Principal Investigators

Principal Investigators

Martha Valiadi | Senior Research Associate

Institutional Affiliation: Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Institute or Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Role in the Project: Co-lead WP3 - eRNA detection for hazardous microbes

Martha Valiadi is a Senior Research Associate at the Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. She coordinates the EU Horizon project AquaBioSens, which develops portable molecular, immunological, and whole-cell biosensor systems for the on-site detection of harmful algal bloom toxins, organic contaminants, and heavy metals. Her research focuses on marine molecular microbiology, particularly phytoplankton interactions through functional genomics, ecology, and evolutionary biology. Through her technological work, she supports real-time, in-field measurements that connect genomic potential with ecological function and public health risks, including toxic harmful algal blooms.

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email martha_valiadi@imbb.forth.gr
🆔 ORCID 0000-0003-0074-554X
🎓 Scholar Martha Valiadi Profile
🔬 ResearchGate Martha Valiadi Profile
💼 LinkedIn Martha Valiadi on LinkedIn

Dr Frederic Verret | Senior Postdoctoral Researcher

Institutional Affiliation: IMBB-FORTH

Role in the Project: Co-lead WP5 - Diatom whole cell biosensors

Dr Frederic Verret is a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher at IMBB-FORTH. His work focuses on molecular cell biology and physiology in photosynthetic organisms, with particular expertise in diatoms. His research explores the genes and pathways involved in how diatoms adapt and respond to their environment. He has also contributed to projects involving controlled cultivation and functional genetics approaches, including transformation and mutant studies in diatoms.

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email frederic_verret@imbb.forth.gr
🌐 Lab Group Gizeli Group
🆔 ORCID 0000-0002-8175-7325
🎓 Scholar Frédéric Verret Profile
🔬 ResearchGate Frédéric Verret Profile

Prof Fiona Regan | Full professor

Institutional Affiliation: Dublin City University

Role in the Project: Co-lead WP2 Acoustic immunoassays for organic contaminants

Fiona Regan is Full Professor in Chemistry at the School of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University (DCU) and Director of the DCU Water Institute. She completed her PhD in Analytical Chemistry at DCU in 1994 and joined the School of Chemical Sciences in 2006. Between 2009 and 2016, she coordinated SmartBay Ireland, the country’s marine test and demonstration platform, as Beaufort Principal Investigator in Sensors and Communications Technology.

She has held several advisory roles in the water sector, including serving as scientific and technical advisor for the WaterJPI and currently chairing the Scientific and Technical Advisory Board of the Water4All Partnership. Since 2023, she has also chaired the Royal Irish Academy’s Climate Change and Environmental Science Committee.

Her research focuses on water monitoring using novel bio- and chemical sensing technologies, environmental DNA (eDNA), contaminants in marine and freshwater systems, and climate-related impacts on water quality. Fiona Regan has published more than 200 scientific works and was awarded the RSC-WSF Water for Life Award in 2019.

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email fiona.regan@dcu.ie
🎓 Scholar Fiona Regan Profile
🔬 ResearchGate Fiona Regan Profile
🆔 ORCID 0000-0002-8273-9970
💼 LinkedIn Fiona Regan Profile

Dr Nic Bury | Associate Professor

Institutional Affiliation: University of Southampton

Dr Nic Bury’s research at the University of Southampton focuses on addressing the challenges associated with chemical pollution in marine and freshwater environments. His work combines animal physiology, endocrinology, cell biology, and molecular biology to better understand how chemical pollutants affect aquatic organisms in the context of environmental change. By applying Novel Approach Methodologies (NAMs), including fish cell cultures, in vitro techniques, and computational modelling, his research aims to predict the hazards and risks pollutants pose to aquatic wildlife. In addition, Dr Bury and his team are developing innovative fish gill-based biosensors capable of rapidly detecting pollutant classes of concern in both marine and freshwater ecosystems.

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email n.r.bury@soton.ac.uk
🌐 Lab Group Bury Labs
🆔 ORCID 0000-0001-6048-6338
🎓 Scholar Nic Bury Profile
🔬 ResearchGate Nicolas Bury Profile
💼 LinkedIn Nic Bury on LinkedIn

Dr Jonathan McQuillan | Senior Scientist

Institutional Affiliation: National Oceanography Centre

Role in the Project: Co-lead WP3 - eRNA detection for hazardous microbes

Dr Jonathan McQuillan is a senior scientist at the National Oceanography Centre. His work focuses on molecular biology, with a particular interest in microbial molecular genetics and microbial hazards that can pose risks to public health through the contamination of natural water resources. Working within an Engineering Sciences group, he brings a multidisciplinary perspective, including experience in genomic sensor design and fabrication. In the AquaBioSens project, Dr McQuillan has led the development of new handheld devices to collect, process, and analyse microbial cells from water samples, with a focus on detecting bacterial indicators of sewage contamination.

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email jonmcq@noc.ac.uk
🌐 Lab Group noc.ac.uk
🆔 ORCID 0000-0001-9725-3378
💼 LinkedIn Jonathan McQuillan Profile

Michele Fabris | Adjunct Associate Professor (SDU) and Head of Department (SZN)

Institutional Affiliation: University of Southern Denmark (SDU, Odense, Denmark), Department of Green Technology / Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN, Naples, Italy), Department of Ecosustainable Marine Biotechnology

Dr Michele Fabris is Head of the Eco-sustainable Marine Biotechnology Department at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark. His research integrates functional genetics, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering in marine diatoms, encompassing the development of Design-Build-Test- Learn workflows, biosensors, and the engineering of biosynthetic pathways. Within AquaBioSens, he leads Work Package 5, developing biocontainable whole-cell biosensor diatom strains for the detection of heavy metal contaminants in seawater. His contribution spans transcriptomic identification of metal- responsive regulatory sequences, design of synthetic genetic circuits coupling sensing elements to fluorescent reporters, and the engineering of auxotrophic biocontainment strategies to ensure environmental safety of the deployed strains

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email michele.fabris@szn.it / mif@igt.sdu.dk
🌐 Website (SZN) SZN Profile
🌐 Website (SDU) Algae Synthetic Biology Lab
🎓 Scholar Michele Fabris Profile
🔬 ResearchGate Michele Fabris Profile
🆔 ORCID 0000-0002-3263-5583
💼 LinkedIn Michele Fabris Profile

Antonio Novellino | Market Line Manager

Institutional Affiliation: ETT | DEDA Group

Antonio Novellino holds a PhD in Biotechnology and Bioengineering, an MSc in Biomedical Engineering, and is a certified Computer Scientist. He is Smart City Market Line Manager at ETT|DEDAGroup and Adjunct Professor at DISTAV — Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Genoa. His expertise lies at the intersection of marine science, digital technologies, environmental monitoring, and data-driven innovation. He has extensive experience in FAIR data management, information systems, WebGIS, decision support systems, and interoperability standards for oceanographic data infrastructures. Antonio contributes to major European and international initiatives, including EMODnet, Copernicus Marine Service, EuroGOOS, SOOS, and EDITO, supporting the development of operational ocean data services and governance frameworks. He leads data management activities within EMODnet AquaBioSens PWS PI Profile Email: antonio.novellino@dedagroup.it ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3263-5583 Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7V9Hy2EAAAAJ&hl ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martha-Valiadi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-novellino-7712344/ and has coordinated data-related tasks in numerous EU-funded projects. Across these projects, he has managed complex innovation programmes involving multidisciplinary teams, research institutions, industry partners, and public stakeholders. His contribution to AquaBioSens focuses on data management, interoperability, digital infrastructure design, and the translation of environmental observations into actionable knowledge for sustainable aquatic ecosystem management.

Platform Link / Contact
📧 Email antonio.novellino@dedagroup.it
🎓 Scholar Antonio Novellino Profile
🆔 ORCID 0000-0002-3263-5583
💼 LinkedIn Antonio Novellino Profile