Elena Bitocchi
Title: PhD
Position: Associate Professor at Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche (UNIVPM), Italy
Short biography and experience: Elena Bitocchi is Associate Professor in Plant Genetics at UNIVPM. Her research focuses on plant genomics and evolution, biodiversity conservation and characterization and plant breeding, with a main focus on legume species. She has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects, including Horizon Europe and H2020 initiatives such as INCREASE, BRESOV and BELIS projects, aimed to contribute to sustainable agriculture by exploiting crop biodiversity and evolution. She is also actively involved in teaching and academic mentoring.
Lecture title: From Wild to Cultivated: How Plants and Microbes Evolve Together
ORCID.: 0000-0002-2152-4634
ScopusID: 23134251800
Grégoire Aubert
Title: Mr
Position: INRAEe Research engineer, INRAE Agroecology, Dijon, France
Short biography and experience: I am working at INRAe Dijon, Agroecology Research Unit (France) in a group focusing on cool-season crop legumes genetics and genomics (pea, faba bean, lentil and white lupin). I’ve been involved with my colleagues in the development of genetic and genomic resources (genetic maps, reference genome sequence, genetic markers and genotyping tools) in order to facilitate genetic studies and the identification of genes and loci controlling interest traits in these crops.
Lecture title: Development of genomic resources and genotyping tools to boost breeding in crop legumes
ORCID.: 0000-0002-1867-5730
ScopusID: 7102891109
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Paolo Annicchiarico
Title: Dr.
Position: Director of Research
Short biography and experience: He has worked at the Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture of CREA since 1988, after a two-year working period at ICARDA. He got a PhD from the University of Aberystwyth. His main research interest is the genetic improvement of grain and forage legumes, with a focus on genetic resources, genomic selection, and agroecology-based approaches. He bred several registered varieties, authored over 300 papers, and lectured in many international courses. He was President of ILS from 2019 to 2023.
Lecture title: Agroecological, genomical, and diversity-based approaches for yield improvement of grain and forage legumes
ORCID.: 0000-0001-8027-1035
ScopusID: 7004145557
Diego Rubiales
Title: Professor Dr.
Position: Professor
Short biography and experience: Full Professor at the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, CSIC, at Córdoba, Spain. Research interest in legume breeding for pest and disease resistance. Extensive experience in participation and coordination of research both at national and international level. Current President of the Spanish Legume Society (AEL), Coordinator of Spanish Legume Network (RELEG), and Secretary and Treasurer of ILS having been previously President (2012-2016). Has has directed 37 successful PhD, co-authored a total of 400 articles in SCI Journals with IF, reaching H=63.
Lecture title: Legume breeding for pest and disease resistance
ORCID.: 0000-0001-9644-8616
ScopusID: 8930304100
Thomas Wilkinson
Title: Dr.
Position: Senior Crop Research Consultant, Sustainable Agricultural Systems, RSK ADAS Ltd.
Short biography and experience: Thomas’ focus is the incorporation of Ecosystem Service (ES) monitoring into good agricultural practice. He is lead of the Pilot Studies and ES Indicators WP in the legumES Horizon Europe project, and at the national level, has managed the evaluation of ES trade-offs of legume fallow management practices. He co-leads a WP in the Innovate UK Nitrogen Climate Smart project to better account for N provision by pulses. He is a technical lead of the farmer- industry-researcher Pulse Yield Enhancement Networks which benchmark and optimise pulse productivity, leading to pulse growth guides.
Lecture title: Integrating legume Ecosystem Service monitoring into good agricultural practice
ORCID.: 0000-0002-0621-5219
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Marion Prudent
Title: Dr.
Position: Director of Research at INRAE Dijon
Short biography and experience: Marion Prudent is Research Director in ecophysiology in the Agroecology department, INRAE Dijon. Her main research interest is the resilience of grain legumes to abiotic stresses, leading or participating in national and international projects devoted to valorize plants and soil microbe interactions for improved plant water and mineral acquisition. She works closely with microbiologists, physiologists and biochemists. She leads the Grain Legume Ecophysiology team of her department, and leads the 4PMI high-throughput plant phenotyping platform under controlled conditions.
Lecture title: Optimising plant-microorganism interactions to improve legume resilience to abiotic stress
ORCID.: 0000-0003-4696-2558
ScopusID:
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Maria Carlota Vaz Patto
Title: PhD
Position: Principal Investigator
Short biography and experience: Principal Investigator at the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB NOVA), Portugal. Research focuses on the genetic and genomic basis of complex plant traits, including nutritional, health-promoting, and flavor-related qualities, and their interaction with resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses. With over two decades of active involvement in the Legume Community, work emphasizes applying quantitative genetics to legume breeding and fostering collaboration among researchers, farmers, processors, and consumers. Currently serves as ILS Vice President.
Lecture title: tba
ORCID.: 0000-0002-8469-7508
ScopusID: 6506090810
Rick van de Zedde
Title:
Position: Program manager Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC)
Short biography and experience: Rick van de Zedde is program manager of the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (www.NPEC.nl) at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), where he has worked since 2004. He had led numerous research projects linked to plant phenotyping technology development in large scale research infrastructures on a national and European level. His background is in Artificial Intelligence with a focus on computer vision and automation.
Lecture title: Plant Phenotyping technology adoption – and our quest to cope with climate change
ORCID.:
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Gaëtan Louarn
Title: Dr.
Position: Senior Scientist, INRAE
Short biography and experience: Gaëtan Louarn currently works at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (URP3F Lab). He does research in Environmental Plant Physiology, Population Ecology and Agronomy with a strong focus on the role of legumes to produce forages and deliver ecosystem services. To do so, he is involved in the development of crop and plot models, such as STICS or Virtual GrassLand (VGL).
Lecture title: Role of plant modelling in designing new ideotypes and crop mixtures with enhanced positive interactions and yield
ORCID.: 0000-0003-3701-7036
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