Matteo Florio Furno

I obtained a Master's degree in Natural Sciences with a thesis focused on bioremediation (mycoremediation). I then pursued a PhD in Biological Sciences and Applied Biotechnologies, where my research was mainly dedicated to marine fungi associated with microplastics, with a particular focus on plastic degradation and the bioprospecting of secondary metabolites with potential applications in different sectors, especially in the biomedical field. Currently, I am a Research Technician at the Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis (MUT), the fungal collection of the University of Turin. My work involves phenotypic identification of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and yeasts) using MALDI-TOF MS, typing through IR-Biotyper, and phenotypic characterization by means of Biolog technology. Although my expertise covers microbial identification and characterization more broadly, my main research interest remains marine fungi, both for their ecological roles and their promising biotechnological applications.