Dr. Ifigeneia Mellidou, Senior Researcher in Horticultural Plant Breeding, holds a PhD in Bioscience Engineering from KU Leuven in Belgium (2012). Her doctoral research, conducted at the Lab of Fruit Breeding & Biotechnology, focused on the genetic regulation of vitamin C in fruit. During her Ph.D., she was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Plant & Food Research in New Zealand, where she gained expertise in gene (QTL) mapping and molecular marker development. She developed a SNP-based marker that can be employed for the early screening of Malus with increased fruit AsA levels. Dr. Mellidou’s postdoctoral work began at KU Leuven in the Lab of Computational Cell Biology, where she applied advanced transcriptomic and proteomic technologies to investigate Malus cell-wall regulation during postharvest. She continued her research at the School of Agriculture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where she further specialized in plant stress molecular physiology. Her research interests include breeding and population genetics, the evaluation of biodiversity in plant genetic resources, and the use of metagenomics approaches to unravel the holobiome concept underlying plant-microbe interactions. A major focus of her work is the application of modern molecular diagnostic techniques for enhancing the genetic improvement of horticultural crops. Since December 2017, she has been a researcher at the Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources of ELGO-Dimitra.

• Plant Breeding
• Diversity in horticultural genetic resources
• Transcriptomics and epigenomics
• Plant stress molecular physiology
• Metagenomics and plant-microbe interactions

• “Tomato Breeding for Improved Nutritional Quality” funded by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.
• “Identification, evaluation and improvement of the special quality attributes of Greek garlic germplasm (Allium sativum. L) originated from Evros, Greece” (GaRlEEK, Μ16ΣΥΝ-00394) funded by the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.
• «Ανάδειξη, αξιολόγηση και βελτίωση των ιδιαίτερων ποιοτικών χαρακτηριστικών των Ελληνικών ποικιλιών σκόρδου (Allium sativum) στην περιοχή της Βύσσας», με ακρωνύμιο ‘G(a)R(l)EEK’ και κωδικό Μ16ΣΥΝ2-00091 (ΠΑΑ Ανατ Μακεδονίας-Θράκης).
• “Implementing a trans-EUROpean PEPper LANDrace collection for resilient agriculture” acronym “Europeland” funded by ECPGR.
• “Pro-Wild – Protect and promote Crop Wild Relatives”, acronym “Pro_wild” funded under the call of Biodiversity and ecosystem services- HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01.

Mellidou I.*, Kanellis A.K.K. (2024). Revisiting the role of ascorbate oxidase in plant systems. Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae058

Boutsika Β., Xanthopoulou Α., Tanou Τ., Zacharatou Μ., Vernikos Μ., Nianiou-Obeidat Ι., Ganopoulos Ι., Mellidou Ι.* (2024). A microbiome survey of contrasting potato terroirs using 16S rRNA long-read sequencing. Plant and Soil https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06686-8

Mellidou, I.*, Koukounaras, A., Frusciante, S., Rambla, J.L., Patelou, E., Ntoanidou, S., Pons, C., Kostas, S., Nikoloudis, K., Granell, A., Diretto, G., Kanellis, A.K* (2023). A metabolome and transcriptome survey to tap the dynamics of fruit prolonged shelf-life and improved quality within Greek tomato germplasm. Frontiers in Plant Science https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plantscience/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1267340/full

Boutsika A., Michailidis M., Ganopoulou M., Dalakouras A., Skodra C., Xanthopoulou A., Stamatakis G., Samiotaki M., Tano, G., Moysiadis T., Angelis L., Bazakos C., Molassiotis A., Nianiou-Obeidat I., Mellidou I.*, Ganopoulos, I.* (2023). A wide foodomics approach coupled with metagenomics elucidates the environmental signature of potatoes. iScience https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004222021903

Mellidou I.*, Kanellis A.K.K. (2023). Deep inside the genetic regulation of ascorbic acid during fruit ripening and postharvest storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925521423001977