1. Biotransformation and biofuels

  2. Biomass valorization and production of value-added products

  3. Hydrogen and methane production by anaerobic microbial communities

"Traditional industrial development pathways, that did not take into explicit consideration the issue of energy technologies to be utilized, now imperil development prospects around the world. As oil supplies approach their peak globally, and energy security becomes a major issue, so developing countries have everything to lose by simply following fossil-fuel based industrialization, and everything to gain by recasting their development strategies around the prospects for renewable energies and biofuels."

A Biofuels Manifesto



  1. Microbial management of recalcitrant compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and (chloro)phenols.
  2. Biotreatment and valorization of olive mill waste
  3. Study of extremophilic microbial communities originated from severe environments, e.g. volcanoes, hot springs, etc.
  4. Study of microbial communities in aquatic and marine ecosystems, including the detection of biomarkers and pathogens as well as their toxins and antibiotic resistance genes.
  5. Study of soil microbial communities, such as rhizosphere microbiota
  6. Microbial management and bioremediation of heavy-metal polluted environments like As- and Cr-contaminated sites.
  7. Bioarray development and detection of microbial communities in environmental samples
  8. Identification of microbial constituents in aerosols


  1. Ice nucleation bacteria in various plant cultivations
  2. Study of microbial communities in plants of importance, such as olive and grape trees, and in natural vegetation
  3. Phytopathogenic microorganisms with emphasis in phytopathogenesis and agrobiotechnology
  4. Biodiversity of macrofungi in forest ecosystems
  5. Microbial ecology in agricultural soils affected by pesticides and agroindustrial wastes
  6. Bioarray development for the detection of phytopathogenic and genetically modified microorganisms
  7. Characterization of microbial communities in phytosphere
  8. Effect of dietary and environmental stress conditions on intestinal microbiome of fish



  1. Study of microbial communities for the protection and conservation of ancient, Byzantine and contemporary monuments and art collections.