Database development & curation;

The Science and Technological Foresight Project seeks to define a medium to long-term vision – 5 to 30 years – in order to elaborate coherent research strategies, and to address serious socially relevant problems related to the environment, health, food, energy, security and transportation. The holistic approach followed in analysing the topics and the active participation of internationally acknowledged experts from universities, research centres, public and private sectors in the… Show more The Science and Technological Foresight Project seeks to define a medium to long-term vision – 5 to 30 years – in order to elaborate coherent research strategies, and to address serious socially relevant problems related to the environment, health, food, energy, security and transportation. The holistic approach followed in analysing the topics and the active participation of internationally acknowledged experts from universities, research centres, public and private sectors in the foresight activities are two key characteristics of the project. In particular, the experts will attend a series of “Face to Face” (F2F) workshops, each of them focused on specific correlated, sub-topics. The F2F workshops are invitation-only events, organized in such a way as to guarantee to participants from a range of backgrounds and positions the conditions necessary for free and open debate. This approach is designed to facilitate convergence towards common positions related to research priorities, knowledge gaps and funding needs, and to address the social acceptability of future products and services and resultant market potential. Show less

GOBLET, the Global Organisation for Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training, is a legally registered foundation. Its mission is to cultivate the global bioinformatics trainer community, set standards and provide high-quality resources to support learning, education and training. GOBLET's ethos embraces:- inclusivity (welcoming all relevant organisations, networks, societies)- sharing (expertise, best practice, materials, tools, compute resources)- openness (using… Show more GOBLET, the Global Organisation for Bioinformatics Learning, Education and Training, is a legally registered foundation. Its mission is to cultivate the global bioinformatics trainer community, set standards and provide high-quality resources to support learning, education and training. GOBLET's ethos embraces:- inclusivity (welcoming all relevant organisations, networks, societies)- sharing (expertise, best practice, materials, tools, compute resources)- openness (using Creative Commons Licence)- innovation (welcoming imaginative ideas and approaches) - tolerance (transcending national, political, cultural and social boundaries) Show less

In recent years, the human microbiome has been characterised in great detail in several large-scale studies as a key player in intestinal and non-intestinal diseases, e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and liver cirrhosis, along with brain development and behaviour. As more associations between microbiome and phenotypes are elucidated, research focus is now shifting towards causality and clinical use for diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics, where some promising applications have… Show more In recent years, the human microbiome has been characterised in great detail in several large-scale studies as a key player in intestinal and non-intestinal diseases, e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and liver cirrhosis, along with brain development and behaviour. As more associations between microbiome and phenotypes are elucidated, research focus is now shifting towards causality and clinical use for diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics, where some promising applications have recently been showcased. Microbiome data are inherently convoluted, noisy and highly variable, and non-standard analytical methodologies are therefore required to unlock its clinical and scientific potential. While a range of statistical modelling and Machine Learning (ML) methods are now available, sub-optimal implementation often leads to errors, over-fitting and misleading results, due to a lack of good analytical practices and ML expertise in the microbiome community. Thus, this COST Action network will create productive symbiosis between discovery-oriented microbiome researchers and data-driven ML experts, through regular meetings, workshops and training courses. Together, it will first optimise and then standardise the use of said techniques, following the creation of publicly available benchmark datasets. Correct usage of these approaches will allow for better identification of predictive and discriminatory ‘omics’ features, increase study repeatability, and provide mechanistic insights into possible causal or contributing roles of the microbiome. This Action will also investigate automation opportunities and define priority areas for novel development of ML/Statistics methods targeting microbiome data. Thus, this COST Action will open novel and exciting avenues within the fields of both ML/Statistics and microbiome research. Show less

Official journal of the Beijing Institute of Genomics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Genetics Society of Chinahttps://www.journals.elsevier.com/genomics-proteomics-and-bioinformatics

EMBnet, The Global Bioinformatics Network, is a world-wide organisation that brings Bioinformatics professionals together to serve, support and sustain the growing field of Bioinformatics in the Biological and Biomedical research domains. EMBnet’s mission is:- to provide education and training in bioinformatics- to assist biotechnology- and bioinformatics-related research- bridging between commercial and academic sectors- promoting global cooperation through its… Show more EMBnet, The Global Bioinformatics Network, is a world-wide organisation that brings Bioinformatics professionals together to serve, support and sustain the growing field of Bioinformatics in the Biological and Biomedical research domains. EMBnet’s mission is:- to provide education and training in bioinformatics- to assist biotechnology- and bioinformatics-related research- bridging between commercial and academic sectors- promoting global cooperation through its community networks Show less

EMBnet is managed by a four-member Executive Board (EB) that is elected by the Full Board. The EB effects the decisions of the AGM, deals with funding, and generally takes care of the organisation between AGMs.

CHARME is a COST Action (CA 15110). Its main goal is to unite experts from all areas of scientific research and strategic development (academia, industry, policy, legal, ethical, etc.), exploiting their expertise to address needs and challenges along the value chain of life science research across Europe. The objectives are to address the main gaps in standards and SOPs in different research domains, to co-ordinate current research efforts in this field, and integrate different stakeholder… Show more CHARME is a COST Action (CA 15110). Its main goal is to unite experts from all areas of scientific research and strategic development (academia, industry, policy, legal, ethical, etc.), exploiting their expertise to address needs and challenges along the value chain of life science research across Europe. The objectives are to address the main gaps in standards and SOPs in different research domains, to co-ordinate current research efforts in this field, and integrate different stakeholder groups in CHARME’s activities. Show less

Science communication managers of the COST Actions are responsible for dissemination and promotion of their Action network. I was nominated SCM for the COST Action CA15110 on 2019-02-13.

The ELIXIR-IIB Training Programme is building a thriving community who strongly believes that quality training in bioinformatics is essential to achieve excellence in life science research. Thanks to a very motivated group of people, our programme is engaging an increasing number of passionate scientists interested in taking part in our training initiatives, activities and discussions (http://bioinformaticstraining.pythonanywhere.com/)

EMBnet.journal is an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal, bringing the latest developments in bioinformatics research, education and training, together with practical user-guides, news, views, reportage and commentary, to the community . The Journal is the successor of EMBnet.news magazine, published by EMBnet between 1994 and 2009.

The Publicity & Public Relations Project Committee (P&PR-PC) is responsible for the promotion of EMBnet's image and activities worldwide.Commitments:- web site development, management and content moderation;- dissemination & publicity;- proposal & implementation of strategies aiming to enhance EMBnet’s visibility;- public relationships with EMBnet communities and related networks/societies;- sponsorship management.

Scientific advisory and reviewer

Scientific & Technical coordination of activities related to the development of the European GMO Register, consisting of a database and accompanying bioinformatics tools designed for detection and monitoring purposes in support to the activities of the European network of GMO laboratories (European Commission grant - Contract n° 17356-2000-12 F2SC ISP IT)

Database curator

Three years contract as researcher at the CNR Research Area of Bari within the “European Provision of EMBL Data Library and Related European Information Services" grant, for the development and implementation of specialized biological databases.

Experimental investigation