Massimo Iorizzo
Associate Director, PHHI
Professor, Small Fruit and Vegetable Genetics and Genomics
Department of Horticultural Science
704-250-5469 miorizz@ncsu.edu WebsiteBio
Dr. Massimo Iorizzo is a Professor at NCSU with over 16 years of experience in plant breeding, genetics and genomics. Iorizzo’s research aims to establish genetic and genomic resources to elucidate the genes involved in quality and nutritional characteristics of plants, including the accumulation of health promoting compounds (e.g. anthocyanin, carotenoids, flavanols) in fruits and vegetables, in addition to other economically important plant characteristics, such as disease resistance. Target crops in Iorizzo’s research program include banana, blueberry, carrot, cranberry, pineapple, potato, spinach and sweetpotato.
In 2024, Iorizzo was appointed associate director of Plants for Human Health Institute.
Education
PhD Agrobiology and Agrochemistry University of Naples “Federico II” 2009
BS Agricultural Science University of Naples “Federico II” 2005
Groups
Honors and Awards
- 2022 University Faculty Scholar
News
- What Makes Carrot orange?
- Industry leaders gather at NC State University for International Carrot Conference
- Breeding Efforts in Berry Crops Growing By Leaps and Bounds
- Breeding blueberry breeders - New project puts national focus on fruit quality
- PHHI team lands $12.8 Million to improve fruit quality of Blueberry and Cranberry