland, Cork. 2005-2006 Lecturer of General Microbiology. Bachelor in Food Sciences, University of Parma, Italy. 2006-2009 Lecturer of Microbial Biotechnology. Master in Food Sciences, University of Parma, Italy. 2009-2010 Lecturer of Microbial Genomics. Master in Industrial Biotechnology, University of Parma, Italy. 2010-present Associate Professor of General Microbiology. Bachelor in Biotechnology, University of Parma, Italy. 2014-present Associate Professor of Applied Microbiology- Master in Industrial Biotechnology, University of Parma, Italy. Recognition and Awards. • 1997 "Agostino Gemelli" Award 1995 (as the best graduate in the Agriculture Department). • 2012 FEMS Invited Speaker Meeting Grant (ISMG) for an invited lecture at conference “Actinobacteria within soils: Capacities for Mutualism, Symbiosis and Pathogenesis”, Muenster, Germany. Learned Societies/Journals. The applicant is member of the editorial board of the following scientific journals: -Applied and Environmental Microbiology -BMC Microbiology (associate editor) -Scientific reports (associate editor) -Frontiers in Microbiology (topic editor) -Frontiers in Bioscience (managing editor) -Genes and Nutrition (associate editor) Furthermore, the applicant receives regular requests to review grant application from a variety of research funding agencies such as Wellcome Trust, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Enterprise of Ireland, ETH Grant funding programme, Switzerland. Grants awarded. From 2000 Prof. Ventura has been co-investigator or principal investigator in several research projects based on public (EU, National Ministry of Research, Bank Foundations) and private for a total research money equal to approximately 2.2 million Euros. 2000-2003 Swiss National Science Foundation (Research grant 5002). Ph. D fellowship 2003-2005 European Commission (Marie Curie Fellow Grant). Post-doc fellowship. 2005-2009 Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), "Rientro dei Cervelli" coordinator of the project “Genome sequencing of probiotic and pathogenic bifidobacterial strains: insights from genetics and comparative genomics” (138.000 €). 2005-2006 European Commission (Marie Curie Reintegration Grant) coordinator of the project entitled “Genome sequencing of the pathogenic bifidobacterial strain Bifidobacterium dentium” (40.000 €). 2006-2010 Coordinator of the industrial project “Isolation and Molecular Characterization of new probiotic bacteria” (project sponsored by Parmalat spa) (1.000.000 €). 2010-2011 Coordinator of the industrial project “Molecular characterization of lactic acid bacteria used as starter bacteria” (project sponsored by Sacco srl) (68.750 €). 2010-2012 Coordinator of the industrial project “Genetics insights from the genome sequences of Bifidobacterium breve 1205 and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum 1206, through probiogenomics analyses” (project sponsored by Alimentary Health, Cork, Ireland) (73.200 €). 2010-2012 i-linkprojects sponsored by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) “Understanding the adaptation ability of bifidobacteria through functional genomics” (22.500 €). 2011-2012 Coordinator of the project “Developing of novel probiotic bacteria” (project sponsored by the Bank Foundation Cariparma) (18.000 €). 2011-2015 Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR). Coordinator of the project “Isolation and molecular characterization of novel probiotic bacteria” (736.000 €). 2014-2015 Regione Emilia Romagna. Coordinator of the project ”DNA sequencing of the gut microbiome” (€60,000). 2014-2017 Local coordinator of the project “A metagenomic approach to detail probiotic infant gut microbes vertically acquired from breast-milk and environmental sources and their effect on the infant gut microbial colonization”. (project sponsored by the Bank Foundation Caritro) (€70,000) Achievements in technology transfer. -2012. Establishment of the Academic spin off “GenProbio srl. The mission of GenProbio is the isolation, characterization of novel probiotic bacterial strains for the food- and pharmaceutical industries. The applicant is the CEO of GenProbio srl. Research interests. The main topics of research include: 1) Genomics and Postgenomics of probiotic bacteria. 2) Microbial biodiversity of the human intestine. 3) Genetics of bacteriophages. 4) Stress response in bifidobacteria. 5) Evolution of probiotic bacteria Publications. The main bibliometric indexes (Scopus, 01/04/2021) are as follows: n. of documents present 244, n. of total citations: 12645, H-index: 62; Dr. Ventura has also contributed to the publication of 11 book chapters and two special issues in specialized scientific journals. Invited lectures and seminars -“Bifidobacteria: and the human gut microbiota: an example of social behavior” 43 rd Congress of the Italian Society of Microbiology, Naples Italy, 27-30 September 2015 (invited lecture). -“Bifidobacteria and humans: an example of microbe-host co-evolution”, AGI, Genetic School of Cortona, 23rd-24th June 2014, Cortona, Italy (invited lecture). -“Bifidobacteria and human gut”, Mini Symposium on the microbiota, University of Trento, February 14th-15th 2014 (lecture). -“Genomics as a mean to understand microbial ecology: the case of bifidobacteria”, XLII National Congress AMCLI, 12th-15th November 2013, Rimini, Italy. (invited lecture). -“Bifidobacteria”, Eagen Postgraduate course Gut Microbiome Nutrition and Health, Rome, Italy, July 10th-11th 2013. (lecture). -“Insights into ecology and genomics of bifidobacteria”, Graduate School in Molecular Science and Plant, Food and Environmental Biotechnology, University of Milan, 22nd April 2013. (lecture). -“Bifidobacteria: host-interactions and comparisons with other actinobacterial genomes”, Actinobacteria within soils Symposium 25th – 28th October 2012, Münster, Germany (plenary lecture). -“Diversity of the human gut microbiota”, 24° Congresso Nazionale Società Italiana di Diabetologia, Torino, Italy 23rd-26th May 2012 (invited lecture). -“In silico analyses of bifidobacterial genomes: an example of genetic adaptation to the human gut”. 38° Congresso Nazionale della Società Italiana di Microbiologia, 17th-20th October, 2010, Riccione, Italy (invited lecture). -“The genome sequence of Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010 reveals genetic strategies for utilization of host-derived glycans” 3rd International Symposium on Propionibacteria and Bifidobacteria, Oviedo Spain 1st-6th June 2010 (invited lecture) -“Microbiomic analysis of intestinal microflora” European Intestinal Transport Group, Meeting, Salerno, Italy 7th-10th April 2010 (Keynote lecture). -“The impact of bacterial genomics and functional genomics in the understanding of the molecular basis of health promoting activities of bifidobacteria” Nu.Tri.Sci. 2009, Meeting, Novara, Italy 1st of October 2009 (invited lecture). -“The impact of phages on bacterial chromosomes of human gut commensals: a genomic based analysis” Minisymposium of Phages and Host interaction. Parma, Italy 29th of September 2009. (invited lecture) -“From ecology to genomics of probiotic bacteria”. 5th Probiotics&Prebiotics new Foods. Rome, 13rd-15th September 2009. (invited lecture). -“The new frontiers in probiotic research: microbial ecology of the human gut and probiogenomics”. NutrEvent Meeting, Lille, France June 17th-18th, 2009. (invited lecture) -“Probiogenomics of bifidobacteria: insights into the molecular basis of probiosis”. SIMGBM, 28th National Meeting, Spoleto, Italy, June 11-13, 2009 (plenary lecture). -“Probiogenomics & bifidobacteria. Mini-symposium Applications of genomics to LAB”. The new horizon. 9th Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria. Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands, August 31 to September 4, 2008 (invited lecture) -“Probiogenomics and bifidobacteria: the case of the whole genome sequencing of two human intestinal commensal bifidobacteria”. The new horizon. 9th Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria. Egmond aan Zee, The Netherlands, August 31 to September 4, 2008. (Poster Flash presentation). -“Bifidobacteria : from ecology to genomics the case of a natural gut inhabitant” Prokaryotic meeting, Cortona, Italy 14th-15th March, 2008. (invited lecture) -“How bifidobacterial genomics could help in understanding probiotic functionality”. 4th probiotics and prebiotics new food. Rome, 16th-18th September 2007. (invited lecture). -“Probiogenomics and bifidobacteria : the case of a natural gut inhabitant”. 14th International Symposium on the Biology of Actinomycetes. NewCastle, UK 26th-30th August 2007 (invited lecture). -“First insights into the genome sequence analysis of the mouth-commensal Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1”. FoodMicro 2006, Bologna, Italy 29th August 2nd September 2006 (invited lecture). -“Stress response in Bifidobacterium breve UCC 2003”. International symposium on propionibacteria & bifidobacteria: dairy and probiotic applications, Saint-Malo. (short talk). 2nd-4th June 2004. Chair of congress’s session. -SIMGBM, 30th National Meeting, Ravenna, Italy, September 24th-26th, 2015. “The Human Holobiome” (session). -Eagen Postgraduate course Gut Microbiome Rome, Italy, July 10th-11th, 2013. Nutrition and Health, session “Different microbes for different functions?” (session), -Actinobacteria within soils Symposium 25th – 28th October 2012, Münster, Germany. “Interaction of Actinobacteria with other organisms” (session). -SIMGBM, 29th National Meeting, Pisa, Italy, September 21st-23rd, 2011. “Molecular ecology and gut microbiota” (session).