Prof. Henrik Toft Simonsen is an expert in natural product biosynthesis and plant metabolic engineering. His research integrates biotechnology and synthetic biology to explore sustainable production of high-value biomolecules. He has extensive experience in translational research bridging academia and industrial innovation.
Keynote Speakers
Meet Our Esteemed Keynote Speakers
Our conference brings together leading experts in biomolecules. Below is an overview of the keynote speakers who will share their insights at the event.
We are honored to host renowned researchers and industry leaders who will present groundbreaking research, innovative solutions, and forward-thinking perspectives to help shape the future of the field.
Additional speakers will be announced and added to this page gradually as they are confirmed.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speaker Session 1
Prof. Henrik Toft Simonsen
Professor of Plant Biochemistry & Biotechnology, Laboratoire de Biotechnologies Végétales Appliquées aux Plantes Aromatiques et Médicinales, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne, France
Keynote Lecture: Natural Products from plants you normally disregard - or even do not see
Keynote Speaker Session 1
Prof. Masaharu Mizutani
Professor of Functional Phytochemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Japan
Keynote Lecture: From Marchantia polymorpha to Biosynthetic Innovations: What Basal Land Plants Teach Us about Chemical Evolution
Prof. Masaharu Mizutani is a leading researcher at Kobe University specializing in plant biochemistry and metabolic engineering. His work focuses on biosynthetic pathways of specialized metabolites and their functional roles in plant systems. His research contributes to advancing sustainable production strategies and understanding plant-derived biomolecules.
🔗MIZUTANI Masaharu(Graduate School of Agricultural Science / Department of Agrobioscience)｜Kobe University Directory of Researchers
Keynote Speaker Session 2
Dr. Sébastien Rigali
Maître de Recherche FNRS & Researcher, Department of Life Sciences, University of Liège, Belgium
Keynote Lecture: When, Where, and Why Specialised Metabolites Are Produced: Inferring Function and Structure from Expression Control
Prof. Sébastien Rigali is a specialist in microbial genetics and biotechnology at the University of Liège. His research focuses on regulatory networks controlling secondary metabolite production in bacteria. His work has significant implications for discovering and optimizing bioactive compounds.
Keynote Speaker Session 3
Dr. Joleen Masschelein
Group Leader, Laboratory for Biomolecular Discovery & Engineering, KU Leuven & VIB, Belgium
Keynote Lecture: Metabarcoding Approaches for Exploring Biosynthetic Gene Cluster Diversity
Dr. Joleen Maschelein is a researcher affiliated with KU Leuven and the VIB research institute in Ghent. Her work centers on microbial natural products, biosynthetic gene clusters, and genome mining approaches to discover novel biomolecules with pharmaceutical and biotechnological relevance.
🔗Joleen Masschelein — Laboratory for Biomolecular Discovery & Engineering
Keynote Speaker Session 3
Dr. Gianfranco Diretto
Senior Researcher, Plant Metabolic Engineering & Functional Genomics, ENEA, Rome, Italy
Keynote Lecture: Metabolomics and the Dark Metabolome: From Detection to Functional Insight
Dr. Gianfranco Diretto is a senior researcher at ENEA, specializing in plant metabolic engineering and biofortification strategies. His research explores the manipulation of metabolic pathways to enhance nutritional quality and functional biomolecules in crops.
Keynote Speaker Session 4
Prof. Nadine Ziemert
University of Tübingen – Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine
Keynote Lecture: Metagenomes as Biomolecule Reservoirs: Big-Data Strategies to Reveal Biosynthetic Diversity
Prof. Nadine Ziemert is a leading expert in microbial genomics and natural product discovery at the University of Tübingen. Her research combines bioinformatics, genome mining, and microbiology to uncover novel bioactive compounds and understand microbial diversity.
🔗Prof. Dr. Nadine Ziemert | Cluster of Excellence CMFI, University of Tübingen
Organizers
