VERONICA
ZINGALES

Dr. Veronica Zingales’ research primarily focuses on exploring foodborne natural compounds and their effects on human health. Her expertise lies in assessing the cytotoxic and cytoprotective effects of dietary toxins and antioxidants, respectively, through advanced in vitro cell models. A major emphasis of her work is the development and optimization of innovative in vitro systems that are physiologically relevant and reliable, aligning with the principles of the 3Rs strategy (Replace, Reduce, Refine), which aims to minimize animal use in scientific experiments. Dr. Zingales (h-index 12) earned her PhD in Food Science from the University of Valencia, Spain, in 2021, and currently holds the position of Distinguished Professor in Toxicology at the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Science, Toxicology, and Forensic Medicine of the University of Valencia. Over the past years, Dr. Zingales has established a solid and independent research program. Her international experience - accumulating 36 months across institutions such as the Pediatric Research Institute - Città della Speranza (IRP-CdS) in Italy - has been supported by competitive fellowships, including the Margarita Salas (UP2021-044) and APOSTD (CIAPOS/2021/228) postdoctoral grants. These stays enabled her to move her research towards innovative approaches in toxicology, with a focus on advanced in vitro models for toxicity testing. During these international stays, Dr. Zingales independently planned and managed the research projects in which was involved, overseeing all stages, from defining work plans to experimental design, data analysis, and optimization of 3D culture models and functional endpoints. These contributions were then successfully integrated into the research group of her accademic mentor, Prof. María José Ruiz. So far, Dr. Zingales has authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles in SCI-indexed journal and presented her findings at over 20 national and international scientific conferences, including two invited talks and five oral presentations. Her research excellence was recently recognized with the 2024 ESTIV Early Scientific Career Award, granted by the European Society of In Vitro Toxicology (ESTIV) at its XXII Congress in Prague, where she delivered a keynote titled “From Traditional to Three-Dimensional Models and Microfluidics: The Impact of the Culture System on the Toxicological Evaluation of Food Contaminants.” Currently, as the winner of the prestigious attract research talent grant "Beatriz Galindo Distinguished Researcher Fellowship 2024", her work spans research leadership, teaching, knowledge transfer, and team coordination, reflecting her growing role as a leader in food toxicology. Dr. Zingales is currently part of the RiskTox research group at the University of Valencia, led by Prof. Dr. Ruiz, one of the leading researchers in the field of toxicology, and comprised of a team with extensive experience in assessing the risk of exposure to food contaminants. She is also a member of the ESTIV and the Spanish Association of Toxicology (AETOX). She has participated in two national and international research projects and collaborated with international groups in the evaluation of the toxicity of compounds using advanced models. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of the project "Advancing toxic risk assessment of foodborne mycotoxins through the development and application of new approach methodologies", founded by the Generalitat Valenciana under the grant for Emergent Research Groups (CIGE/2024/133).