Meet FEMS Research and Training Grantee Fabio Giovannercole
29-03-21
Research and Training Grants are meant to assist early career scientists in pursuing research and training at a European host institution in another country than their own country of residence.
Fabio Giovannercole: Sapienza University of Rome, Institution – Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Rome, Italy
Host supervisor and host laboratory: Dr. Ana Varela Coelho, ITQB NOVA – Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Oeiras, Portugal
Dates: 28 September to 18 December 2020
FEMS Member Society Membership: Microbiology Society
I am a biochemist and a microbiologist with a PhD in Life Sciences and over 7 years of experience in a research laboratory. Since I was little, I have always been attracted by science and I have always wanted to become a researcher and contribute to improve society through scientific progress. Thanks to the fruitful collaboration with the host laboratory, I could put my hands on two key omics sciences, I have always been interested to learn and work on, as well as to gain new technical and bioinformatics skills, which will consolidate my profile as a microbiologist and independent researcher. Additionally, I could conclude a research project I had started during my PhD.
I applied for a FEMS Research and Training grant to learn new microbiological techniques and methodologies in order to boost my scientific skills as a microbiologist, as well as to expand my network, meet new researchers and establish new collaborations. Therefore, as a member of a society affiliated to FEMS, I found very fruitful the possibility to spend few months in the host laboratory thanks to this grant. With this FEMS Research and Training grant I wanted to boost my scientific skills and to successfully accomplish my scientific goals by exploring two omics technologies present in the host laboratory. It was indeed an extremely formative experience for me: not only it allowed me to deepen my knowledge on two key omics technologies I have always been interested, but also to gain expertise on statistics and bioinformatics analyse. Thanks to all of this, I will be able to complete and publish a research project I have been involved since my PhD.
The FEMS Research and Training grant allowed me to come back to a research laboratory I had visited during my PhD, and thus to continue and finish a research project I had begun during my PhD. The grant was eventually essential for my scientific career because I was able to ultimate my research project, which will be published soon, as well as to consolidate a scientific collaboration with the host laboratory.
I am a member of the Microbiology Society (UK), which is part of FEMS. Moreover, I have already attended two FEMS Congresses: the first held in Valencia (2017) and the second in Glasgow (2019). The Federation of European Microbiology Societies (FEMS) is the most important and valid collaboration amongst the European microbiology societies, as well as an essential point of reference for early career researchers. For me, the FEMS Congresses have always represented a great opportunity to be inspired by good science, to establish contacts andcollaborations, and to promote my research project. Moreover, I have always found very productive the FEMS webinars, which keep me updated with the latest discoveries in different fields of microbiology. I am also grateful to FEMS for the numerous workshops and lectures aimed at providing guidelines on how to manage scientific projects and write and submit asuccessful grant. What I want to wish FEMS is to not give up and carry on promoting the best of microbiology as it has always done so far!’’