dr Bliss Ursula Furtado (assistant professor)
e-mail: bliss.furtado@umk.pl
phone: (56) 611 44 47
room: C170
Consultation hours: Monday- Friday 10:00 – 12:00 or by email
Research interests:
- Molecular community analysis of plant endophytic and rhizosphere microbiome.
- Understand how abiotic factors shape the plant microbiome and microbial interaction.
- Transcriptome study of halophytes and grasses.
- Proteomic analysis of bacterial and fungal mediated detoxification of heavy metals.
Education qualifications:
PhD in Biological Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland (December 2019). Thesis Title: Deciphering the diversity and functionality of fungal endophytes associated with Salicornia europaea L. Supervisor: Prof. Katarzyna Hrynkiewicz
MSc in Biotechnology, Bangalore University, India (June 2012). Thesis Title: Isolation and characterization of carbendazim-degrading fungi from soil. Supervisor: Prof. T.K.S. Gowda
BSc in Biotechnology, Goa University, India (April 2010). Thesis Title: Production of cellulose by fungi using agrowastes by Solid State Fermentation. Project Guide: Dr. M.L. Swaroopa.
Scientific internship:
- 2019 August –September: Erasmus+ scholarship at Aarhus University, Denmark
- 2018 April –May: DLF Seeds A/S (Global Seed Company), Højerupvej, Store Heddinge, Denmark
- 2017 January -April: Aarhus University, Flakkeberg, Denmark
Scholarships and Grants:
2021-2022: Postdoc at Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London and Department of Comparative Plant and Fungal Biology, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. Funding: IDUB programme for “Mobility of young scientists employed at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń”. Project title: Know your roots: Diversity and functional structure of ectomycorrhizal communities in conifer and broadleaf trees as indicators of forest health
2021-2022: Narodowego Centrum Nauki (NCN) MINIATURA 4 grant No. 2020/04/X/NZ9/02113 Beneficiary: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland. Project title: A salty profile of endophytic fungi – a proteomic approach (Salt-Fun)
2015-2019: Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions– Innovative Training Network project, funded by the European Union’s HORIZON 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 676480.
Beneficiary: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland.
Project title: Boosting Plant-Endophyte Stability, Compatibility and Performance across scales (BestPass).
Prizes and Awards:
- Award for “Individual recognition for achievements in the scientific field in 2019” from the Rector of Nicolas Copernicus University, 24th June 2020, Torun, Poland.
- Prize for the “Best oral presentation”, 9th Polish Society of Experimental Plant Biology conference (PSEPB), 9th – 12th September 2019, Torun, Poland.
- Erasmus+ scholarship for research visit to Aarhus University, Denmark. Months: August to September 2019
- Travel Grant for the New Phytologist Next Generation Scientists 2019 meet, Dublin.
- Travel Grant for the “FEMS Early stage researcher” sponsored by FEMS during the miCrope 2017 conference held in Vienna, Austria, 4th -7th December 2017.
- PhD fellowship from European Union Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions research fellowship – Innovative Training Network project HORIZON 2020 from March 2016 to February 2019 at Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland.
- Awarded “Best outgoing student of the year” during Masters Degree 2010-12 at Brindavan College, Bangalore, India.
- Elected the President of the Bioscience club “BIOVEDIKA”, 2011-12 at Brindavan College, Bangalore, India.
Publications:
Bibliografia publikacji pracowników i doktorantów Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu