Meet Martina Catani

Martina applies omics approaches, particularly metabolomics and proteomics, to agri-food matrices. Her research aims to valorize waste, assess the effects of treatments on plants and related materials, and identify metabolites that could support more resilient crops and sustainable agriculture within a circular economy.

“What excites me most is the feeling that analytical tools are finally mature enough to reveal the hidden biochemical stories inside agri-food systems,” she says. Martina believes molecular insights can inform better decisions throughout the agri-food chain, from improving plant resilience to valorizing waste. She expects AI to become increasingly important as analytical datasets grow richer and more difficult to interpret. “Rather than replacing experimental expertise, these tools will enhance it, helping scientists extract deeper meaning from their data and accelerating the path from measurement to understanding.”

Research periods at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the University of Pécs, and ETH Zurich introduced Martina to different scientific environments, working styles, and cultures. “These experiences didn’t just shape my scientific skills, but also shaped me as a person,” she says. “They taught me how to work with people who think differently, how to stay curious, and how to feel at ease in unfamiliar situations.” She particularly credits her PhD supervisor, Alberto Cavazzini, as the first person to believe in her potential and encourage her to take opportunities she might not otherwise have considered.

Cooking keeps Martina connected to the agri-food systems she studies. “Experimenting with ingredients, understanding how they behave, and thinking about how small changes can influence a final result has always been a natural part of my daily life,” she says. “This curiosity for food systems complements my scientific work, as it keeps me detail-oriented, open to experimentation, and sensitive to the complexity behind seemingly simple matrices.”