Speakers

Speakers of the 6th Congress of Baltic Microbiologists

Aivars Bērziņš
Professor, Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment (BIOR)

Prof. Aivars Bērziņš is currently Chair of the Scientific Board of the Latvian Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment (BIOR), position that he holds since June 2023. Between June 2013 and June 2023 he held the position of Director of that Institute. Currently, he is also member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and Vice-Chair of the Senate of the Academy. Since September 2016, he is Professor at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. In his capacity of BIOR’s Director, he represented Latvia as a Member of EFSA’s Advisory Forum from 2013 to 2016.
Previously, he was the Head of Department of Research and Development at BIOR and took different academic positions at the Latvia University of Agriculture and the University of Helsinki. Moreover, he was a visiting researcher at Purdue University (USA) and the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science. From 2006 to 2008, Prof. Bērziņš worked for the Latvian Ministry of Agriculture as Deputy State Secretary responsible for veterinary and food control matters.
Dr. Bērziņš graduated at the Latvia University of Agriculture, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and obtained his PhD degree in Veterinary Medicine and Food Hygiene at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Finland.

• Gradovska S., Šteingolde Ž., Ķibilds J., Meistere I., Avsejenko J., Streikiša M., ALksne L., Terentjeva M., Bērziņš A. 2023. Genetic diversity and known virulence genes in Listeria innocua strains isolated from cattle abortions and farm environment. Veterinary and Animal Science. 19: 100276, 1-7.
• Munk P., Brinch C., Moller  F.D., Petersen T.N., Hendriksen R.S., Seyfarth A.M., Kjelgaard J.S., Svendsen C.A., van Bunnik B., Berglund F., Global Sewage Surveillance Consortium, Bērziņš A. et al., Larsson D.G.J., Koopmans M., Woolhouse M., Aarestrup F.M. 2022. Genomic analysis of sewage from 101 countries reveals global landscape of antimicrobial resistance. Nature Communications. 13: 7251, 1-16. 3.
• Gudrā D., Dejus S., Bartkevičs V., Roga A., Kalniņa I., Strods M., Rayan A., Koina K., Zajakina A., Dumpis U., Ikkere L.E., Arhipova I., Bērziņš G., Ērglis A., Binde J., Ansonska E., Bērziņš A., Juhna T., Frīdmanis D. 2022. Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater and importance of population size assessment in smaller cities: An exploratory case study from two municipalities in Latvia. Science of the Total Environment. 823: 1553775, 1-10.

Hedvig Tamman
Associate Professor, University of Tartu

Hedvig Tamman is an Associate Professor of Genetics at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Tartu, Estonia. She earned her PhD in Genetics from the University of Tartu in 2016, where her doctoral thesis focused on the functionality of bacterial chromosomal toxin-antitoxin systems. From 2016 to 2021, she conducted postdoctoral research at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, specializing in bacterial stress responses and the structure of related proteins.
Tamman's research investigates the "arms race" between bacteria and their viruses (bacteriophages). Her work aims to understand how bacteria defend themselves against phages, particularly focusing on stress responses where bacteria shut down their metabolism to survive. She also seeks to identify how phages can overcome these bacterial defenses. In recognition of her promising work, she was awarded a prestigious European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Installation Grant and an ERC Starting Grant in 2023.

Tālis Juhna
Professor, Riga Technical University

Professor Tālis Juhna is the Rector of Riga Technical University and a leading expert in Water Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Water Technologies (2002, Sweden) and brings over 15 years of experience in science and innovation management, playing a key role in positioning RTU as a regional leader in research and innovation.
He is the founder and director of the Water & Biotechnology Laboratory, where his research focuses on biotechnological solutions for drinking water and wastewater systems, renewable energy production, and the microbial ecology of engineered environments. He has also been instrumental in establishing interdisciplinary study programs in Biotechnology and Bioengineering in collaboration with the University of Latvia.
Professor Juhna’s scientific work spans topics such as membrane biofouling, microbial stability in water distribution systems, pathogen detection, and sustainable phosphorus removal. A member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and chair of its Engineering Sciences Advisory Board, he actively bridges academia and industry—as a board member of Riga Water Company and co‑founder of a biotechnology start‑up.

• Constructive use of filamentous fungi to remove pharmaceutical substances from wastewater Dalecka, B., Juhna, T., Rajarao, G.K. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 33 (2020)
• Microalgae starvation for enhanced phosphorus uptake from municipal wastewater Lavrinovičs, A., Mežule, L., Juhna, T. Algal Research, 52, 102090 (2020)
• Drinking water and biofilm disinfection by Fenton-like reaction Gosselin, F., Madeira, L.M., Juhna, T., Block, J.C. Water Research, 47(15):5631–5638 (2013)

Rosa Alduina
Associate Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Microbiology, University of Palermo
Rosa Alduina is an expert microbiologist with internationally recognised experience in microbial biotechnology, antibiotic biosynthesis, and epigenetic regulation in Actinomycetes. Her research primarily focuses on the molecular mechanisms governing the production of secondary metabolites, particularly antibiotics, by filamentous bacteria such as Streptomyces and other rare actinomycetes.
One of her key research lines investigates the role of DNA methylation and epigenetics in Streptomyces coelicolor, where she contributed to the first comprehensive mapping of the bacterial methylome. Her findings have shown how cytosine methylation dynamically modulates gene expression, morphological differentiation, and antibiotic biosynthesis, unveiling novel layers of regulatory complexity in prokaryotic systems.
Another central focus of her research is the regulation of glycopeptide antibiotic biosynthesis, particularly the clinically relevant precursors A40926, produced by Nonomuraea species. Through an integrated use of genetic, transcriptomic, and biochemical approaches, Prof. Alduina has elucidated key regulatory circuits, such as two-component systems and feedback loops, that coordinate antibiotic production with self-resistance and environmental signals. Her research combines fundamental microbiology with applied biotechnology, including the use of heterologous expression systems, bacterial artificial chromosomes, and omics-based tools to unlock and optimise the biosynthetic potential of industrially relevant microorganisms. These contributions are particularly significant in the context of antimicrobial resistance and the ongoing search for new bioactive compounds.
Prof. Alduina’s work has been published in leading international journals and contributes to advancing microbial synthetic biology, antibiotic development, and the understanding of epigenetic regulation in bacteria.

Ronnie de Jonge
Associate professor in Plant-Microbiome interactions at the Departments of Biology and Information and Computing Sciences at Utrecht University

There is an urgent need to sustainably increase food production while reducing inputs. In nature, plants utilize plant growth- and health-promoting services from the billions of microorganisms that live on and in their roots, called the root microbiota. To acquire nutrients, and nurture their root microbiota, roots exude many compounds, thereby changing soil chemistry and providing energy for their microbial partners. Ronnie de Jonge leads a research team focused on the interaction between plants and this large diversity of surrounding microorganisms. His team generates, and makes use of diverse and high-dimensional 'omics data and advanced data modelling techniques including machine and deep learning to build an understanding of the complex dialogue between the plant root and the associated microbiota.

• Poppeliers, S. W., Sánchez-Gil, J. J., & de Jonge, R. (2023). Microbes to support plant health: Understanding bioinoculant success in complex conditions. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 73, 102286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2023.102286
• Sánchez-Gil, J. J., Poppeliers, S. W. M., Vacheron, J., Zhang, H., Odijk, B., Keel, C., & Jonge, R. de. (2023). The conserved iol gene cluster in Pseudomonas is involved in rhizosphere competence. Current Biology, 33(15), 3097-3110.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.057
• Selten, G., Lamouche, F., Gomez-Repolles, A., Blahovska, Z., Kelly, S., de Jonge, R., & Radutoiu, S. (2024). Functional capacities drive recruitment of bacteria into plant root microbiota. BioRxiv, 2024–08.

Jaunius Urbonavičius
Professor, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

Jaunius Urbonavičius obtained Diploma in Chemistry from Vilnius University, Lithuania and Ph.D. in Microbiology from Umeå University, Sweden. He performed postdoctoral work at CNRS in Gif-sur-Yvette, France and later worked as Researcher at Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. After returning to Lithuania, he worked as Senior researcher at Vilnius University. He holds Full Professor position at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University since 2017. His research interests include various aspects of Basic and Applied Microbiology.

• Biyada, S., Merzouki, M., Dėmčėnko, T., Vasiliauskienė, D., Ivanec-Goranina, R., Urbonavičius, J., Marčiulaitienė, E., Vasarevičius, S., & Benlemlih, M. (2021). Microbial community dynamics in the mesophilic and thermophilic phases of textile waste composting identified through next-generation sequencing. Scientific reports, 11(1), 23624. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03191-1
• Marčiulaitienė, E., Malaiškienė, J., Boris, R., Urbonavičius, J., Tauraitė, D., & Biyada, S. (2025). Role of ammonia-oxidising bacteria in the removal of odorous gases by the use of plastic recycling waste as a biofilter. World journal of microbiology & biotechnology, 41(5), 172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-025-04392-w
• Biyada, S., Urbonavičius, J. (2025). Could bioplastics mitigate and solve world's plastic invasion? Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(4), 117226.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.117226

Kaspar Valgapea
Professor; Group Leader, University of Tartu

Prof. Kaspar Valgepea is a Group Leader at the Institute of Bioengineering, University of Tartu, Estonia. He received his PhD in Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia in 2014 with the thesis focusing on systems-level characterisation of Escherichia coli metabolism. Kaspar conducted postdoctoral research at The University of Queensland, Australia where he led a project to establish a systems biology platform for the gas-fermenting microbe Clostridium autoethanogenum. He has also carried out research in Japan, US, and Denmark.

Valgepea lab focuses on integration of gas fermentation with systems and synthetic biology to address global challenges in biosustainability. Key research aims are to both advance fundamental understanding and rational metabolic engineering of gas-fermenting microbes towards sustainable production of fuels, chemicals, materials, and proteins from waste feedstocks. Kaspar was the ERA Chair holder in the ERA Chair GasFermTEC at University of Tartu and was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2023.

• Ingelman, Henri, et al. "Autotrophic adaptive laboratory evolution of the acetogen Clostridium autoethanogenum delivers the gas-fermenting strain LAbrini with superior growth, products, and robustness." New Biotechnology 83 (2024): 1-15.
• Nwaokorie, Ugochi Jennifer, et al. "Deletion of genes linked to the C1-fixing gene cluster affects growth, by-products, and proteome of Clostridium autoethanogenum." Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 11 (2023): 1167892.
• Mahamkali, Vishnuvardhan, et al. "Redox controls metabolic robustness in the gas-fermenting acetogen Clostridium autoethanogenum." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117.23 (2020): 13168-13175.