Conference Chair

Dr Esther Garcia-Cela is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Mycology at the School of Life and Medical Sciences (LMS) of the University of Hertfordshire (United Kingdom). She teaches and leads modules in Mycology and Food Safety at the Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels. She is also the tutor of international and MSc Medical Microbiology students. She also collaborates with other UK institutions, such as the University of Brighton, as an External Assessor for MRes programmes in the School of Applied Sciences. In addition, she is a Deputy of Biosafety Officer at her university.

Dr Garcia-Cela’s research expertise has been focused on food mycology, with four core areas of research: i) Study of mycotoxigenic fungal ecophysiology in current and predicted climate scenarios, ii) Use of eco-friendly strategies and sensor technologies to mitigate the presence of mycotoxins in nuts, grapes, and cereals iii) Study the impact of food processing in mycotoxin presence and iv) Risk assessment of the mycotoxin presence along the food chain from farm to fork. Her goal is to provide a holistic approach to Food Mycology where Agri-engineering (e.g. model prediction, sensor technology) and biology are better integrated to tackle mycotoxins challenges throughout the supply chain to assure food safety while reducing waste.

Dr Garcia-Cela is the research lead of the Mycolab group, supervising undergraduates, postgraduates and PhD students while also providing consultancy to several agrifood industries. She is involved in national and international projects related to Food Safety. Her research work has been published in peer-reviewed papers, magazines, and book chapters.