Jury 2024

Francesco Orsini is full professor at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna, Italy. Prof. Orsini is a FAO-UN consultant in urban agriculture projects in Asia, Latin America and Africa. He coordinates the European Project FoodE (Food systems in European Cities, funded by H2020) and the Research Project of National Interest V-Farm (Sustainable Vertical Farming) funded by the Italian Ministry for Research and Education. From 2018, Prof. Orsini launched the International Student Challenge UrbanFarm. From 2018, Prof. Orsini is the Chair of the Landscape and Urban Horticulture Division of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS).

Giuseppina Pennisi is assistant professor (RTDA) at the Department of Food Science and Technology. She holds a PhD in December 2019 at the University of Turin, in cotutelle with the Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena (Spain), with a thesis entitled LED lighting for indoor cultivation of leafy vegetables and herbs. Dr. Pennisi is a council member of the National PhD school on Artificial Intelligence. She coordinates the research unit of UNIBO in the Erasmus project LOFT and contributes to the activities of European projects: "FoodE - Food systems for European cities", "BUGI - Western Balkans urban agriculture Initiatives", "GardensToGrow", "Innofarming", "Urban Green Train". From 2018, Dr. Pennisi is the tutor for the international students challenge UrbanFarm.

Michele D'Ostuni is currently employed at DISTAL, University of Bologna as a postdoctoral researcher. He obtained his PhD in Architectural Technology with a thesis studying the integration of above-ground food production systems into the building system. He then specialized in the subject of building integrated agriculture (BIA), which combines the principles of architectural and spatial design with issues related to the transformation of urban food systems. He currently lectures in the Interior Architecture - Environmental Quality and Urban Agriculture courses at the University of Bologna. Since 2021, he has also been collaborating with the ISIA University of Florence in product design training for top farming.

Dr. Anna María Pálsdóttir is an associate professor and a senior lecturer in environmental psychology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) at the Department of People and Society. She is a professional horticulturist and holds a BSc in Biology & Horticulture Sciences and an MSc and PhD in Landscape Planning and Environmental Psychology. She works with conceptual development and scientific evaluations of nature-based and nature-assisted interventions that are conducted in various outdoor environments for different target groups. Her research also focuses on the content and design of sustainable outdoor environments for human health and well-being. She is one of the founders of the Outdoor Environments for Health and Wellbeing master’s program (OWH)) and has developed many courses focusing on nature-based and animal-assisted interventions and sensory expression in outdoor environments.

She is the main course leader and examiner for the master course Urban Agriculture and Social Interaction. She is a Senior lecturer in Landscape Architecture with the emphasis on collaboration planning and urban garden cultivation with emphasis on collaboration planning and urban garden cultivation.

Andreas has initiated the research-based approach for the project and is also the head of the institution. He is a visionary who wants the case studies to make a difference, both in terms of mental health and the well-being of inmates and staff, including a safer work environment with less anger and incidents. 

As a Landscape Architect and Architect, Karolina has a holistic approach. Karolina has worked for many years with public and private spaces of different scales. She has a particular interest in how people perceive and use their environment as well as how Evidence-based design can generate better health and well-being 

With a deep interest in the architectural and environmental impact on our health, Jennie is determined that the project can help to improve and normalise the life and work within this Swedish prison. Studies and interviews with inmates show that meaningful activities and recreational areas are crucial for their well-being, as well as for staff´s safety. 

As a Landscape Architect, Elvira has broad experience of varying urban planning and landscape design projects both for different city councils and private offices. Elvira has a great interest in the connection between our built environment and the health of people.