Dr. Ítala Marx

Dr. Ítala Marx is a food scientist and innovation leader working at the intersection of nutrition, circular bioeconomy and sustainable food systems. She holds a PhD in Food Science and is currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow coordinating the Phenols4Health project at the University of Córdoba, focusing on olive oil phenolics, gut health and disease prevention.

Her research and innovation activities centre on the valorisation of agrifood by-products, particularly olive oil side streams, through green extraction, bioprocessing and functional ingredient development. She actively translates scientific evidence into market-oriented solutions, bridging TRL 4–7 in collaboration with industry, startups and public stakeholders. Ítala is the creator of VIDA, a circular innovation project focused on upcycling olive oil waste into health-promoting ingredients for food, nutraceutical and cosmetic applications. She has authored 29 peer-reviewed scientific publications, received the EuChemS Young Researcher Award (2023), and regularly acts as mentor, consultant and evaluator in European innovation and circular economy programmes. Her work is driven by the mission to turn scientific excellence into scalable, sustainable and impactful circular solutions.