Prof Paolo Pesaresi
Paolo Pesaresi, Full Professor of Genetics at University of Milan, Italy
1998: Post-graduate Internship at CRA-Research Centre for Genomics in Fiorenzuola d’Arda, under the supervision of Dr. Luigi Cattivelli. The project was aimed at investigating the role of few barley genes involved in cold resistance;
1999-2002: PhD student at the Max-Planck-Institute für Züchtungsforschung, Cologne, Germany. The project was aimed to identify and characterize genes involved at different levels in the process of photosynthesis through a functional genomics approach, under the supervision of Prof. Dario Leister.
2002-2005: Research Fellow (Post-doc) at the Max-Planck-Institute für Züchtungsforschung in Cologne, Germany. The project was aimed to identify genes involved in the regulation of photosynthesis.
In 2006, he joined the University of Milan as Assistant Professor. In 2015, he was appointed Associated Professor and in February 2023 he became Full Professor of Genetics. He is leading the PhotoLab group interested in the short- and long-term regulation of the light phase of photosynthesis and in chloroplast biogenesis, using functional genomics approaches on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana and in barley.
Title: BEST-CROP: Boosting photosynthesis to deliver novel crops for the circular bioeconomy
Webinar date: Tuesday 5th December 14.00 CET
Abstract: There is a need for a ground-breaking technology to boost crop yield (both grains and biomass) and its processing into materials of economic interests. Novel crops with enhanced photosynthesis and assimilation of green-house gasses, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3), and tailored straw suitable for industrial manufacturing will be the foundation of this radical change. BEST-CROP will capitalize on very promising strategies to improve the photosynthetic properties and ozone assimilation of barley. The resulting barley straw will be tailored to: i) increase straw protein content to make it suitable as an alternative feed production source; ii) control cellulose/lignin contents and lignin properties to develop construction panels and straw reinforced polymer composites. Based on precedent, we expect that improving our targeted traits will result in increases in above ground total biomass production by 15-20% without modification of the harvest index, and there will be added benefits in sustainability via better resource-use efficiency of water and nitrogen.