I hold a MSc degree in Biotechnology Engineering (Summa cum laude) from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary from 2007, and I was awarded a PhD degree in Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki, Finland, in 2012. I carried out my PhD fellowship jointly at the University of Helsinki and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland on improving enzymatic conversion of lignocellulose to platform sugars. After graduation, I joined the Protein Engineering and Proteomics (PEP) group led by Vincent Eijsink at NMBU as a postdoctoral fellow and continued exploring the application of plant cell wall-active enzymes for plant biomass valorization.
I am currently leading the Enzymatic Saccharification work package and co-ordinating the Biochemical value chain Sub-Project of the FME Bio4Fuels (Norwegian Centre for Sustainable Bio-based Fuels and Energy), and I am leading my Emerging Investigator grant by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, FunAccess: Leveraging the mechanisms how Fungi increase plant cell wall Accessibility to unlock the industrial valorization potential of plant biomass.
My major interest is biomass valorization, with particular focus on enzyme discovery and on understanding the role various enzyme components play, both individually and in combination with other enzyme components, in nature and in industrial processes. The underlying goal of my research is to implement the acquired knowledge for enzyme applications and process optimization, in particular in converting plant biomass to platform sugars as well as in fibre engineering. I have 10+ years of experience in enzymatic conversion and modification of biomass with cellulose-, hemicellulose- and lignin-active hydrolases, esterases and redox enzymes, including LPMOs. Recently, I have taken up interest in brown-rot fungal decay, in particular the role of enzymatic and non-enzymatic redox systems, as well as in plant cell wall-loosening proteins and their role in facilitating plant-microbe interactions by increasing plant cell wall accessibility by fungi.