Paola Battilani is a Full Professor in Plant Pathology at the Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università Cattolica del S. Cuore in Piacenza. Her research interests lie in the ecology of fungi, with a focus on mycotoxin-producing fungi and the development of mechanistic models for predicting fungal impact on hostcrops and mycotoxin production. She has developed decision support systems for sustainable plant disease and mycotoxin management to deliver useful tools for stakeholders. She is one of the founders of the International Society of Mycotoxicology and the president of the Italian Society of Plant Pathology.