Donata Arena

Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania. In May 2025, she obtained a Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Agri-food curriculum) at the University of Catania (BIOMETEC Department), achieving the qualification of International Doctor. Her doctoral research focused on the evaluation and valorization of traditional and wild germplasm of Brassica oleracea L. for the development of innovative and functional food products. She holds a Master’s Degree in Food Science and Technology (110/110 cum laude) from the University of Catania and a Master’s Degree in Biology (110/110 cum laude) from the ISF College Institute. Her research activity includes participation in several national and international projects, such as EU H2020 BRESOV, EU Horizon COUSIN, and COST Action weedingMAPs. She holds a research grant at Di3A, University of Catania, focused on evaluating broccoli, green beans, and tomatoes cultivated using organic farming methods, conducted within the framework of the EU H2020 BRESOV project (Grant Agreement No. 774244). She has served as tutor and co-supervisor of Master’s and Bachelor’s theses and carried out several research stays abroad as a Visiting Ph.D. student at international research institutions, including the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Spain; the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece; the Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS) and the Beijing Vegetable Research Center (BVRC), China; the Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania; the Misión Biológica de Galicia - CSIC, Spain; and the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism, Croatia. She is a member of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and the Italian Society for Horticultural Science (SOI) and collaborates in teaching activities within courses related to Vegetable and Food Biotechnology at the University of Catania.