Rosanna Catherine Hennessy

CV

Positions

2016-2018 Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbial Biotechnology, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

2014-2016 Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbial Interactions, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

2013-2014 Research Associate in Synthetic Biology, University of York (UK)

Education

2018-2019 Teaching and Learning Higher Education Program, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

2008-2012 PhD Cell and Molecular Biology, University College Dublin (Ireland)

2004-2008 BSc Biological Sciences (Honours Biotechnology), University of Edinburgh (UK)

Awards

• Copenhagen Microbiology Center (CMC) Symposium Presentation Award (2015)
• University College Dublin Carmel Humphries Memorial Medal (2011)
• PhD Teagasc Walsh Fellowship awarded by Irish Agricultural and Food Development Authority (2008-2012)
• Society of General Microbiology (SGM) Scholarship for Research (2007)

Supervision

Co-supervisor of 9 BSc Students and 5 Master Students (2014-2018)

Teaching activities

Introduktion til Bioteknologi (Bachelor Course)

Molekylær Genetik (Bachelor Course)

Genetik (Bachelor Course)

Applied Microbiology (MSc Course, Joint Course Responsible)

Advanced Microbial Biotechnology (MSc Course)

 Other activities

• Selected Member of the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science Young Investigator Network (2018-)
• Member of General (2014-), Danish (2014-) and American (2015-) Societies of Microbiology
• Supervision and mentoring iGEM team in 2014 developing microbial biosensors to detect contaminated water at the University of York (UK)

Aktuel forskning

I am a microbial biotechnologist based at the University of Copenhagen since 2014 where the focus of my research is understanding how microbes synthesize secondary metabolites and enzymes, and how we can utilize such products for sustainable applications in food, pharma and biotech.

My research profile covers pure to applied sciences and employs an interdisciplinary approach combining omics technologies (genomics and transcriptomics), bacterial genetics (targeted and random gene disruptions), biochemistry (enzyme purification and assay) and metabolomics (LC-MS and imaging mass spectrometry) to characterize new microbes, enzymes and secondary metabolites.

Research Areas

• Microbial enzymes for food, pharma and biotech applications
• Secondary metabolites from soil pseudomonads
• Molecular bacterial-fungal interactions in agriculture

Projects

• Innovation Fund Denmark Project “proPOTATO”: Potato proteins – Challenges and Industrial Possibilities” where KMC, Aarhus University, and Copenhagen University will together with AKV Langholt and DuPont Nutrition Biosciences run the proPOTATO project upgrading potato protein from starch production to sustainable food ingredients.
• Villum Foundation Project “Microbial Communication‐A Key to the Development of Novel Sustainable Agri‐ and Aquaculture Practices Using Biological Control Bacteria”.