Keynote Speakers


Brenda Andrews - Canada

Brenda Andrews is a University Professor and Canada Research Chair in Systems Genetics & Cell Biology in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, Canada

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José L. Avalos - USA

Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and the Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute of Princeton University, USA.

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Pascale Daran-Lapujade - France

Pascale Daran-Lapujade is Professor in Experimental Systems Biology and Synthetic Biology at the Biotechnology Department of Delft University of Technology.

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Jochen Förster - Denmark

Jochen Förster is Professor and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at DTU Biosustain – The Novo NordiskFoundation Center for Biosustainability at the Technical University of Denmark (CFB).

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Marizeth Groenewald - Netherlands

Marizeth Groenewald is a yeast taxonomist and is currently the curator of the CBS yeast collection, incorporated in the Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (KNAW), the Netherlands. 

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Chris Todd Hittinger - USA

Chris Todd Hittinger is an H. I. Romnes Faculty Fellow, Alfred Toepfer Faculty Fellow, and Professor of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.

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Jeniel Nett - USA

Jeniel Nett is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Medical Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA

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Dana Opulente - USA

Dana Opulente is an evolutionary biologist and Assistant Professor of Biology at Villanova University, USA.

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Hiroshi Takagi - Japan

Dr Hiroshi Takagi has been officially retired Professor of Nara Institute of Science and Technology in March, 2023, due to the mandatory age of Japanese National University, but he has established his new lab as Specially Appointed Professor in April, 2023, to continue both basic and applied research of yeast. 

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Johan Thevelein - Belgium

Johan Thevelein is managing director at NovelYeast bv, emeritus professor in Molecular Cell Biology at KU Leuven and former director of the Molecular Microbiology Department at VIB, Leuven, Belgium.

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Kevin Verstrepen - Belgium

Kevin Verstrepen is a Professor in Genetics and Genomics at the Leuven University and Group Leader in Systems Biology at VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology).  

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Ileana Vigentini - Italy

Ileana Vigentini is an Associate Professor of Wine Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology at the University of Milan, Italy