معرفی
Vittoria Catara is a Full Professor of Plant Pathology at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A), University of Catania (UniCT). She serves as Internationalization Delegate and Erasmus Representative for Di3A and is a Senior Editor for Australasian Plant Disease Notes (Springer) and Associate Editor for Phytopathology (APS). Her research focuses on plant-associated bacteria (PAB), including molecular diagnosis of pathogens, biocontrol agents, plant microbiome studies, and biotechnological applications. She has coordinated national projects like SIRPA and Seed Project of Sicilian Region, and international initiatives such as COST Action CA16107.
She supervises PhD, MSc, and bachelor theses and leads a research group at Di3A. Her expertise includes quorum sensing in Pseudomonas, genomic characterization of phytopathogens, and citrus disease management. She collaborates with scientists across Europe, the USA, and China, and contributes to EPPO protocols and standardization.
Key projects include the development of microbial preparations against vascular citrus pathogens (SIRPA), risk assessment for Xanthomonas campestris in ornamental plants, and diagnostics for quarantine bacteria. She is also involved in Erasmus+ mobility programs and COST actions related to sustainable plant disease management.
