Project directors
Andreas Zautner
University Lecturer
Medical Microbiology Virology and Infection Epidemiology at the University Medicine Göttingen.
Dr. med. Andreas Zautner is head of a research group dealing with gastrointestinal infections, in particular, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridioides difficile and Arcobacter species. After studying human medicine at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, he wrote his doctoral thesis on the cell tropism of Coxsackievirus B3 at the Institute for Virology and Antiviral Therapy in Jena. At the universities of Rostock and Göttingen, Dr. Zautner specialized first in medical microbiology, virology and infection epidemiology and later also in laboratory medicine. His main research interests are the investigation of Campylobacter jejuni's stress response to bile acids, antibiotic resistance mechanisms, chemotaxis, and virulence factors. There is a special interest in the prototyping of microorganisms using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.
Angelika Ploeger
Former Head of Section of Organic Food Quality and Food Culture
Prof. Dr. agr. Dr. h.c. mult. Angelika Ploeger was for 15 years Head of Section of Organic Food Quality and Food Culture at the University of Kassel (until 2018). In the field of Food Science and Nutrition, she has been actively teaching since 1983 at 3 different Universities and during the last 20 years she bridges research in nutrition, food science and technology (basic science) with social science in the field of food culture and traditional knowledge first at Fulda University for Applied Sciences and later at Kassel University. Prof. Dr. Ploeger is a founding member and was chair of the International Association on Food Quality and Health (FQH) and she was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board on Food Policy and Consumer Protection of the German Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Consumer Protection for 9 years. In the field of organic farming, she was and still is actively involved in IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements) and was engaged in the certification of organic products. She established at the Faculty for Organic Agricultural Sciences at Kassel University two English speaking Master programs: International Food Business and Consumer Studies (IFBC) as well as European Master Sustainable Food Systems (joined program SusFoods). She is engaged in the FAO/UNEP program Sustainable Consumption and Production with the topic of Assessing sustainable diets within the sustainability of food systems (since 2014). She published 7 books and numerous scientific publications. Prof. Ploeger is the editor-in-chief of "Future of Food: Journal on Food, Agriculture, and Society" (Web of Science).
Barbara Sturm
Head of Process and Systems Engineering in Agriculture
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Dr. habil. Barbara Sturm a Process and Environmental Engineer with more than 10 years of experience in a variety of roles, in research and industrial collaborations mainly related to thermal process engineering, process design, and sustainable design and the development of non-invasive measurement and control systems. She holds a doctorate and habilitated in Agricultural Engineering. Barbara has taught in several courses at universities in Germany and the UK. She has longstanding experience in coordinating and managing international multidisciplinary projects with a focus on holistic and sustainable approaches for resource efficiency and product quality in industrial food production and intensive animal farming. (Profile photo credit Per Schröter)
Beso Lasareishvili
Associated Professor of the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG)
Besarion Lasareishvili is an Associated Professor and a Senior Scientist at the lab of cellular immunology of the Agricultural University of Georgia. Currently, he is the head of the Integrated Master's Educational Program in Veterinary Medicine. He delivers lectures in basic and veterinary immunology, as well as in basic and veterinary microbiology and virology. He is a member of Agricultural University's dissertation board as well as board member of different professional associations – Georgian association of allergology and clinical immunology (GAIACI); Georgian association for management and development of laboratory medicine (MDLM); President of the Georgian Association of Biological medicine (GABM), Examiner of High Educational Program's accreditation at the National Center of Educational Quality Enhancement Center. He had internship projects in different universities of USA and Germany - Augusta State University, Michigan State University, Charite Medicine University, DRFZ. His scientific point of interest is phage-based research: phage pharmacology, phage therapy, phageome, immunomodulation.
Christian Herzig
Professor at the University of Kassel
Head of the Management in the International Food Business unit
Prof. Dr. Christian Herzig heads the Management in the International Food Business unit at Witzenhausen campus and since 2019 he is Vice Dean of the Faculty. He is the Spokesperson of the Ph.D. Group "Food Economy and Technology" which focuses on issues of sustainability in value chains and Spokesperson of the University of Kassel's Graduate Centre for Environmental Research and Education. Prof. Dr. Christian Herzig is also a member of the Faculty of Economics and Management and the Faculty's Institute of Management and Business Studies. His research interests revolve around questions of Management and Strategic Control in Agrifood Business; Management of Regional and Global Production Networks and Supply Chains in Agriculture and the Food Industry.
David Chichua
Professor of the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG)
Davit Chichua is a Professor for Winemaking at the Agricultural University of Georgia. He is teaching Wine chemistry and Wine technology. He is working at the Georgian scientific-research Center of Agriculture, where is responsible for micro vinification of rare autochthonous Georgian Varieties. Davit Chichua has rich practical experience in the Wine Industry.
Ewald Langer
Professor of Ecology at the University of Kassel
Prof. Dr. Ewald Langer is a professor of Ecology at the University of Kassel, Germany. His research interests are Mykology, Aphyllophorales, Corticaceae s.lat., Biodiversity, Phylogeny, Biogeography. He held the presidentship in the German Society of Mycology from 10/2008 - 11/2011. Prof. Langer completed his Ph.D. in Ecology in 1994. His current research works are fungal diversity of the National Park Kellerwald-Edersee, Phylogeny of Corticiaceae and endophytic fungi of forest trees. He cooperates with few international and national research works in the fungal diversity of IRAN (with Prof. Dr. Masoomeh Ghopad-Nejhad).
Hartmut Vogtmann
Prof. Dr. Sc. tech. Dr. h. c. mult. Hartmut Vogtmann was appointed as a professor for agriculture at the University of Kassel, holding the first chair for Organic Farming in Germany (and certainly European wide) from 1981 - 1994. He holds degrees in agriculture and also in food science from the "Swiss Federal Institute of Technology" (ETH) in Zürich, where he received his Ph.D. in animal nutrition. He was a lecturer and later Assistant Prof. at the University of Alberta in Edmonton Canada, at the Department of Animal Nutrition from 1971 – 1974. From 1974 to 1981, Prof. Dr. Vogtmann was the founder and director of the "Swiss Research Institute for Organic Farming" (FIBL) and in this capacity he was instrumental for the development and survival of the "International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements" (IFOAM) and served as chairman for this organization from 1975 until 1982. He is now its Honorary President. He was one of the founders of the Organic Research Centre at Elm Farm in GB, which was established in 1981. Prof. Vogtmann was elected as President of the Hess State Agency for Regional Development at Kassel, Germany from 1994-2000. From 2000 to 2007 he served as President of the German "Federal Agency for Nature Conservation" at Bonn, Germany. From 2012 to 2015 he was elected as President of the umbrella NGO "German League for Nature and Environment" (DNR). He has published a great number of scientific publications and books in the fields of animal nutrition, organic agriculture, food quality, sustainable resource management and the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Ia Pipia
Ass. Professor of the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG)
Institute of Molecular Genetics
Dr. Ia Pipia works as an Associate Professor at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Georgian Agricultural University. Dr. Pipia researches in the field of genomics. Her ongoing researches are focused on the study of genetic diversity and the role and importance of Georgian grapes in the world's history of viticulture by applying genome-based approaches. Dr. Pipia is an author of numbers scientific publications and participants of various international scientific conferences (including as keynote speaker and workshop speaker). She worked in leading scientific laboratories in the US and Israel. Besides she is involved in the teaching process, delivering lectures in genetics and is a supervisor of doctoral, master and bachelor theses.
Irakli Janashia
Institute of Entomology
Irakli Janashia is a researcher in the beekeeping unit at the Institute of Entomology at the Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi. Dr. Janashia is involved in the teaching of beekeeping at university and conducting scientific studies of honeybee diseases. At the same time, he is involved in extension services, dedicated to veterinary issues in various agriculture branches. His particular research interests are honey bee diseases: intoxications, Varroa destructor, and Nosemosis.
Kakha Didebulidze
Institute of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Kakha Didebulidze is an Associate Professor at the Georgian Agricultural University at the Institute of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, he is the head of the microbiology laboratory. He conducts active teaching and research activities. He is a certified expert of ISO 17025-2018 on laboratory standards at the Ministry of Economy of Georgia.
Levan Gulua is a professor at the Agricultural University of Georgia. He is a manager of the bachelor program in Food Technology. He has been manager/researcher of international projects funded by NATO, INTAS-Food, STCU as well as projects funded by GNSF (Georgian National Scientific Fund; www.gnsf.ge). His research activities are related to the investigation of bioactivity of plant polyphenolics; in particular, green tea and red wine polyphenolics and their anticarcinogenic and antioxidant action.
Liana Shubladze
Institute of Viticulture and Oenology
Liana Shubladze works at the Agricultural University of Georgia, Head of Central Laboratory, Institute of Viticulture and Oenology, Georgian State Agricultural University. Her research interests are Agricultural Sciences and Oenology. Her scientific experiences include managing of international, fundamental and applied projects, including the projects -"the Scientific Basis for Using Natural Antiseptics Substituting Sulphurous Anhydride in Table Wines Technology", "Technology of Preparation of Polyphenol Concentrated Red Wines, Juices and Extract." She was a supervisor for 3 doctoral students in the field of sphere Oenology. She had published more than 120 articles in international and local scientific journals. The main topic of publications concerning: Effect of Nanostructured Silver on Biologically Active Substances and Microbiological Processes of Dry Red Wine, Application of a Natural Antiseptic as a Replacer of Sulfurous Anhydride During the Process of Grape Must Treatment and the results of the microbiological Investigation and Variations of Bioactive Substances in Red Wines Produced by Different Technological Techniques of Enzyme Maceration.
Medea Burjanadz
Department of Forest Protection
Prof. Dr. Medea Burjanadze is an Associate Professor at the Agricultural University of Georgia and a senior research scientist at the Department of Forest Protection. As an Insect Pathologist and an Entomologist, Prof. Dr. Burjanadze works on biological control of harmful pest insects. The research activities deal with insect pest pathogens (microorganisms and parasitic nematodes) in agricultural crops, ornamental and woody plants in urban areas and forests. She has 35 years of experience in field experiments and project-related biological control. She is the project manager of national, international and joint Projects (e.g. GNSF/STCU, SCOPES, CNR, BMBF, USA FRS). She is the author of more than 70 scientific publications and one monograph "English-Georgian dictionary of terms for integrated pest management". She is registered for Biopesticides "Bover Ge". Since 2007 she is a member of IOBC /WPRS and SIP, is Academician, a member of the Engineering Academy of Georgia as well as Member of Ecological Safety Commission of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (2018).
Michael Rostás
Professor at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Division of Agricultural Entomology
Michael Rostás was appointed in 2018 as Head of the Division of Agricultural Entomology at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. He holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the Freie Universität Berlin where he also completed his undergraduate studies with a focus on Chemical Ecology. In 2002 he was awarded a DFG Postdoc grant and spent two years at the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Returning to Germany, he took up a Lecturer position at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg and obtained his Habilitation degree in Ecology. From 2010 until 2018 he joined the Bio-Protection Research Centre, one of New Zealand's Centres of Research Excellence based at Lincoln University. Professor Rostás' research focusses on the complex interactions between crop plants, insects and fungi (endophytes, entomopathogens) in agroecosystems with special attention to chemical signals that play a role in insect behaviour and plant defense. The knowledge gained is used to help develop much needed sustainable pest control strategies. Current projects also explore genotypic differences in insect resistance to foster the breeding of new plant cultivars. He teaches biological control, integrated pest management, and plant-insect interactions.
Mikheil Asatiani
Dr. Mikheil D. Asatiani received the Ph.D. in Biotechnology, in 2009 from the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Israel. Dr. Asatiani is a scientist at the Agricultural University of Georgia. He worked as Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Haifa, Israel (2009-2010). He was Invited Researcher at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, Riga (2011). He worked as Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Haifa, Israel (2012-2013) as well as Post-Doctoral Fellow at Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan (2013). From 2014 he took the position Associate professor at UIC, Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. In 2015 he was a researcher at Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey and went back to the University of Haifa, Israel in 2016. His research interests are.: Edible and medicinal mushroom production; Investigation of medicinal mushroom dietary supplements; Evaluation of medicinal and pharmaceutical properties of medicinal mushrooms; Physiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology of microorganisms; Lignocellulose-deconstructing enzyme synthesis; Bioconversion of lignocellulose in value-added products (enzymes, biofuel). Editorial board: International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms; Frontiers in Microbiology/Fungi and Their Interactions.
Nana Bitsadze
Department of Biology and Natural Sciences
Nana Bitsadze is an Associate Professor, at the Department of Biology and Natural Sciences. She is a manager of Mycological Herbarium and Fungal Culture Collection and the head of the Laboratory of Mycology and Plant Pathology, at the Agricultural University of Georgia, Georgia. Her research interests are plant-fungal interaction. She is experienced to work with plant pathogenic, mycoparasitic, endophytic and mycorrhizal fungi.
Nino Gagelidze
Prof. Dr. Nino Gagelidze is the head of the Laboratory of Probiotics and Yeasts, S.Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the Agricultural University of Georgia. Prof. Gagelidze has many years of experience in the fields of microbiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology. He takes part in the implementation process of the Projects financed by international and local scientific funds, in the frame of which were created collections of numerous lactic acid bacteria and yeasts (please, see the attached file). The major part of collected microorganisms is characterized by high probiotic activity (bile/acid tolerance, consumption of oligosaccharides, inhibition of growth and development of different pathogens).
Nona Chkhaidze
Associated Professor
Unit of Biology
Nona Chkhaidze is an Associated Professor of Plant biology in the Unit of Biology of Faculty Agrarian and Natural Sciences at the Agrarian University of Georgia. Ass. Prof. Chkhaidze has more than 30 year of practical and theoretical experiences and appropriative skills in the field of Woody, Medicinal and Cereal plant and biodiversity. The main research topic is plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stressors. Her expertise covers the following topics: hormonal regulation of frost tolerance in citrus plants; Resistance of woody plants (Morus, Vitis, Abies, Picea) to phytoplasmic diseases; phytoplasma insect-vectors in Georgia; Resistance of plants (Triticum, Corillus) to pest; Biological study of rare and endangered medicinal plants of Georgia (Galanthus, Angelica, Cyclamen, Senecio) to develop technological schemes for cultivation.
Tamar Kvrivishvili
Tamari Kvrivishvili is an Associate Professor of the Agricultural University of Georgia. Ms. Kvrivishvili has teaching experience in Bachelor's and Master's programs. Dr. Kvrivishvili is a member of several international and local scientific grant projects. Dr. Kvrivishvili has experiences in laboratory research, participates in training programs organized by international organizations ( USAID, UNDP, MCC ). She actively participates in the work of various committees on various state structures which activities are related to land assessment and soil protection. Tamari Kvrivishvili has experience in international scientific cooperation. She is a member of the Society of Soil Scientists of Georgia. Her research interests are soil science.
Tamar Turmanidze
Researcher at the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG)
Department of Food Technology
Tamar Turmanidze works as a researcher at the Department of Food Technology at the Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi. She has been involved in the projects "Development of new formulation for high specific natural inhibitor of pancreatic lipase" (2016-2018), and "Development of sound storage techniques of stone fruit and berry crops based on biochemical-technological research" (2014-2016) funded by Shosta Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia as a main executor and for "Development of fruit cold storage technology and theoretical justification" (2016-2018) as a coordinator. She has defended a thesis titled " Comparison of the biochemical composition of some berry fruits and storage technology". She is an invited lecturer at the Agricultural University of Georgia and delivers lectures in "Food factories organization". Her research interests are the storage and processing technologies of fruit and vegetables.
Tamar Varazi
Department of Biological Oxidation
Tamar Varazi works as a Full Professor at the Department of Biological Oxidation in the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Georgia. Main direction of her research are: Investigation of biochemical principles of phytoremediation of polluted environment; the study of penetration, translocation and transformation pathways of xenobiotics in plants; elaboration of biochemical criteria for selection of plants for phytoremediation and bioindication; establishment of regulatory mechanisms of xenobiotics detoxification in plant cell; investigation of plant enzymes (cytochrome P450-containing monooxygenases, peroxidases, phenoloxidases) participating in oxidative degradation of organic toxicants; investigation of the plant monooxygenase system in adaptation to environmental stress. Her scientific experiences include managing of many international, fundamental and applied projects. As a pedagogical experience, she delivers lectures in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Ecological Chemistry, Medical Biochemistry, Medical Chemistry and Toxicology in Georgian and English languages. She published 4 Monographs and more than 52 articles in international and local scientific journals.
Tea Oshkhereli
Department of Veterinary
Tea Oshkhereli has a Ph.D. in Veterinary. She is a lecturer in Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology at the Agricultural University of Georgia. Dr. Oshkhereli is a senior specialist in the Department of Veterinary Control at LEPL National Food Agency. Dr. Oshkhereli is a co-participant of the project of antimicrobial resistance of the National Strategy and Veterinary (2017-2020). The scientific interests are the study of antimicrobial resistance and prevention.
Teo Urushadze
Prof. Dr. Teo Urushadze is a Professor at the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG). Prof. Dr. Urushadze has been actively involved in teaching and research since 1994. Currently, she is the Dean of the School of Agriculture and Nature Sciences at the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG), and the Head of AUG Ecological Agriculture and Nature Conservation Laboratory. She was TEMPUS project coordinator: "MSc in Applied biosciences". In addition to teaching and occupying administrative positions, she has long experience in working for the Georgian Government and international development projects as a monitoring and evaluation specialist, project head, education specialist, adviser. She held various positions at the World Bank Financed Georgian Agriculture Development Projects Coordination Center focusing on Agricultural Research, Extension and Training. Prof. Dr. Urushadze was Coordinator from AUG side of ENPARD Project – Capacity Building to Agricultural Related and Education Institutions. Accreditation Council Member at National Center For Educational Quality Enhancement of Georgia. Prof. Dr. Urushadze also served as a member of the Scientific-Advisory Board of Agrarian Committee of the Parliament of Georgia. She acted as Head of Heinz Fehr South Caucasus Compost Project. Prof. Dr. Urushadze is the author of over 100 scientific publications in peer-reviewed high impact journals. She holds the President's First-Degree Scholarship for young scientists.
Tinatin Sadunishvili
Laboratory of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology (DIBB)
Tinatin Sadunishvili is a Professor of the Agricultural University of Georgia (AUG), Head of Laboratory of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Durmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology (DIBB). After graduation from Tbilisi State University, she has been working at the DIBB (former Institute of Plant Biochemistry, GNAS). In 1980 she obtained the degree of Candidate of Science on studies of structure, kinetics, and regulation of malate dehydrogenases of perennial plants. In 1995 she defended her Doctoral thesis on Ammonia's primary assimilation pathways in plants and was awarded a degree Doctor of Science. In 2009 she was elected as Corresponding Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences and in 2015 as Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (GNAS). Her research topics were expanded by structure-function changes in plant cells under abiotic stresses; microbial diversity, their important traits for novel biotechnology applications; development of bio and phytoremediation technologies; phytopathogenic bacteria and their specific bacteriophages; elaboration of environmentally-friendly control methods against plant bacterial diseases based on specific bacterial viruses. She has realized above 20 International projects being Principal investigator or Manager. Professor Tinatin Sadunishvili is a member of editorial boards of the Bulletin of the GNAS, Annals in Agrarian Science, Plant&Fungal Research. She is co-Founder of the Georgian Association of General and Applied Microbiology (http://www.gagam.ge). During her professional career Dr. Sadunishvili has invited Professor/post-Doc at the Eötvös Lorand University, Budapest; Institute of Enzymology, Szegedi Biological Center, Hungary; University of Murcia, Spain; Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory, CA; Meisei University, Japan, etc. She is an author of a monograph and about 100 scientific publications including numerous reviews and book chapters.
Tsotne Samadashvili
Tsotne Samadashvili is a full professor and deputy chief of the Agri-technological Department at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, at the Agricultural University of Georgia. Dr. Samadashvili is heading the Crop Husbandry Department of the Scientific Research Center of Agriculture of Georgia. Prof. Samadashvili has contributed to the selection of cereal varieties, owning 6 patents on triticale and wheat varieties. His research interests are wheat genetics, selection, evolution, and agrotechnology.
Zviad Bobokashvili
Associated Professor of Pomology
Zviad Bobokashvili works as an Associate Professor of Pomology at the Agricultural University of Georgia. Prof. Bobokashvili has more than 20 years of practical and theoretical experience and appropriative skills in the field of fruit crop research. He is focusing on fruit biodiversity, evaluation of varieties and improvement of advanced technologies of fruit production. He has a long and fruitful partnership and actively collaborates with Georgian and internationally well-known research centers and scientists in Horticulture.
Photos/News
Visiting at the BESH and organic farms/factories
Excursion at the Hochschule Geisenheim University
Academic training session – Theoretical part at ICDD – 7th of May 2019
SAFS Workshop – visiting laboratories / working groups and Tropical Greenhouse
SAFS-Structured Doctoral Program Workshop – May 2019 – Welcome Meeting
Expert Training Workshop – May 2019 in Germany
The inauguration ceremony of SAFS project
Photos from the Inauguration Ceremony on 1st of November 2018