Scientific Research Experience 

2021-present. Associate Professor, Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari.

2007-2021. Group Leader, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.

2003-2006. Group Leader, Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi. University of Turin,Turin, Italy. 

2000-2002. Research Scientist, Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria. 

1998-2000. Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Heidelberg, Germany.

1996-1998. Postdoctoral Fellow, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.

1994. Visiting Fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Kenneth S. Kosik Laboratory, Boston, USA.

1991-1995. PhD student, Instituto de Investigacion Medica Mercedes y Martin Ferreyra. Cordoba, Argentina.

1984-1990. Medical Doctor, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Cordoba, Argentina.

Fellowships Award 

1998-2000. Max Planck Society, Munich, Germany. Postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), Heidelberg, Germany.

1996-1998. Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn, Germany. Postdoctoral fellowship at the EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.

1993-1995. National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. PhD consolidation fellowship at the Instituto "Mercedes y Martin Ferreyra". Cordoba, Argentina.

1991-1993. National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina. PhD initiation fellowship at the Instituto "Mercedes y Martin Ferreyra". Cordoba, Argentina.

Research Grants Obtained 

Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)

Transposon Therapeutics, INC.                                                                               

Beneficentia Stiftung, Vaduz.                                                                                   

Agenzia di Ricerca per la Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica (AriSLA).                                       

Fondation Thierry Latran, France.                                                                             

Ministerio dell’Universita e della Ricerca                                                               

Glaxo Smith Kline, UK.                                      

Journal and Editorial Activities 

Member of the Editorial Board of: Frontiers in Neuroscience, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 

Peer-reviewer for: FASEB, Brain, PLOS Genetics, BMC Biology, Glia, Hum Mol. Genet, Neurobiol. Dis, Dis Model Mech, Exp. Cell Res., Sci. Rep, Acta Neuropathologica Communications, FEBS letters, Plos One, Int. J. Mol. Science, Brain Research, Exp. Neurology, BBA-Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, Frontiers in Genetics, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Neuroscience, Neuroscience Letters, Neuroscientist.

Academic Activities and Students Supervision

2003 – 2021. 6 Postdoctoral/ 7 PhD/ 20 Master/ 3 Erasmus students.  

Open University, London, UK.

University of Nuova Goriza, Slovenia.

Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Rjieka, Croatia.

Faculty of Mol. Biology and Genetics, Istanbul University, Turkey.  

International Master’s Degree in Neuroscience, Dept. of Life Science, University of Trieste, Italy.

Faculty of Biology, University of Trieste, Italy.

Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Trieste, Italy.

Faculty of Pharmacology, University of Urbino, Italy.

Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of Bologna, Italy.

Faculty of Biotechnology e Biopharmacology, University of Bari, Italy.

Grant Review Committees

European Research Council Agency (https://erc.europa.eu).

Motor Neuron Disease Association (www.mndassociation.org) London, UK.

Istituto Pasteur, Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, France – Italy.

International Foundation for Science (IFS), Stockholm, Sweden.

Research Program, Department of Biology, University of Padova, Italy.

External Consultant/ Review of Promotion/ Tenure and Doctorate Committees

Scientific Consultant, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Prague, Czech Republic.

Research Council of the Katholieke Universiteit. Leuven, Belgium.

Università degli studi di Roma “la Sapienza” Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”. Rome, Italy.

Università degli studi di Ferrara, Corso di Dottorato in Science biomediche e biotechnologiche.  Ferrara, Italy.

University Teaching Habilitations by the Italian Ministry of Education and Research

05/BIOS-08 - Biologia Molecolare, prima fascia (2024-35).

05/BIOS-10 - Biologia Cellulare e Applicata, prima fascia (2024-35).

05/BIOS-14 - Genetica, prima fascia (2023-34).

05/BIOS-04 - Anatomia Comparata e Citologia, prima fascia (2023-34).

05/BIOS-07 - Biochimica Generale, prima fascia (2021-30).  

Scientific Organizer/ International Meetings

Invited speaker at the “Seminar lecture series on Neurodegeneration and Aging” at the International Research Taipei Medical University, March 19th, 2024. Taipei, Taiwan.

Research presentation at the “Arturo Falaschi Conference, 1st Biennial conference on TDP-43 function and dysfunction in disease” September 6th-8th, 2023, Trieste, Italy.

Invited speaker at the “1st Mini-Symposium on Drug Discovery”, University of Cagliari-Taipei Medical University, June 6th and 7th, 2023, Cagliari, Italy.

Organizer of the “Seminars in Molecular Biology", University of Cagliari, October-December 2022, Cagliari, Italy.

Invited speaker at the Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas Mercedes y Martin Ferreyra (INIMEC), November 18th, 2021. Cordoba, Argentina.

Invited speaker at the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology of the University of Illinois in Chicago, April 6th, 2021. Chicago, IL, USA.

Invited speaker at the Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), March 19th, 2021. Montpellier, France.

Invited speaker at the webinar Models to Understand ALS, AriSLA, September 15th, 2020. Milan, Italy.

Invited speaker at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), October 31st, 2019. Prague, Czech Republic.

Lecturer at the DrosAfrica Workshop “Drosophila Low-Cost and Valuable Model for Biomedical Research”, October 09-18, 2019. Sfax, Tunisia.

Research presentation at the 14th International Conference on Drosophila Heterochromatin, June 09-15, 2019. Spoleto, Italy.

Organizer of the Practical Course on "Drosophila melanogaster Models for Neurodegenerative Diseases", April 17 – 20, 2018. Trieste, Italy.

Invited speaker at the AriSLA Symposium “Focus on ALS”, September 27-29, 2018. Genova, Italy. 

Research presentation at the 17th European Drosophila Neurobiology Conference – Neurofly, September 03-07, 2018. Krakow, Poland.

Lecturer at the DrosAfrica-ICGEB Workshop “Drosophila melanogaster in biomedical research: low-cost and profitable”, July 17-28, 2017. Ibadan, Nigeria.

Lecturer at the DrosAfrica Workshop “Drosophila in Biomedical Research: an effective and affordable model”. September 5 –17, 2016. Nairobi, Kenya.

Invited speaker at the 9th FENS Forum on Neuroscience, July 05-09, 2014. Milan, Italy.

Invited speaker at the Conference on RNA Metabolism: Changing Paradigms in Neurodegeneration, May 26-29, 2014. Trieste, Italy.

Invited speaker at the Institute of Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering (IMGGE), University of Belgrade, April 5th, 2013. Belgrade, Serbia.

Invited speaker at the Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CICbioGUNE), June 15th, 2012. Bilbao, Spain.

Invited speaker at the Workshop “Mechanisms of Development” Depart. of Molecular Biology, University of Khartoum. February 11–14, 2011. Khartoum, Sudan.

Invited speaker at the 3rd EURASNET WP12 Interdisciplinary Focus Meeting on “Alternative and Aberrant Splicing in neuromuscular and neurodegenerative processes”, March 26-27, 2009. Trieste, Italy.

Invited speaker at the Biomedizinisches Centrum (BMC), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München & Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), July 27th, 2010. Munich, Germany.

Invited speaker at the RNA processing in Biology and Medicine Symposium, October 20-22, 2010. Beijing, China.

Invited speaker at the European Neuroscience Institute (ENI) Symposium: Protein Transport, Synaptic Function and Neurodegenerative Disease, September 01-03, 2006. Gottingen, Germany.  

Invited speaker at the Department of Biology, University of Rochester, March 16th, 2006. Rochester, NY, USA.

Invited speaker at the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), June 8th, 2005. Madrid, Spain.

Organization Memberships

Collegio di Dottorato in Medicina Molecolare e Traslazionale, Università degli Studi di Cagliari (DOT1404000).

Società Italiana di Biofisica e Biologia Molecolare (SIBBM).

RNA Society.

European Drosophila Society (EDS).

Italian Genetics Society (http://www.associazionegeneticaitaliana.it/).

International Advisory Board of the African Society of Drosophilists (ASD).

DrosAfrica (http://drosafrica.org/).