Rodrigo A. Morales Vera, Ph.D. is an academic researcher and professor at the Catholic University of Maule in Talca, Chile, affiliated with the School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences. He earned his doctorate in Bioresources Science and Engineering from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA), where he also completed postdoctoral research in Life Cycle Assessment.
His interdisciplinary work includes biomass valorization, biofuels, bioproducts, and sustainable biomaterials, with a strong focus on circular bioeconomy and environmental biotechnology. Dr. Morales Vera has extensive experience in the use of fungi for biotechnological applications, including:
- Fungal biodegradation of synthetic polymers using species like Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinus lepideus.
- Composting and fungal succession in agro-industrial waste, especially vitivinicultural residues.
- Enzyme production from fungi such as Trichoderma spp., cultivated on food industry by-products for bioethanol and biorefinery processes.
- Development of mycelium-based biomaterials through the FIC-R Maule 2023 project “FungiMaterials”, which explores the creation of biodegradable construction and packaging materials from local industrial waste using fungal mycelium. This initiative promotes regional innovation and sustainable alternatives to conventional materials in Chile.
He has published in journals such as Biotechnology for Biofuels, Sustainability, Fermentation, and Applied Sciences, and actively collaborates on research projects across Chile, Spain, United States, Brazil, Finland and other Latin American countries.