COMMITTEES

Dr. María-Teresa García-Conesa has developed a substantial part of her work in the area of characterization, metabolism and beneficial health effects of plant derived bioactive compounds. The first part of her work was carried out at the Institute of Food Research (Norwich, UK) where she attained her Ph.D. on Biology by the University of East Anglia (2000). She has been a Tenured Scientist at CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain) since 2005 where she focussed on the molecular processes associated to the benefits of bioactive compounds and derived metabolites as well as on the understanding of the human responses to the intake of these compounds and inter-individual variability. This work has been conducted under the frame of regionally and nationally funded projects and European collaborative networks (COST Action FA1403 POSITIVe, 2014-2018) which has led to more than 100 publications and communications (H-index 57). She has also been actively involved in projects related to the Mediterranean Diet and its association with health and wellbeing (MeDiWeb, 2019-2021). Recently she coordinated the ERASMUS European project GOODFOOD: Education to become responsible food consumers directed to secondary school teachers and students to promote sustainable and healthy eating behaviour. Recognised by the University of Stanford, in collaboration with Elsevier, in the ‘Ranking of the World Scientists: World’s Top 2% Scientists’ in the area of Nutrition and Diet (2025).

Silvia Navarro Orcajada is a Postdoctoral Researcher at CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain). She completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Murcia in 2024. Her research focuses on the synthesis, characterisation, encapsulation, and biological activity of bioactive compounds, particularly stilbenes and other phenolic compounds. Her work aims to investigate the in vivo bioactivity and metabolism of these molecules, as well as to develop novel strategies to overcome their current limitations, thereby enhancing their potential applications in the food, pharmacological, and cosmetic industries. She has co-authored over 15 high-impact publications and actively participates in knowledge-transfer and outreach activities, fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

Dr. María Ángeles Ávila-Gálvez is a Tenured Scientist at the Food & Health Lab, CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain). She holds degrees in Pharmacy and Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and obtained her PhD in Food Technology, Nutrition, and Food Science (with honors) from the University of Murcia in 2020. Her research focuses on understanding the metabolism, bioavailability, and biological effects of dietary polyphenols and other bioactive compounds, integrating metabolomic, cellular, and in vivo approaches. She explores how these compounds and their physiollogical metabolites modulate processes involved in chronic diseases and pathologies. Dr. Ávila-Gálvez has authored 41 papers in high-impact international journals (H-index: 16) and participated in over 20 national and international research projects, as well as in several industry-funded contracts, some of them as Principal Investigator. Her work contributes to advancing precision nutrition and translational health research.

Lucía Vázquez is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CEBAS-CSIC, Murcia, Spain). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology (2013) from the University of Oviedo and a Master’s degree in Advanced Microbiology (2014) from the University of Barcelona. She obtained her Ph.D. in Microbiology with honors (2020, Extraordinary Doctorate Award) from the University of Oviedo, where she investigated the metabolism of isoflavones and the formation of equol by gut bacteria at IPLA-CSIC. Her current research focuses on plant-based fermented foods and their interaction with the gut microbiota, combining microbiological and metabolomic approaches to explore microbial dynamics and bioactive compound production.

Dr. Juan A. Giménez Bastida is currently a Tenured Scientist at CEBAS-CSIC. He holds a PhD in Food Science and Technology and carried out his doctoral research in the Department of Food Science and Technology at that institution between 2008 and 2012. Subsequently, he spent five years working as a postdoctoral reseacher—first in the Department of Food Chemistry and Biodynamics (Olsztyn, Poland), and later in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN, USA), where he continued his studies on the beneficial effects associated with the consumption of plant-based foods. In 2018, he returned to CEBAS-CSIC, where he has developed his scientific career to the present day thanks to programs funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Juan de la Cierva, Ramón y Cajal), the CSIC (MSCA-ERC program), and the European Commission (MSCA fellowship). His research interest focuses on two different groups of molecules, namely (poly)phenols and eicosanoids, and the study of how the interaction of these two families of compounds impacts on human health. Specifically, in recent years, his projects have been focused on the study of the effects of (poly)phenol consumption on vascular health – using cellular and animal models – and their capacity to modulate eicosanoids biosynthesis, as well as the investigation of unprecedented mechanisms by which (poly)phenols may exert their beneficial effects.

Carlos J. Garcia is a Ramon and Cajal researcher at CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia, Spain). He obtained his Ph.D. in Nutrition, Bromatology, and Food Science and Technology with honors in 2019. He is food scientist specializing in untargeted metabolomics and its applications in phytochemicals, nutrition and health. His main research line focuses on the modulation of gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism by phytochemicals to address metabolic syndrome. He has published his research in SCI journals, including first and corresponding author, with over 70% appearing in Q1-ranked journals (0000-0002-5813-092X). His publications have garnered hundreds of citations, underscoring their significant impact.

I am Head of the Natural Bioactives and Nutraceuticals area at iBET, with a degree in Biological Engineering (IST) and a PhD in Biotechnology (ITQB-NOVA). Since 2004, I have led research focused on developing functional ingredients from natural sources, including traditional Portuguese fruits and agrifood industry by-products, using sustainable extraction technologies and bioactivity assays. My strong interest in cell-based models led to a one-year postdoctoral internship at iBET’s ACTU unit (2014), where I gained expertise in cancer stem cell biology and bioprocessing, within a project developed in close collaboration with Merck Serono. This experience provided me with the scientific foundation to develop advanced colorectal cancer models for evaluating food bioactives, which remains a key focus of my research

Currently, I lead multidisciplinary research projects funded by FCT, EU programs, and private partners in the food and pharmaceutical industries. My work focuses on: (i) designing innovative processes for extraction, purification, and formulation of natural bioactive compounds; (ii) developing analytical and cell-based tools to assess health-promoting effects of foods and natural bioactives; (iii) coordinating human intervention studies to evaluate bioavailability and efficacy of bioactives in foods and nutraceuticals.

CV Highlights: (i) 77 publications; (ii) Invited Scientist at UFSM in Brazil (2022); iii) Invited lecture of master/doctoral programs; (vi) Awarded by portuguese associations and industries (Nutrition Awards 2011, Nutrition Awards 2012 and Aveleda Award 2013-White wine and Health).

Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán studied Pharmacy at Valencia University (1975-1980) and PhD in 1984. Research Professor of CSIC (Murcia, Spain). He has been a visiting scientist at Reading University (UK), Laussane University (Switzerland), Lyon University (France), and UCDavis (USA). His research focuses on the role of food polyphenols in human health, their interactions with the gut microbiota, and their potential for personalised nutrition using a metabolomics approach. He has transferred research results to industry, resulting in six patents (three of which have been licensed), and derived products are currently on the market. Author of over 430 publications in scientific journals within the fields of phytochemistry, food science, and nutrition (H-index = 117 in Web of Science Core). Highly Cited Scientist (Clarivate) 2014-2025.

Dr David VAUZOUR is an Associate Professor in Molecular Nutrition at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK. Dr Vauzour has longstanding interest on the impact of food bioactives on (neuro)degenerative disorders and to develop novel strategies to delay brain ageing and cognitive decline. His recent interests concern how food bioactives and gut-derived metabolites modulate the gut microbiome-brain axis in ageing and neurodegenerative disorders and their underlying molecular mechanisms. To date Dr Vauzour has published over 100 peer reviewed articles, serves as the Associate Editor for many journals and currently sits on the ILSI Europe Scientific Advisory Committee.

Dr. Diego A. Moreno, Ph.D. Research Group “Phytochemistry and Healthy Foods Lab” (LabFAS) CSIC, CEBAS. Campus Universitario de Espinardo – 25. Murcia, Spain.

Research Scientist (2018 – present), in State Agency CSIC (Spanish National Research Council). Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (U. Granada, Spain, 2000). Permanent position as staff scientist since 2008 and previously postdoctoral associate (‘Ramón y Cajal’ 2006 – 2008, and I3P-CSIC 2005-2006). The postdoctoral experience abroad started as at Ilya Raskin’s Lab in the Biotech Center of the Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey (New Brunswcik, NJ, US) from 2001 to 2004. Research and innovation activity focused on plant-food as biofactories of health-promoting ingredients. Biostimulation (priming, elicitors) of sprouts and microgreens (Brassicas) to enrich their composition of bioactive compounds (glucosinolates/isothiocyanates, phenolic compounds) as health-promoters. The line of work “from seed to plant, food and health”, involves the investigation with natural fresh foods (sprouts, microgreens) and processed ingredients rich in bioactive compounds against chronic non-communicable diseases (obesity, diabetes) targeting the energy metabolism and the adipogenesis and understanding the activity of these bioaccessible and bioavailable metabolites in the multiparametric conditions of obesity and related comorbidities.

Dr Dragan Milenkovic is Associate Professor at Plant for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, USA. Before that he was a Faculty Researcher at the Department of Nutrition at University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA, and beforehand a Scientific Research at French Institute for Agricultural research. He received his master’s degree in genetics and molecular modelling from University of Paris, France, and his PhD from University of Versailles, France, in molecular genetics. His research aims to demonstrate health effects of micronutrients, particularly polyphenols, on (neuro)vascular function and development and/or prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as identify underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of action using integrated multiomics and bioinformatics. His projects also aim to identify variability in responsiveness to intake of these nutrients and identify factors involved, such as gender, age, health status or genetic polymorphism. His projects use translational research approach involving in-vitro studies, animal models and clinical trials. He has published over 120 research papers and has over 8, 800 citations.

Isidra Recio, PhD in Pharmacy by University Complutense of Madrid. Research Professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute of Food Science Research, CIAL (CSIC-UAM) in Madrid (Spain). Co-author of more than 170 publications in indexed scientific journals These articles have been cited over 18,000 times and she has an h-index of 61 (Web of Knowledge). She was awarded as Highly Cited Resercher from 2019 to date by this scientific citation index. Her research has been also oriented to the industry with 10 patent applications; two of them have been licensed to the industry.

Main research interests aim to study health implications of the protein fraction of foods and their physiological effect when they are consumed, especially intestinal signalling of food protein digestion products. Other research activities include: the upgrade proteins by enzymatic hydrolysis, and fermentation to obtain products with enhanced functional and biological properties; development of cost-effective methods to produce functional ingredients. She has worked at different international Institutes: NIZO food research (The Netherlands, 1997-2000) and AgroParisTech (France, 2013-2015).

Jara Pérez Jiménez holds an MSc and a PhD in Food Science and Technology from the Autonomous University of Madrid. She has worked in several research centres in Spain, France and USA (as Fulbright scholar), being currently a Tenured Scientist at the Institute of Food Science and Technology (ICTAN-CSIC). Dr. Pérez-Jiménez’s research activity has given place to more than 100 papers published in international scientific journals (> 10,000 citations, h-index 44) and invited seminars in universities from 9 countries. She is also co-author of a patent, was co-editor a book published by the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and was a member of the Committee of Experts in Human Nutrition of the French Agency for Food Safety (2015-18) Dr. Pérez-Jiménez has participated in more than 40 national and international research projects or contracts with food companies. Also, she has led research projects funded by the Spanish Goverment , the California Table Grape Commission and several food companies.

Jean-François Landrier is a French research director at INRAE (Institut National de la Recherche pour l'Agronomie, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement) and specialist in nutritional biochemistry and metabolism, with a particular focus on the effects of micronutrients on human health. He is based at the Centre de recherche en CardioVasculaire et Nutrition (C2VN, Marseille, France), affiliated with Aix-Marseille Université, where he leads significant research on micronutrition and metabolic diseases. He is more specifically recognized for his work probing how micronutrients influence adipose tissue and related metabolic pathways. His research has significantly contributed to understanding the mechanisms through which nutrients impact obesity, inflammation, and associated disorders.

Kateřina Valentová graduated in General and applied biochemistry, Biomedical engineering at the Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, UCT Prague (2000), where she completed a concurrent program of teaching chemistry (1999). She completed her PhD in Medicinal chemistry and biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of Palacký University in Olomouc (2004), where she then worked at the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Biochemistry and where she habilitated (2013). Since 2013, she works in the Laboratory of Biotransformation of the Institute of Microbiology of the CAS. She has gained international experience at University Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand; INSERM U541, Paris; National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana; INSERM U490, Paris; Université de Lille 2; University of Colorado; ITQB NOVA, Oeiras, PI; CNR Milano.

Kateřina Valentová conducts interdisciplinary research focusing on chemistry, (metabolic) biotransformations, use of enzymes for preparation of metabolites and biological activity of natural and semi-synthetic substances, especially polyphenols, flavonoids and flavonolignans, their derivatives and metabolites. She has published > 100 papers cited > 4500 times, her h-index is 35.

During her time at Palacký University, K. Valentová was intensively involved in teaching students of general medicine and dentistry. She leads Bc, MSc and PhD students and is a member of the PhD board of Medical Chemistry and Clinical Biochemistry at Palacký University.

Kateřina Valentová is a successful PI of national grants and a member of MCs of COST Actions. Her per-review activities are significant, she regularly reviews publications and grants, including European ones, she was/is a member of panels of the Czech Science Foundation and Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. In 2023 she organized the 4th International Conference on Food Bioactives & Health in Prague.

Dr. Pedro Mena is an Associate Professor in human nutrition at the University of Parma, Italy. His line of research is related to the bioavailability and biological activity of plant bioactives, with a particular focus on (poly)phenolic compounds and inter-individual variability. Pedro is also devoted to the development and use of realistic experimental models including multiple bioactive compounds, for more comprehensive approaches and to make science more robust and translatable.

Pedro is part on an incredible research team that is growing fast and enjoying together (good mood for good science) and was also co-chair of a previous FBHC edition (Parma, June 2022).

I am a Group Leader in the Food, Microbiome and Health Programme and the Post Graduate Research Director a t the Quadram Institute Bioscience. My research focusses on understanding the mechanisms by which dietary polyphenols are metabolised, absorbed and exert health benefits, with a focus on interactions with the gut microbiome. This knowledge is also used to inform the development of foods with health benefits that are supported by scientific evidence. I coordinated the EU FP7 BACCHUS project that focussed on developing the science to support health claims for food products containing bioactive peptides and polyphenols (http://www.bacchus-fp7.eu/) and the EU EIT-Food PERNUG project, and have been a partner in several other European projects including FP6-FLAVO, FP6-BaSeFood, FP7-ATHENA, the JPI-Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life project MaPLE and H2020 twinning project PhenolAcTwin with the TUBITAK institute. I organised the successful 1st International Conference on Food Bioactives and Health (September 2016) and Bioavailability 2018 conferences in Norwich. I am an editor for the Mol Nutr Food Res and Nutrire journals. I have published more than 230 refereed publications, been cited >24,000 times and have an H-index of 80 (Google Scholar).

Full Professor of Food Science and Nutrition in the Department of Food Technology, Nutrition and Food Science at Murcia University. She has participated in several regional, national and international research projects, as well as technology transfer projects in collaboration with different companies in the agri-food sector. She currently heads the research group “Food & Bioactivity” focus on the study of functionality of plant-based foods and their derivatives, the evaluation of bioactive compounds content, and their bio-accessibility and bioavailability, considering innovations aimed at improving food sustainability.

Antonio Cilla has a degree in Pharmacy (2003) and a degree in Food Science and Technology (2005) from the University of Valencia. He holds a PhD from the University of Valencia (Food Science doctoral program), with an Extraordinary Doctorate Award (2010). During his thesis, he carried out research stays at the CEBAS-CSIC (Murcia-Spain) (2007) and at the ICTAN-CSIC (Madrid-Spain) (2009). Likewise, he completed a postdoctoral stay at the STEBICEF of the University of Palermo (Italy) (2014). From September 2015 to December 2019 he served as Assistant Professor and from December 2019 to the present he is Associate Professor in the Area of ​​Nutrition and Food Science of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences at the University of Valencia where he has co-supervised 4 doctoral theses (3 more in progress), has directed more than 25 TFG and 20 TFM as well as 4 collaboration scholarships. He was also an adjunct professor between 2011-2015 and coordinator of the degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics in the 2014-2015 academic year at the Cardenal Herrera-CEU University.

Regarding his interests and scientific-technical objectives in the medium/long term, the aim is to expand knowledge about molecular mechanisms and processes (bioactivity and cytoprotection) related to functional foods, their bioactive components and physiologically relevant metabolites both in vitro and in vivo, to offer results that can be transferred to the industry and patentable, advance research into the influence of gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation on foods, and offer the consumer functional foods with a possible beneficial effect on health. More recently, he focuses his interests on eryptosis as a new biomarker of prognosis of cardiovascular disease in hypercholesterolemic subjects, as well as on the revaluation of by-products of food origin as a potential source of bioactive components with healthy effects.

As a result of this entire trajectory, he has 98 publications in international journals, 23 international book chapters, 16 participations in national projects (1 national PI, 1 regional PI, 1 university-hospital PI) and 3 international projects, 8 research contracts (1 PI with a company), 1 co-authorship of intellectual property registration, as well as participation in more than 135 national and international conferences.

Dr. Cláudia Nunes dos Santos is Principal Investigator at NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology (NIMSB). Her research is focused on understanding the role of polyphenols in providing the health benefits associated with consuming bioactive-rich plant foods and understanding the mechanistic basis of these beneficial changes. She is particularly interested in the ability of polyphenols metabolites produced by gut microbiota reach the brain and prevent or reverse the main hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases.

She received her PhD at University of Lisbon in Plant Biochemistry and conducted her postdoctoral studies at NOVA ITQB, Portugal. She then worked as a Research Group Leader of the Molecular Nutrition and Health Lab at ITQB, before joining NOVA Medical School in Lisbon. Currently she is Vice-Director for research at NIMSB.
She was awarded in 2018 with an ERC starting grant for zooming the link between diet and brain health focused in how gut phenolic metabolites modulate brain inflammation. Recently she was awarded with an ERC Proof-of-concept focused on a novel small molecule “NeuroShield” for tackling Parkinson’s Disease. She was also involved in a series of EU projects as a group leader and work-package leader (FP7-EUBerry; FP7-BacHBerry; Horizon2020-CHIC; HorizonEurope-deCYPher) and have attracted funding from Portuguese National Agency. She has published over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Antonio Pérez Gálvez is a Tenured Scientist at CSIC with expertise in food phytochemistry and metabolomics of natural pigments. With over 25 years of research experience, he focuses on carotenoids, chlorophylls, and bioactive compounds using high-resolution mass spectrometry. He has an extensive record of Q1 publications and leads competitive national and international projects. His work bridges chemistry, nutrition, and food technology, emphasizing bioavailability and metabolic pathways. He has contributed to the identification of novel pigments, metabolic routes, and state-of-the-art analytical methods. He maintains active collaborations across Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He is the author of multiple book chapters and a frequent invited speaker at international conferences. His academic activity includes teaching in master’s and doctoral programs and supervising scientific training.

Ana Rodriguez-Mateos is Professor of Human Nutrition at King’s College London. Her research focuses on the bioaccessibility, metabolism, and health effects of dietary (poly)phenols, particularly their roles in cardiovascular function and mental health, and the influence of the gut microbiome on these effects. She also develops novel tools for dietary assessment, including biomarkers of food intake using metabolomic approaches. She is a Registered Nutritionist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the UK Higher Education Academy, Programme Director of the BSc in Nutritional Sciences, Associate Editor of Food & Function, and co-founder and chair of the Nutrition Society’s Phytochemicals and Health Special Interest Group.