Stefano Campanaro home page

From the Anaerobic Digestion, to fermented food and human gut, I use my expertise in molecular biology, computation and microbiology to study the genomes, evolution and ecology of microbial populations through 'omics strategies

Associate Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Padova

Head of the Genomics and Bioinformatics research unit and of the Sequencing Service of the Biology Department (UniPD)

Via U. Bassi 58/b, 35121 Padova (Italy); tel +39 0498276306

Recently published papers

Ghiotto G, De Bernardini N, Orellana E, Fiorito G, Cenci L, Kougias PG, Campanaro S, Treu L. Impact of trace metal supplementation on anaerobic biological methanation under hydrogen and carbon dioxide starvation. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2025 Jan 8;11(1):7. doi: 10.1038/s41522-025-00649-2.

Giangeri G, Campanaro S, Kyrpides NC, Angelidaki I. Unlocking the potential of designed microbial consortia: A breakthrough for sustainable waste management and climate resilience. Environ Sci Ecotechnol. 2025 Mar 27;25:100558. doi: 10.1016/j.ese.2025.100558.

Bizzotto, E., Zampieri, G., Treu, L., Filannino, P., Di Cagno, R., Campanaro, S. Classification of bioactive peptides: A systematic benchmark of models and encodings (2024) Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, 23, pp. 2442-2452. DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.05.040

Centurion, V.B., Rossi, A., Orellana, E., Ghiotto, G., Kakuk, B., Morlino, M.S., Basile, A., Zampieri, G., Treu, L., Campanaro, S. A unified compendium of prokaryotic and viral genomes from over 300 anaerobic digestion microbiomes (2024) Environmental Microbiome, 19 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00545-2

Ghiotto, G., De Bernardini, N., Giangeri, G., Tsapekos, P., Gaspari, M., Kougias, P.G., Campanaro, S., Angelidaki, I., Treu, L. From microbial heterogeneity to evolutionary insights: A strain-resolved metagenomic study of H2S-induced changes in anaerobic biofilms (2024) Chemical Engineering Journal, 485, art. no. 149824 DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.149824

RESEARCH DISSEMINATION (ITALIAN):

Our project supported by caritro foundation was reported in the most prestigious Italian economical journal "il sole 24 ore"

Impresa e ateneo al lavoro per aumentare la resa degli impianti di biogas

Check the new paper published by Maria Giovanna Romanelli on "oggiscienza"

Un nuovo database per i batteri dei bioreattori

Check our new biogasmicrobiome web site containing hundreds of biogas microbial genomes extracted from the biogas microbial community by using a new binning strategy! Accepted for publication in "Biotechnology for Biofuels".

you can find me on...

Metabioinfomics lab ResearchGate - Google scholar - twitter as @campanarostef - ORCID - Top Italian Scientists

Microbial Genomics Padova

and see also my...

Main research topics

Microbial metagenomics and environmental biotechnology

This research program explores the functional complexity of microbial communities within engineered ecosystems, specifically focusing on anaerobic digestion and biogas production. By integrating advanced "meta-omics" approaches, the work seeks to bridge the gap between fundamental microbial ecology and industrial process optimization.

Key Areas of Focus:

Genome-centric metagenomics: Utilizing high-throughput sequencing to recover thousands of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), providing a functional blueprint of the "core" microbiome in waste-to-energy systems.

Biological biogas upgrading: Investigating the microbial conversion of CO2 and H2 into biomethane, a critical component of Power-to-Gas technologies, through the optimization of hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis.

Process resilience: Analyzing how microbial networks adapt to feedstock variations and environmental stressors to ensure stable energy yields and prevent reactor failure.

Methodological innovation: Developing PCR-independent sequencing and multi-omic pipelines to accurately link taxonomic diversity with active metabolic functions.

The ultimate goal of this work is to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of biological waste treatment, transforming complex microbial consortia into highly controlled biotechnological tools for the circular bioeconomy.

Read more details on research activity in my Research activity page.