PhD student profile, Gabriele Capriglia

PhD Student: Gabriele Capriglia (ORCID n. 0009-0008-5945-3369)

 

Supervisor: Prof. Sara Borin

Co-tutor: Prof. Francesca Mapelli

Dean: Prof. Diego Mora

Research area: Agri-Environment

 

Research topic

Environmental microbiomes: characterization and biotechnological exploitation 

 

Project Synopsis

Plant-microbiome synergy for hydrocarbon bioremediation of polluted soils.

Soil pollution represents a significant threat to the integrity of ecological systems and to human health. The currently available techniques for soil remediation are expensive and impractical at large scale, thereby the development of alternative, environmentally friendly methodologies are required. This PhD research investigates the beneficial interactions between plants and bacteria with the objective of designing an effective rhizoremediation approach to cleanup hydrocarbon-polluted soils. Based on the “cry for help” phenomenon, the research exploits the plant capability to release root exudates to recruit specific component of the soil microbiome, able to alleviate the plant stress. In polluted soils, the plants stimulate the growth of microbial communities, ultimately promoting the biodegradation activity. Through a multiomics approach, the project will i) decipher microbial dynamics in hydrocarbon polluted soils, ii) identify root exudate specifically released in response to pollution and iii) obtain novel bacterial collections with the final aim to enhance microbial degradation pathways and improve plant performance in contaminated soils.

 

Project keywords

Soil microbiome, Plant-microbe interactions, Rhizoremediation, Hydrocarbons

 

Contacts

Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy

e-mail: gabriele.capriglia@unimi.it

 

Collaborations

This PhD project is conducted in the frame of the Horizon Europe NYMPHE project (Grant Agreement number 101060625), coordinated by the University of Bologna. For more information, please visit the project’s website: https://www.nympheproject.eu/

 

Sponsor

Fellowship sponsor: Università degli Studi di Milano

 

Others

Education:

Master Degree in “Biotechnology for the bioeconomy”, Università degli Studi di Milano – 2024.

Bachelor Degree in “Biotecnologia (L-2) agroambientale-alimentare”, Università degli Studi di Milano – 2021.

Leave a Comment (or Reply)

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *