IRELAND-VIETNAM COFFEE PROJECT

Prof Özgür Bayram

Professor Maynooth University

Prof Özgür Bayram is a leading molecular microbiologist at Maynooth University whose research focuses on fungi, food safety, and sustainable biotechnology. He leads this international project funded by Research Ireland (COALESCE) that transforms coffee industry waste into sustainable protein through innovative fungal technologies. His team will investigate the proteomic, metabolomic and genomic characteristics of fungi that successfully grow in coffee waste side streams.

Dr Eszter Sas

Postdoctoral Researcher, Maynooth University

Dr Eszter Sas is a plant biologist with a background in lignocellulosic crops, green extraction methods, and large-scale metabolomics analysis. Their PhD research explored how field conditions influence the structure and chemistry of willows, linking plant traits with their potential for sustainable biorefinery applications. This work provided valuable experience in analytical chemistry, method development, and computational pipelines in R for processing complex metabolomics datasets. Within the Ireland–Vietnam Partnership on Transforming Coffee Industry Waste into Sustainable Mycoprotein, Dr Eszter Sas leads the proteomic and metabolomic analysis of fungal cultures grown on coffee waste, using LC-MS and HPLC to uncover nutritional and functional properties. A key part of their role is training Vietnamese researchers in these cutting-edge techniques, strengthening local expertise and supporting sustainable food innovation in Vietnam.

Dr Hanh-Dung Thai

Postdoctoral Researcher, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Dr Hanh-Dung Thai is a microbiologist with a background in molecular biology, fungal genetics, and microbial fermentation. She obtained her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Science, Vietnam National University in Hanoi (VNU), where she developed efficient genetic approaches to obtain high-yield fungal strains for biotechnological applications. This work provided her with a strong foundation in fungal genetics, fungal physiology, and microbial strain improvement. Within the Ireland–Vietnam Partnership on Transforming Coffee Industry Waste into Sustainable Mycoprotein, Dr Hanh-Dung Thai leads the screening and characterization of edible filamentous fungi and mushrooms capable of transforming coffee waste into fungal biomass. Her responsibilities include investigating fungal growth on coffee waste-based liquid media, assessing enzyme activity, quantifying mycoprotein, and molecular identification of fungal strains at VNU. She also joins advanced program training for omics technology at Maynooth University and scales up cultivation processes of selected fungal strains for the biomass texture and mycoprotein contents.

Dr Hanh My Tran

Postdoctoral Researcher, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Dr Hanh My Tran is a cell biologist specializing in microbiology and cell biology, with expertise in microbial diversity, bioactivity assessment, and toxicological evaluation of plant-derived compounds. She earned her PhD in cell biology from the University of Liège, Belgium, where she investigated the biological effects of medicinal plant extracts and their therapeutic potential. This research provided her with a solid background in microbiology, pharmacology, and functional characterization of natural compounds. Within the Ireland–Vietnam Partnership on Transforming Coffee Industry Waste into Sustainable Mycoprotein, Dr Hanh My Tran leads the functional evaluation and profiling of fungal strains cultivated on coffee waste. Her responsibilities include optimizing fermentation for the production of fungal biomass and evaluating fungal biomass composition. She conducts processes of cultivating, extracting, determining, and quantifying the bioactive components of fungal cells. She also works closely with fungal geneticists on selecting fungal strains for fungal biomass and contributes to the nutritional profile optimization of mycoproteins for large-scale production.

Assoc Prof Van-Tuan Tran

Associate Professor, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Assoc Prof Van-Tuan Tran is a leading microbiologist at Vietnam National University, Hanoi. His research focuses on edible filamentous fungi, medicinal mushrooms, food fermentation, and fungal biotechnology. He co-leads the international project, funded by Research Ireland (COALESCE), which transforms coffee industry waste into sustainable mycoprotein, working with Prof Özgür Bayram’s team on innovative fungal technologies. His team in Vietnam investigates edible fungi for biomass production in the side streams of coffee waste. The team is also responsible for the large-scale production of fungal biomass by fermentation, utilizing coffee waste as a source of nutrients. He also works closely with Vietnamese coffee companies to explore the potential for technology transfer opportunities from the project.