Maurizio Vurro is a plant pathologist specialized in parasitic weed management; weed biological control, production and biological characterization of bioactive metabolites by phytopathogenic fungi; use of microbes, microbial products and natural metabolites as agrochemicals. He is employed as Director of Research at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), National Research Council (CNR) in Bari, Italy. He was the coordinator of several projects, and acted as the scientific and local organizer of several international events, e.g., among others: an EU Project on the use of microbes for biocontrol; an EU Life project on Ailanthus management; a Rockefeller/OECD-CRP Conference; a NATO Advanced School and a NATO Workshop; an OECD conference on parasitic weed management; the 11' World Congress on Parasitic Plants; the 13' European Weed Research Society Symposium. He was involved in several European COST actions. He is the coordinator of the WG Parasitic Weeds within the EWRS.