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.