Leonardo Paul Luca
He obtained a PhD in Biotechnology (XXXVI cycle) from the University of Catania in 2024. The doctoral programme was carried out as an industrial PhD in collaboration with AgriUniTech S.r.l. (Catania, Italy), within the Agricultural Genetics and Arboriculture research group under the supervision of Prof. Gaetano Distefano. His doctoral research activity was focused on the development of molecular markers for marker-assisted selection in table grape breeding, with particular emphasis on the identification of genetic determinants associated with traits of agronomic and qualitative interest.
He is currently holding a research fellowship (Post-Doc) at the University of Catania from 1 March 2024 to present, within the framework of the PRIMA MEDPOME-STONE project, focused on genotype–phenotype association studies in fruit tree species for responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.
After completing his Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences (L-13) at the University of Catania on 25 October 2018, he continued his academic training by enrolling in the Master's degree programme in Agricultural Biotechnology (LM-07) at the same university. He obtained the Master's degree on 21 July 2020, graduating with full marks and honours (110/110 cum laude).
During his academic career, he gained international research experience through several stays abroad. He carried out an internship at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRAE), Grand-Est Colmar (France), from 1 March 2022 to 21 July 2022, where he acquired competencies in quantitative genetics and phytopathological phenotyping. He also completed a research stay at INRAE, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (France), from 8 September 2025 to 3 October 2025, focused on quantitative genetics and genomic prediction methodologies.
He has also been involved in national collaborative research activities with different national institutes such as the Edmund Mach Foundation (Research and Innovation Centre, Trento, Italy), from 30 September 2021 to 1 December 2021 and from 13 February 2023 to 13 April 2023. These activities focused on volatilome profiling of grapevine using PTR-ToF-MS within phenotyping studies on segregating populations and germplasm collections.
His academic activity includes teaching support and student supervision. He has served as co-supervisor for Bachelor's and Master's thesis projects in the field of tree crop breeding and grapevine genetic improvement. He has also contributed to supplementary teaching and laboratory activities in courses related to fruit tree breeding, sustainable biotechnologies, and fruit product quality.
He is author and co-author of several scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and has actively participated in national and international conferences, contributing with oral and poster presentations. He has also been involved in scientific dissemination activities and has served as junior chair in conference sessions.
He has been recognized as cultore della materia (subject expert) in the scientific disciplinary sector AGRI/03 (University of Catania, 2025).
With regard to language proficiency, he holds a C1 certification in French and a B2 certification in English.
For publications, please refer to his ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5897-5109
The research activities are focused on the genetic improvement of tree crops, with particular emphasis on table grapevine and other fruit species, through the integration of quantitative genetics, genomics, and advanced phenotyping approaches. The scientific work has been centered on investigating the genetic basis of complex agronomic and quality traits using statistical and molecular tools to analyze genetic variability and its underlying components.
During the PhD, the activities involved the development and application of molecular markers for marker-assisted selection, as well as the analysis of complex traits through quantitative genetics approaches, including QTL mapping and genotype–phenotype association studies. These efforts enabled the identification of genomic regions and genetic variants associated with key agronomic and fruit quality traits.
Subsequently, the research activities have further expanded and consolidated within the framework of Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), association analyses, and advanced statistical models and phenotypic characterization in fruit tree species, with particular focus on responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In parallel, expertise has been developed in genomic prediction and in the integration of high-resolution phenotypic datasets.
Overall, the research activities reflect strong expertise in quantitative and population genetics and statistical methods applied to plant breeding, with particular emphasis on QTL mapping, GWAS, genotype–environment interaction analyses, and integrated multi-omics approaches for the study of complex traits in fruit tree species.