Alexia Massa-Gallucci
Who are you?
Alexia Massa-Gallucci is a Senior Scientific Consultant at AquaBioTech Group. AquaBioTech Group focuses on aquaculture and marine research and development. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food protein production industry, with Europe set to import 70% of the seafood consumed. AquaBioTech Group’s work aims to ensure that growth in the aquaculture sector is sustainable, with the use of technological solutions and the application of good industry practices.
Arne came with great skills and ideas that were new for us. Communicating with the Pioneer before they arrive really helps us get to know each other and agree the placement activities.
Why did you consider hosting a Pioneer?
AquaBioTech Group has accepted interns for over 15 years from around the world and is involved in several international collaborative projects. The international dimension together with the diversified portfolio of the company’s project curriculum, offers young professionals access to a number of projects, allowing them to gain new skills and experiences, whilst providing AquaBioTech Group with new ideas and contacts. Many of the young professionals working today in the company started their career through AquaBioTech Group internship programmes.
The approach of the Pioneers into Practice programme matches that of AquaBioTech Group well as it focuses on skills development in sustainability issues and creates mutual benefits for the Pioneer and host organisation. AquaBioTech Group also finds that it increases their network of partners and leads to future collaboration activities.
What did the Pioneers work on?
AquaBioTech Group have taken five Pioneers over three years working on various aquaculture and marine research projects linked to EU strategies.
In 2018, Arne Bratkic, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, from Slovenia joined AquaBioTech Group. Throughout his six-week PiP experience, Arne shadowed Senior Scientific Consultant Dr. Alexia Massa Gallucci, focusing on the work carried out in Malta as part of the EU Horizon 2020 collaborative research project ‘Tools for Assessment and Planning of Aquaculture Sustainability’ (TAPAS | No 678396). Arne’s background and skills are microbiology research so the placement created opportunities to learn about analysis elsewhere in the food chain. In addition, Arne contributed with his expertise on heavy metal analysis to further explore new opportunities for AquaBioTech Group. He developed processes to analyse parts of the food chain using Stable Isotope Analysis and created SOPs (Standard Operational Procedures) to allow AquaBioTech Group to continue this work in the future. The placement gave Arne experiences beyond his academic background by applying research in a business environment.
Both AquaBioTech Group and Arne found the experience to be very useful, as Alexia explained, they take great care selecting and then discussing with the Pioneer to make sure there is a very good fit of skills and expectations on both sides. Alexia said that Arne delivered his work with a very high level of professionalism and was a great asset for AquaBioTech Group.
What happens next?
Arne and AquaBioTech Group are looking to collaborate further in the future and identify new areas of opportunity for working together. Alexia says that after their placements, Pioneers return to their institutes as potential future partners with great ideas and a good understanding of each other’s capabilities.
AquaBioTech Group will continue to support the Pioneers programme and is looking for more Pioneers who specifically want to gain experience in the marine sector. They will continue to apply their approach of selecting the best Pioneer for the role and then integrate them closely within their teams working on research and commercial projects.