Professor Raffaella Villa joined De Montfort University in 2019 as Reader in Environmental Engineering. Prior to that she worked at Cranfield, Stirling, Exeter and the University of Milan (Italy).
Raffaella has worked on microbial bioengineering for the last 20 years. Her major contributions relate to the delivery of the next generation biotechnological processes that combine protection and production for a more circular bioeconomy, such as bioremediation and high-value products from waste. This is achieved by understanding the common science in the two areas (protection and production) on how to control and enhance specific functions of microbial communities by manipulating operative conditions to increase process yields and stability, with increasing emphasis on the concept of the “waste biorefinery”.
Raffaella has published over 60 research papers, books and conference proceedings with substantive contributions to waste biotransformations, bioremediation and anaerobic digestion.