María Cecilia Arias is an Associate Professor at the University of Lille, with dual research-business expertise developed over more than 20 years of her career in France and abroad. A PhD in Plant Science, accredited to supervise research (HDR), she conducted functional genomics research, particularly on CAZymes and starch metabolism, at CNRS, INRAE, and UGSF. After management training at EDHEC, she led projects with a strong international dimension before founding and managing MISKI, a 100% gluten-free bakery and pastry shop. There, she developed wheat-free baking methods and sourdough starters adapted to alternative flours for a high-end B2B clientele, earning several awards. Today, she applies this dual scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to the food transition through the Chuqllu project, which aims to reinvent wheat-free baking using innovative sourdough starters, by leveraging her skills in R&D, project management, industrial partnerships, and fermentation innovation.

> maria.cecilia.arias@univ-lille.fr