Eugenia Messina | Industrial Biotechnology | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Biotechnology Scientist

Dr. Eugenia Messina | Industrial Biotechnology | Best Researcher Award

Research Fellow at University of Bari Aldo Moro | Italy

Dr. Eugenia Messina is a distinguished researcher in biotechnology and microbial metabolic engineering, currently serving as a Research Fellow at the Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies, and Environment, University of Bari “Aldo Moro,” Italy. Her research focuses on the metabolic and genetic engineering of Yarrowia lipolytica and other non-conventional yeasts for the sustainable synthesis of industrially relevant compounds and the bioconversion of plastic-derived monomers. She has made significant contributions to the development of microbial platforms for plastic upcycling, biochemical characterization of mitochondrial transporters, and metabolic pathways related to fatty acid and isocitric acid production. Messina has authored 8 scientific documents indexed in Scopus, which have collectively received 110 citations from 108 documents, reflecting an h-index of 6-demonstrating the growing influence and recognition of her research. Her publications include papers in Bioresource Technology, Pharmaceutics, Microbial Cell Factories, Frontiers in Microbiology, Metabolic Engineering, FEBS Letters, and Biochemical Journal, along with a European patent on the metabolic engineering of Yarrowia lipolytica for isocitric acid production. She has been recognized with the HERITAGE 2024 Award from the Biotechnology Group of the Italian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SIB), as well as multiple travel grants and presentation awards. Through interdisciplinary research and innovative approaches in bioengineering, Messina’s work contributes to advancing circular bioeconomy strategies, microbial biotechnology, and sustainable bioprocess development.

Profile: Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

Brito, D. S., Agrimi, G., Charton, L., Brilhaus, D., Bitetto, M. G., Lana-Costa, J., Messina, E., Nascimento, C. P., Feitosa-Araújo, E., Pires, M. V., Pérez-Díaz, J. L., Obata, T., Porcelli, V., Palmieri, L., Araújo, W. L., Weber, A. P. M., Linka, N., Fernie, A. R., Palmieri, F., & Nunes-Nesi, A. (2020). Biochemical and functional characterization of a mitochondrial citrate carrier in Arabidopsis thaliana. Biochemical Journal, 477(9), 1759–1777.

Yuzbasheva, E. Y., Scarcia, P., Yuzbashev, T. V., Messina, E., Kosikhina, I. M., Palmieri, L., Shutov, A. V., Taratynova, M. O., Amaro, R. L., Palmieri, F., Sineoky, S. P., & Agrimi, G. (2021). Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for the selective and high-level production of isocitric acid through manipulation of mitochondrial dicarboxylate-tricarboxylate carriers. Metabolic Engineering, 65, 156–166.

Messina, E., de Souza, C. P., Cappella, C., Barile, S. N., Scarcia, P., Pisano, I., Palmieri, L., Nicaud, J. M., & Agrimi, G. (2023). Genetic inactivation of the carnitine/acetyl-carnitine mitochondrial carrier of Yarrowia lipolytica leads to enhanced odd-chain fatty acid production. Microbial Cell Factories, 22(1), 128.

Castellani, S., Iaconisi, G. N., Tripaldi, F., Porcelli, V., Trapani, A., Messina, E., Guerra, L., Di Franco, C., Maruccio, G., Monteduro, A. G., Corbo, F., Di Gioia, S., Trapani, G., & Conese, M. (2024). Dopamine and citicoline co-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles as multifunctional nanomedicines for Parkinson’s disease treatment by intranasal administration. Pharmaceutics, 16(8), 1048.

Messina, E., Zbigniew, L., Barile, S., Moroz, P., Scarcia, P., Palmieri, L., Pisano, I., & Agrimi, G. (2025). Acetate co-feeding increases ethylene glycol assimilation and glycolic acid production in Yarrowia lipolytica. Bioresource Technology. (Accepted October 2025).

Masoumeh Bararzadeh Ledari | Bioprocess Engineering | Best Research Article Award

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Dr. Masoumeh Bararzadeh Ledari | Bioprocess Engineering | Best Research Article Award

Lecturer at Amirkabir University of Technology | Iran

Dr. Masoumeh Bararzadeh Ledari is an accomplished academic, researcher, and technical consultant specializing in energy engineering, climate change, sustainable resource management, and decarbonization strategies, with significant experience across academia, industry, and international collaborations. She earned her Ph.D. in Energy Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran (2014–2021), where her doctoral thesis focused on hybrid technology evaluation models for minimizing ecosystem sustainability impacts, following her M.Sc. in Energy Engineering from the same institution (2009–2011) and a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tehran (2004–2008). Throughout her career, she has held academic positions as Lecturer, Adjunct Professor, and Instructor at leading Iranian universities, including AmirKabir University of Technology, Sharif University of Technology, and the University of Tehran, where she has taught courses in renewable energy systems, waste management, building energy simulation, and optimization. Her professional experience extends to leadership roles such as Scientific Director at Tadbirgaran Energy Company, Technical Manager at the Presidential Center for Progress and Development, and Head of Technology Management Groups at multiple organizations, including Butia Steel Company and Engineering & Industrial Management Consultants Group, where she has directed projects in hydrogen energy transition, carbon capture and storage, petrochemical value chains, and energy-environmental modeling. She has also contributed internationally as a Research Scientist at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria and the Research Centre for Energy Resources and Consumption in Spain, focusing on water-food-energy nexus models and thermodynamic modeling of biosystems. Her research interests include climate change mitigation, regenerative life models, corporate decarbonization in petrochemical and steel industries, exergy-based ecosystem analysis, and AI-driven energy optimization. Skilled in technical-economic feasibility studies, LCA/LCP modeling, energy policy, greenhouse gas accounting, and process simulation, she has authored influential research cited over 400 times (h-index 11). Her honors include leading multi-sectoral projects with UNDP, FAO, and national ministries on climate policy, stakeholder engagement, and natural resource management. In conclusion, Masoumeh Bararzadeh Ledari has established herself as a versatile scholar and practitioner who bridges academia, industry, and policymaking, advancing innovative approaches to sustainable energy, climate resilience, and decarbonization pathways, while contributing to both national development and global sustainability initiatives.

Profile: Scopus | Google scholar

Featured Publications

Sabet, A. F., Ledari, M. B., Maleki, F., & Fani, M. (2025). Exergy and thermoeconomic comparison of sustainable methanol and ammonia production from waste and CO₂. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 119148.

Ledari, M. B., Barkhordar, Z. A., & Maleki, F. (2025). Unveiling the potential of bio-based petrochemical development for a sustainable circular economy: A global perspective. Chemical Engineering Journal, 167974.

Kordi, A., Mohebbi, K., Ledari, M. B., & Shirafkan, S. M. (2025). Transforming ports for a low-carbon future: Nexus modeling of hydrogen infrastructure, employment, and resource management in contrasting climates. Energy Nexus, 100515.

Shirafkan, S. M., Ledari, M. B., Mohebbi, K., Fani, M., & Vahedi, R. (2025). Revolutionising the petrochemical supply chain: Integrating waste and CO₂ from CCUS into a low-carbon circular economy framework. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 116722.

Ledari, M. B., Esmaeilinejad, H., & Joda, F. (2025). Integrated resource management subsequent to climate change: A nexus approach for energy, water and food security. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.