Emanuel Canfora is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Biology of Maastricht University Medical Centre + (MUMC+). His current position involves teaching, basic and applied science, and project management.

Dr Canfora's multidisciplinary research focuses on strategies to modulate the gut microbiota to prevent and treat obesity-related metabolic diseases. He received his BS in Nutritional Science from the Technical University Munich and a MS in Physical Activity and Health from Maastricht University, where he also completed his PhD under Professor Ellen Blaak at Maastricht University and Top Institute Food and Nutrition in 2016. His thesis ‘Short-chain fatty acids: the link between gut microbiota and metabolic health’ was awarded amongst others the Dr. Gerritzen Award for best thesis in diabetes research in the Netherlands. His present research focuses on the effects of prebiotics and the microbial products short-chain fatty acids on human substrate and energy metabolism. To study in vivo effects and underlying mechanism, his work combines short and long-term human intervention studies, with a range of in vitro experiments with stem cells derived from human adipose tissue and skeletal muscle and in vitro models of the human intestine.