Nicoleta Alina Suciu Since 2017 Dr. Nicoleta Alina Suciu has been a researcher (RTD B AGR/13 since 1st of July 2022) at the Department for Sustainable Food Process of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza, Italy).
Between 2011 and 2017, she was a Temporary Research Associate (Assegnista di Ricerca) at the Institute of Agricultural, Environmental, and Food Chemistry of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza, Italy).
In 2010 she obtained the Ph.D. title in Chemistry, Biochemistry and Ecology of Pesticides from the Faculty of Agriculture of Universitá degli Studi di Milano, Italy. During the Ph.D. program, for one year, she joined the Plant Protection Products and Them Residues Unit of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), in Parma (Italy). In EFSA she was responsible for the development of the project “Modelling approach to estimate emission of Plant Protection Products from protected crop systems to surface water in Mediterranean countries.” The project finished with the publication of the related scientific report of EFSA in EFSA’s Journal. Additionally, she collaborated on the preparation of working documents and other technical reports, in support of the Scientific PPR Panel and its Environmental working groups.
In 2007 she graduated from Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania, as a Diplomat Engineer in the field of Engineering and environmental protection in the industry. For her degree thesis, she joined, through the EU Erasmus Program, the Department of Agricultural Sciences of Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Her research is mainly aimed at assessing the impact on the environment and human health of chemicals used in agriculture and other industrial sectors through analytical studies and mathematical modeling. For this, in the past 16 years, she was involved in several European and national research projects:
December 2023 – Present – 3E-UAVspray – Operative solutions for efficient, effective, and environmental-friendly UAV-spray applications in Vineyards RRIN PNRR 2022 MINISTERO DELL’UNIVERSITA’ E DELLA RICERCA (MUR)
October 2023 – Present – Innovative approach enabling soil and food quality in vegetable gardens of the metropolitan area of Naples (HealthySoil4QualityFood) RRIN 2022 MINISTERO DELL’UNIVERSITA’ E DELLA RICERCA (MUR)
September 2020 – Present – Participation in Horizon project SPRINT, which aims to develop a Global Health Risk Assessment Toolbox to assess the impacts of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) on the environment and human health. Grant number: 862568
November 2020 – October 2023 – Scientific responsible for Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore of Erasmus+ Project TERRATECH – masTERs course on smArt Agriculture TECHnologies. Project Number: 621568-EPP-1-2020-1-PT-EPPKA2-KA
June 2017 – August 2020 – Scientific responsible and Leader of the Italian case study of the Horizon 2020 European Project WaterProtect. The project has developed new solutions and tools in 7 Action labs where water pollution (nutrients and/or pesticides) from intensive agriculture may affect the quality of the water for drinking water production. Grant number: 727450
November 2017 – April 2021 – Leader of WP4 research activities for the assessment of regulating services of ecosystems within the project ECORESILIENTE, D3.2 Research Line of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
October 2012 – September 2015 – Participation in EU 7th Framework Program Project 4 FUN (The Future of FUlly integrated human exposure assessment of chemicals: Ensuring the long-term viability and technology transfer of the EU-FUNded 2-FUN tools as a standardized solution). Within this project, I was involved in the writing process of exposure models and the development of a standard protocol for the description of exposure models. Furthermore, I participate in the SWOT analysis of the MERLIN-Expo Tool and the description of its regulatory context. Grant number:308440
September 2013 – March 2014 – Participation in SNAC- Synthetic and Natural Agrochemicals Compounds: ecological impacts on the soil system and effects on plant production. Project number 2011-1088, funded by Cariplo Foundation, Italy. Within this project, I was uncharged with the development of analytical methods for pesticide detection in the soil matrix.
March 2013 – June 2015 – Participation in New Life- Soil Improvement Technology for Degraded Soils Restoration -Applied Soil Science from Theory to Practice. LIFE10 ENV/IT/000400.
February 2011 – April 2012 – Participation in the European Coordination Action Project, Risk-based management of chemicals of products in a circular economy at a global scale – RYSKCYCLE, funded under the 7th Framework Program of the European Community. Grant number: 226552
June 2008 – September 2008 – Participation to “MESCOSAGR. Metodi Sostenibili per il sequestro del carbonio organico nei suoli agrari. Valutazione degli effetti sulla qualità chimica, fisica, biologica ed agronomica dei suoli”. Progetto FISR.
November 2007 -December 2007 – Participation to “Ruolo della fertilità organica del suolo per la massimizzazione della nutrizione vegetale e per la riduzione dell’inquinamento agrario”. Funded by MIUR (Ministero Italiano per l’Università e la Ricerca).
Since 2009, she organized as a member of the Organizing Committee 5 international and 7 national conferences and workshops, and she presented her research as an oral speaker in 23 international conferences and workshops and as a poster presenter in 34 national and international conferences and workshops.
Since 2021 she has been a member of Società Italiana di Chimica Agraria and of the modelling subgroup SETAC Spatially Distributed Leaching Modelling working group.
In 2012 she obtained the GRANT GRIFA/SHIMADZU, EUROSOIL 2012 W12.01- PESTICIDES IN SOIL, FATE, AND EFFECTS ON ENVIRONMENT for the oral presentation of “Pesticides water decontamination in oxygen-limited conditions”.
In 2018 she obtained the “Abilitazione al ruolo di Professore di II Fascia (ASN 07 /El Chimica Agraria, Genetica Agraria e Pedologia) – validità dell’abilitazione dal25/10/2018 al25/10/2027”.
In 2023 she obtained the ” Abilitazione al ruolo di Professore di I Fascia (ASN 07 /El Chimica Agraria, Genetica Agraria e Pedologia) – validità dell’abilitazione dal 21/11/2023 al 21/11/2034″.
She is the author of 39 ISI/SCOPUS published works, 966 citations, H-index 16, and 3 books.