Tentative title: Systems Biology Approaches to Improving Camelina for Sustainable Oilseed Production

Short Biography: Chaofu Lu is a professor of the Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology at Montana State University. He received a PhD degree in plant molecular genetics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1998, and conducted postdoctoral studies at the John Innes Centre in the UK and Washington State University, specializing in plant lipid metabolism particularly in seed storage oils. His recent research interests focus on developing the oilseed crop Camelina sativa as a sustainable source of bioenergy and renewable chemicals and using camelina as a platform for translational plant biology research. The Lu lab established a plant transformation protocol and recently developed genetic and genomic resources in camelina. These tools will facilitate genetic and metabolic engineering in camelina and understanding genetic and physiological mechanisms of seed development, oil accumulation and fatty acid metabolism, as well as those influencing abiotic stresses including heat, drought and nutrient limitations.

Tentative title: 15-year experience of camelina development

Short Biography: Yuri Herreras works at the forefront of regenerative agriculture and advanced biofuel feedstocks. In his roles as Co-Founder & CEO of Camelina Company and President of Upstream at Grapevine Energy Holdings, he has played a key role in building an advanced camelina innovation and deployment platform across Europe and the Americas. He has developed partnerships with key players in the agriculture and energy industries and holds degrees in Industrial Engineering, Nuclear Science and Technology, and an Advanced Management Program from IE Business School.

Presentation title: From field to feed: nutritional potential of camelina cold-pressed cake.

Short Biography: Ph.D. in Food Engineering with over 32 years of experience in scientific research focused on feed technology, animal feed formulation, and the utilization of agricultural and food by-products. I have participated in numerous international research and development projects, including FP7, HORIZON2020, IPA, Southeast Europe, and COST programs. I am a member of various professional bodies and associations in the fields of animal nutrition and feed production. My academic contributions include more than 340 published scientific articles and technical papers in national and international journals, as well as numerous invited lectures at conferences and congresses worldwide. I have completed several short-term study visits to research centers across Europe and the USA. I collaborate closely with feed companies in Serbia and throughout Europe to improve feed formulations and technological processes for various animal species and production categories.

Tentative title: Yields and efficiency of camelina production in Poland.

Short Biography: Full professor of agricultural sciences, employed as a professor at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (UWM). Research related to biofeedstock, agroenergy, bioeconomy and renewable energy sources. Cultivation, productivity, quality of biomass and possibilities of using perennial and annual alternative plants for industrial and energy purposes. Production technologies and logistics of obtaining biofeedstock, their processing into bioproducts with higher added value and conversion into solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels. Cascading use of various types of biofeedstock of agricultural and forest origin. Bioconversion of various types of biomass residues using insects. Assessment of economic, energy and environmental efficiency of cultivation, production, logistics and processing of biomaterials. Characterisation and assessment of possibilities of using biomass and other renewable energy sources at individual, local, regional, national and international levels.

Tentative title: From Genetic Potential to Field Performance: Breeding Strategies for Scalable Camelina Improvement.

Short Biography: Product Development Scientist and Camelina Breeder at Bayer, where she leads the development of breeding strategies and field evaluation pipelines for Camelina sativa in support of biofuel and industrial oil applications. Her work integrates genetics, multi-environment testing, and data-driven selection to improve yield stability, oil traits, and agronomic performance.

Presentation title: Challenges and opportunity for camelina agronomic management in Europe.

Short Biography: Associate professor in Agronomy and Crop Science at Bologna University (Italy). I focus my studies on oilseed crops, particularly on non-food ones, belonging to the Brassicaceae family but also Euphorbiaceae ones. In particular, I carried out studies on the cropping systems, crop management, aiming at input reduction, as well as facing the effect of climate change and related abiotic stresses. I also studied crop ecophysiology in response to abiotic stresses, mainly heat, drought and salinity.