Riadh Hammami

Profile

Riadh Hammami

Associate professor
Director, School of Nutrition Sciences

2009: PhD, Molecular and cellular biology, University of Lille 1- Sciences & Technologies in conjunction with University of Tunis-El Manar
2004: MSc, Biochemistry, University of Tunis-El Manar
2001: BSc, Biology, University of Tunis-El Manar

Room

RGN 2219

[email protected]

Biography

Riadh Hammami is an associate professor specializing in gut microbiology at the School of Nutrition Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa. He earned his doctorate in molecular and cellular biology in 2009 from the University of Lille 1 – Sciences et Technologies (France), in conjunction with the University of Tunis El Manar (Tunisia). Professor Hammami completed his master’s degree in biochemistry at the Institut Pasteur of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, in 2004. Before joining the School of Nutrition Sciences in 2017, Professor Hammami completed five years of postdoctoral training in food sciences and technologies at Université Laval, Canada. He subsequently served as a research scientist at the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) at Université Laval.

Professor Hammami is accepting new students for thesis supervision.

Research interests

Next-generation probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and psychobiotics
Microbiome-derived extracellular vesicles and microbe-host communication
Gut microbiome, diet, and xenobiotics in health and disease
Food microbiology, food safety, and functional foods

Research

Professor Hammami’s research program integrates cutting-edge approaches to explore the multifaceted roles of the gut microbiome in human health and disease. Working within the Gut Microbiology Lab, his research interests include:

the development and application of next-generation probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, and psychobiotics

the characterization of microbiome-derived extracellular vesicles and their roles in microbe-host communication

the investigation of how diet and xenobiotics shape the microbiome and impact health and disease

Professor Hammami also focuses on food microbiology, food safety, and the discovery of functional foods and nutraceuticals, with an emphasis on novel bioactive compounds for improving food quality and human health.

Publications

See Riadh Hammami’s publications on Google Scholar or PubMed.

Yousuf, B., Mottawea, W., Esmail, G.A., Nazemof, N., Bouhlel, N.E., Njoku, E., Li, Y., Zhang, X., Minic, Z., & Hammami, R. (2025). Multi-omics unveils strain-specific neuroactive metabolite production linked to inflammation modulation by Bacteroides and their extracellular vesicles. Current Research in Microbial Sciences, 8, 100358.
Leao, L., Miri, S., & Hammami, R. (2025). Gut feeling: Exploring the intertwined trilateral nexus of gut microbiota, sex hormones, and mental health. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 76, 101173.
Esmail, G.A., Uriot, O., Mottawea, W., Denis, S., Sultan, S., Njoku, E.N., Chiba, M., Tosh, S., Blanquet-Diot, S., & Hammami, R. (2025). Western diet-based NutriCol medium: A high-pectin, low-inulin culture medium promoted gut microbiota stability and diversity in PolyFermS and M-ARCOL continuous in vitro models. Food Research International, 115993.
El-Deeb, N. M., Ahmed, T. A. E., Premarathna, A. D., Rjabovs, V., Tuvikene, R., Hammami, R., Boulianne, M., & Hincke, M. T. (2025).An innovative green approach to optimize the extraction of functional ingredients from Ulva lactuca and Ascophyllum nodosum: Safety studies. Food Hydrocolloids, 170, 111657.
El-Deeb, N. M., Ahmed, T. A. E., Premarathna, A. D., Rjabovs, V., Tuvikene, R., Hammami, R., Boulianne, M., & Hincke, M. T. (2025).An innovative green approach to optimize the extraction of functional ingredients from Ulva lactuca and Ascophyllum nodosum: Safety studies. Food Hydrocolloids, 170, 111657.
Mottawea, W., Yousuf, B., Sultan, S., Ahmed, T.A., Yeo, J., Hüttmann, N., Li, Y., Bouhlel, N.E., Hassan, H., Zhang, X., et al. (2024). Multi-level analysis of gut microbiome extracellular vesicles–host interaction reveals a connection to gut–brain axis signaling. Microbiology Spectrum, e01368 24.
Miri, S., Mottawea, W., Leao, L., Chiba, M., Li, Y., Minic, Z., & Hammami, R. (2024). Ligilactobacillus Derived Extracellular Vesicles Inhibit Growth and Virulence of Enteric Pathogens. Probiotics & Antimicrobial Proteins.
Chiba, M., Miri, S., Yousuf, B., Esmail, G.A., Leao, L., Li, Y., Hincke, M., Minic, Z., Mottawea, W., & Hammami, R. (2024). Dual bacteriocin and extracellular vesicle–mediated inhibition of Campylobacter jejuni by the potential probiotic candidate Ligilactobacillus salivarius UO.C249. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, e00845 24.
Premarathna, A.D., Ahmed, T.A., Kulshreshtha, G., Humayun, S., Darko, C.N.S., Rjabovs, V., Hammami, R., Critchley, A.T., Tuvikene, R., & Hincke, M.T. (2025). Polysaccharides from red seaweeds: Effect of extraction methods on physicochemical characteristics and antioxidant activities. Food Hydrocolloids, 147, 109307.
Abubaker, S., Miri, S., Mottawea, W., & Hammami, R. (2024). Microbial Extracellular Vesicles in Host Microbiota Interactions. In Intercellular and Interorganellar Transfer and Communication in Biology and Medicine: Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation, M. Kloc, J.Z. Kubiak & M. Halasa (Eds.), pp. 475–520. Springer.
Ait Chait, Y., Mottawea, W., Tompkins, T.A., & Hammami, R. (2023). Evidence of the dysbiotic effect of psychotropics on gut microbiota and capacity of probiotics to alleviate related dysbiosis in a model of the human colon. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(8), 7326.