Prof. Dr. Francesco Dondero is Professor of Ecology at the Department of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria, Italy. He is principal investigator and coordinator of the Global chAnge ecology and biologicAl control (GAyA) laboratories in Alessandria (I) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); his main research topics are Molecular Systems Biology; Systems Toxicology; the biological effects of pollution, i.e,. nanomaterials and microplastics; heavy metal binding proteins; and related biotechnological applications. Currently, Dr. Dondero is also visiting professor of Systems Biology at the Institute of Biophysics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Currently he has been appointed as scientific expert for different international funding agencies such as the National Environmental Research Center (NERC), UK; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Brazil; Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR), France; and Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Belgium. Dr. Dondero is an expert on innovation and former founder and scientific director, from 2000 to 2010, of the biotech start-up Ikzus Ricerche Mare e Ambiente, Italy.