Silvana Grandillo

Dr. Silvana Grandillo is a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources (IBBR), part of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), based in Portici, Italy. She has been with CNR since 1998, progressing from Researcher (1998-2007) to her current position as Senior Researcher (2007-present).

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Biometry from Cornell University (1991-1996)
• Specialist Postgraduate Diploma in Plant Breeding from I.A.M.Z., Spain (1988-1989)
• B.S. Degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Naples (1987)

Dr. Grandillo's research focuses on plant genetics and genomics, particularly in tomato. Her work centers on developing genetic resources in tomato, with emphasis on marker-defined introgression lines from interspecific crosses. She investigates fruit quality traits through QTL analyses and systems biology approaches to understand metabolic pathways underlying tomato flavor and nutritional quality. Her research also includes identifying genes involved in nutritional quality in pepper and metabolic engineering of secondary metabolite pathways. Recent publications reveal her growing focus on multi-omics approaches to study post-harvest biology, stress responses, and consumer preferences for tomato varieties.

Throughout her career, Dr. Grandillo has received numerous fellowships and awards, including:

• C.I.H.E.A.M Scholarship (1988/1989)
• EU Fellowship (June-August 1989)
• CNR Fellowship (1990/1991)
• The Samuel Lunenfeld Charitable Foundation Fellowship (1992)
• Graduate Research Assistanship from Cornell University (1993)
• CNR-R.A.I.S.A. Fellowship and Award (1994)
• Cornell Center for Advanced Technology in Biotechnology Fellowship (1995)

Dr. Grandillo has served as a tutor for B.S. and Ph.D. students at the University of Naples since 2000 and has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the International PhD program in Agrobiodiversity since 2007. She has led significant research projects including EU-SOL (EU-FP6), MiUR-FIRB, MiPAF-AGRONANOTECH, and several others focused on tomato genomics and quality traits, with recent work emphasizing the integration of genomic data with consumer preferences and environmental factors.

She leads a research team at the IBBR Portici division that employs advanced genomic tools to explore natural biodiversity in Solanaceae crops and translate these findings into practical applications for crop improvement, with a growing emphasis on sustainable agriculture and nutritional quality.