Extremophilic Yeasts

Pietro Buzzini is Full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Perugia (Italy). Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia (Italy). He is the Scientific Coordinator of the DBVPG Industrial Yeasts Collection, which is affiliated to the European Culture Collection Organization and to the World Federation of Culture Collections. He is Commissioner for Italy in the International Commission on Yeasts. He was the Convener of the 32nd International Specialized Symposium on Yeasts (Perugia, Italy, September 2015, 13th-17th) and invited/keynote speaker in a number of International Scientific Conferences. He is PI of a number of national and international research projects. His current research topics include the study of diversity, taxonomy, ecology and physiology of fungi (including yeasts) in cold terrestrial ecosystems. He co-authored over 120 articles in international peer reviewed journals (Scopus - August 2024: H index=37, 4,856 citations), over 20 book chapters, and of 1 EU patent. He is among the World's top 2% on Scientists List published by Stanford University (Elsevier Data Repository, V6, doi: 10.17632/btchxktzyw.6). The yeast species Hyphopichia buzzinii (A van Leeuwenhoek 110: 985-994, 2017) was named in his honor in recognition of his contributions to yeast research.

Benedetta Turchetti is associate Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Italy and Curator of the DBVPG Industrial Yeasts Collection, affiliated with the European Culture Collection Organization and the World Federation of Culture Collections. Her research activities consist of: i) Study of the distribution and ecology of non-culturable fungi (yeasts and filamentous fungi), bacteria and metazoan in natural environments (in particular cold habitats) by means of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS); ii) Exploration of the yeast environmental biodiversity (in particular cold habitats); iii) Metabolic characterization of isolated yeast strains and conservation within the DBVPG Industrial Yeast Collection; iv) Screening of the metabolic properties of yeasts of biotechnological interest (e.g. brewing yeasts). Italian Scientific Referent and Member of Research Units in National and International projects. She is reviewer of National and International research projects and manuscripts; co-author of 105 scientific articles in international journals with IF (Scopus - August 2024: H index=33, 3,881 citations), over 50 abstracts in international Congresses, 15 chapters of books with international circulation and 1 EU patent.

Andrey Yurkov is a mycologist working with yeasts. Group leader "Fungi and Fungal Systematics" and curator in Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures since 2012. His interests include yeast ecology, evolution and systematics. At present, the research is concentrated on exploring the diversity of mycoparasitic fungi and studying interactions between yeasts and important pollinators. The taxonomic research is focused on the taxonomy of dimorphic basidiomycetes and is directed towards the harmonisation of filamentous and yeast-like fungi taxonomy. He is actively engaging in culture collection networks, contributing to the cultivation and preservation of rare and fastidious yeasts. He co-authored 110 scientific articles in international journals and 8 book chapters, and co-edited 2 books. According to Scopus author, H index 37 (Google Scholar H=44) and more than 10,000 citations. He is a reviewer and editorial board member of several journals. Board member of the taxonomic yeast compendium The Yeasts, A Taxonomic Study (theyeasts.org). Recipient of the Johanna Westerdijk Award 2023.