The DOGMA Research Team
Francesca De Filippis
Francesca De Filippis is DOGMA coordinator. She is Associate Professor of Microbiology at the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II since 2022. She got the PhD in Food Science in 2014. Afterwards, she was Post-Doctoral researcher (2014-16) and Tenure-Track Assistant Professor (2016-2022) in the same institution. She also carried out research activity at APC Microbiome Institute of the University College of Cork (Ireland) and Argonne National Laboratory (USA). She participates as PI or team member into several National and European projects. Her research interests span from food microbiology to the inter-connections among diet-human microbiome-health. She is member of the Managing Board of the Task Force on Microbiome Studies of the University of Naples Federico II and of the Board of Professors of the PhD School in Food Science. She has been included in the list by Stanford University of the World’s Top 2% scientists across all fields, every year from 2019 to 2025.
Vincenzo Valentino
Vincenzo Valentino is PhD in Food Science and Assistant Professor in Microbiology at the University of Naples Federico II. During his PhD, he focused on the study of the microbiome resident in food industry. He is expert in the study of microbial ecology through bioinformatics approaches. Within the DOGMA project, he explores the microbiome of fermented foods using shotgun metagenomics sequencing, particularly focusing on its pro-technological applications and on the impact on the gut microbiome. In his free time, he takes every opportunity to join music live shows.
Chiara Maria Calvanese
Chiara Maria Calvanese is PhD in Food Science and Post-Doctoral researcher at the University of Naples Federico II. Her experience in food microbiology ranges from bacterial isolation from food and human-associated niches to probiogenomic and metagenomic approaches to study the gut microbiome. Her research goal is to discover new potentially beneficial strains to develop new sustainable functional foods with targeted host effects. In her free time, she loves dancing ragaetton and Caribbean dances, and playing beach volleyball.
Giovanni Gallo
Giovanni Gallo is a microbiology and biotechnology researcher with expertise in extremophiles, genetic engineering, and acid-stress signaling in Escherichia coli. He earned his PhD at the University of Naples Federico II. Afterwards, he was postdoctoral researcher at the National Research Council (CNR) and at LMU Munich, focusing on thermophilic enzymes, CRISPR-Cas tools, and microbial bioprocess innovation. Outside the lab, he runs the blog “The Beer Side”, plays basketball, and enjoys grand-strategy games such as Europa Universalis IV, Hearts of Iron IV, Crusader Kings 3, and the Total War series.
Thi Than Than Vu
Thi Thanh Thanh Vu has recently started her PhD in Food Science at the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II. She earned the MSc in Food Science and Technology at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). She has research experience in traditional Vietnamese fermented foods using metagenomics approach. Her PhD project focuses on fermented foods typical of non-Westernized countries and aims to understand the impact of these foods and their associated microbiome on the human gut microbiome and human health. In her free time, she really likes listening to music.
Nadia Dunayevska
Nadiya Dunayevska holds an MSc in Food Science and Technology and is currently a PhD student in Food Science at the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Naples Federico II. Her PhD project investigates the impact of fermented foods from non-Westernized countries on the gut microbiome. The goal of her research is to develop microbial consortia and functional foods to counteract the loss of gut microbial biodiversity typical of the modern world. She is excited to collaborate with the team to translate this research into innovative solutions for prevention and health. In her free time, she enjoys reading and collecting books (especially those by Stephen King) and going to the gym.
Giuseppina Sequino
Giuseppina Sequino is PhD in Food Science. Starting from 2025, she is Laboratory Technician at the University of Naples Federico II. She is specialized in the study of complex environments in the agri-food sector, with a strong focus on the application of advanced molecular tools and metagenomic data analysis. She is also involved in microbiome analyses to investigate microbial strains and/or genes potentially linked to the production of molecules of biological relevance. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, exploring new places, and immersing herself in different cultures, always curious to discover unique experiences and local traditions.
