Graduated in Biological Sciences in 1996, in 2001 obtained Postgraduate Specialization in Microbiology and Virology at University of Cagliari. In the period 2001-2004 worked as research fellow for a project aimed at valorising Sardinian Food products. In 2002 she won a grant from University of Cagliari for young researchers for the project “Phenotypic, technological, and molecular characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from typical ewes’ products. In 2003 she was Visiting Researcher at the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food, Karlsruhe, Germany. In 2006 she got the position as researcher in General and Applied Hygiene and since 2019 has been Associate Professor at Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari. She teaches Environmental Hygiene, Food Hygiene, Laboratory of Food Hygiene. Her research interests mainly focuses on the microbiota of foods with particular emphasis on its characterization by culture dependent and independent techniques, the study of functional properties of autochthonous microbial strains and their selection to be used as: a) starter/adjunct and protective cultures or probiotics in production of fermented/functional products; the study of antibacterial and/or antifungal activity of lactic-acid bacteria for utilization both in foods preservation and in clinical therapy; the study of the impact of microorganism on the nutritional and metabolic profile of foods. Other research fields deal with the study of the antimicrobial properties of natural/synthetic compounds against microbial pathogen strains of food origin and clinical interest. She is co-author of more than 100 publications (on peer-reviewed research journals and on national and international journals with revision committees, including abstracts in conference books in national and international journals). ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6684-7795, RESEARCHER-ID: 5506650800, - H-index 22, citations 2,359.