Valeria Imperato

Valeria Imperato is an experienced professional in the field of microbiology and science policy, currently serving as a Project Portfolio Officer for the Grand Challenges program within the Science Policy Unit at VIB since July 2023. Prior to this role, Valeria held positions as a Senior Scientist and Expert Microbiologist at Aphea.Bio from December 2020 to July 2023. Valeria's research experience includes a role as a Researcher at UHasselt from October 2015 to November 2020, where work focused on harmonizing plants with their microbial communities to enhance agriculture and phytoremediation. Valeria also completed doctoral studies at Hasselt University, earning a PhD in Science (Biology) with research dedicated to microbial community exploration in petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated environments to improve phytoremediation efficiency.