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This research discusses the development of academic-practitioner partnerships in forensic science and examines the opinions and experience of those involved in the field. An anonymous online survey was completed by 56 participants who work in the field of forensic science. The questions related to their work experience, their experience of research and partnership, and their opinions on the benefits and barriers that exist. The results were analysed using a mixed methods approach, with quantitative analysis of the responses to closed questions using two-way chi-square statistical analysis, and qualitative analysis of the free text responses using reflexive thematic analysis. This work identifies the demand for partnership, the perceived benefits and barriers that exist, and establishes how the role of the participant (academic, pracademic or practitioner) impacts their view of partnership. We include the term pracademic to mean an individual who has worked as a practitioner and an academic, not necessarily simultaneously. Quantitative analysis identified that there was very little statistically significant difference in the responses between groups. Pracademics considered that 'institutional and cultural' and 'lack of the respect of the other role' were more significant barriers than the other groups. Association was also found between those with greater experience of research and the view that partnership 'improved legitimacy in practice' and 'increased legitimacy of research'. There was also statistical significance in those with more than average experience of partnership who identified 'improved legitimacy in practice' as a benefit of partnership. Reflexive thematic analysis of free text comments identified a need and demand for partnership with three key themes developed as being necessary for successful partnership. These are the 'three 'R's' - the need for effective communication and the development of a Relationship; the Relevance of the partnership to the p

Biorefineries have a pivotal role in the bioeconomy scenario for the transition from fossil-based processes towards more sustainable ones relying on renewable resources. Lignocellulose is a prominent feedstock since its abundance and relatively low cost. Microorganisms are often protagonists of biorefineries, as they contribute both to the enzymatic degradation of lignocellulose complex polymers and to the fermentative conversion of the hydrolyzed biomasses into fine and bulk chemicals. Enzymes have therefore become crucial for the development of sustainable biorefineries, being able to provide nutrients to cells from lignocellulose. Enzymatic hydrolysis can be performed by a portfolio of natural enzymes that degrade lignocellulose, often combined into cocktails. As enzymes can be deployed in different operative settings, such as separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) or simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), their characteristics need to be combined with microbial ones to maximize the process. We therefore reviewed how the optimization of lignocellulose enzymatic hydrolysis can ameliorate bioethanol production when Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used as cell factory. Expanding beyond biofuels, enzymatic cocktail optimization can also be pivotal to unlock the potential of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, which, thanks to broader substrate utilization, inhibitor resistance and peculiar metabolism, can widen the array of feedstocks and products of biorefineries.

Biorefineries have a pivotal role in the bioeconomy scenario for the transition from fossil-based processes towards more sustainable ones relying on renewable resources. Lignocellulose is a prominent feedstock since its abundance and relatively low cost. Microorganisms are often protagonists of biorefineries, as they contribute both to the enzymatic degradation of lignocellulose complex polymers and to the fermentative conversion of the hydrolyzed biomasses into fine and bulk chemicals. Enzymes have therefore become crucial for the development of sustainable biorefineries, being able to provide nutrients to cells from lignocellulose. Enzymatic hydrolysis can be performed by a portfolio of natural enzymes that degrade lignocellulose, often combined into cocktails. As enzymes can be deployed in different operative settings, such as separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) or simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF), their characteristics need to be combined with microbial ones to maximize the process. We therefore reviewed how the optimization of lignocellulose enzymatic hydrolysis can ameliorate bioethanol production when Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used as cell factory. Expanding beyond biofuels, enzymatic cocktail optimization can also be pivotal to unlock the potential of non-Saccharomyces yeasts, which, thanks to broader substrate utilization, inhibitor resistance and peculiar metabolism, can widen the array of feedstocks and products of biorefineries.

Evolution has provided a vast diversity of yeasts that play fundamental roles in nature and society. This diversity is not limited to genotypically homogenous species with natural interspecies hybrids and allodiploids that blur species boundaries frequently isolated. Thus, life-cycle and the nature of breeding systems have profound effects on genome variation, shaping heterozygosity, genotype diversity and ploidy level. The apparent enrichment of hybrids in industry-related environments suggests that hybridisation provides an adaptive route against stressors and creates interest in developing new hybrids for biotechnological uses. For example, in the Saccharomyces genus where regulatory circuits controlling cell-identity, mating competence and meiosis commitment have been extensively studied, this body of knowledge is being used to combine interesting traits into synthetic F1 hybrids, to by-pass F1 hybrid sterility, and to dissect complex phenotypes by bulk segregant analysis. Although there is less known about these aspects in other industrially-promising yeasts, advances in whole genome sequencing and analysis are changing this and new insights are being gained, especially in the food-associated genera Zygosaccharomyces and Kluyveromyces. We discuss this new knowledge and highlight how deciphering cell identity circuits in these lineages will contribute significantly to identify the genetic determinants underpinning complex phenotypes and open new avenues for breeding programmes.