Researcher (RTdB) (Academic Discipline AGR/02 – Agronomy and Herbaceous Crops) at the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Science – University of Bari (Italy) from 9/06/2021. Research activity and expertise: • Plant biotechnology: tissue culture (micropropagation, organogenesis, somatic embryogenesis, synthetic seed technology), secondary metabolite production. • Conservation and propagation of plant biodiversity: conservation in situ and ex situ (seed banking, clonal collections), in vitro storage and cryopreservation. • Mycorrhizal symbiosis: biology of plant/fungus interactions on ex vitro and in vivo plants. Influence on the production and composition of active ingredients of medicinal plants. • Multiuse crops: uses in phytoremediation in soils contaminated by heavy metals. • Natural biopesticides of plant origin to improve the sustainable management of crop systems.