Titles: PhD, DIC, FRSC, CBiol, MIBiol
Nationality: Italian
Position: Full Professor of Biochemistry - University of Torino, IT
Higher Education:
1991: Ph.D. in Biotechnology and Diploma of Imperial College (DIC), Imperial College London, UK
1986: Degree in Biological Sciences, 110/110 cum laude et mentione, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Torino, IT
Academic Career (Italy):
2002 - present: Full Professor of Biochemistry, School of Natural Sciences, University of Torino, IT
2006 – present: Member of the Council of the PhD programme in Pharmaceutical and Biomolecular Sciences and Director (period 2009-12), PhD School of Natural Sciences and Innovative Technologies, University of Torino
2012 – 2015 and 2003-2006: Head of the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology of the University of Torino
2014 – 2015: Member of the Committee for National Scientific Qualification Competition – Subject: General Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry
2012 – 2015: Chairman of the Committee for Programming and Development of the Senate of the University of Torino
2010 – 2012: Chairman of the Committee for Scientific Research of the Senate of the University of Torino
2009 – 2011: Chairman of the Master degree course in Industrial Biotechnology - University of Torino
2006 – 2015: Member of the Academic Senate of the University of Torino
Academic Career (outside Italy):
2011 – 2014: Visiting Professor at Imperial College London
2003 – 2010: Reader in Protein Engineering, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London (UK).
1995 – 2001: Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College London (UK).
1993 – 1994: Post-doctoral research associate, Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College London (UK).
1991 – 1993: Post-doctoral research fellow, Chemistry Department, Leiden University, (NL)
1987 – 1991: Research Fellowship, Technological Investments of Montedison, Centre for Biotechnology, Imperial College London (UK).
Editorial, Membership of Professional Bodies, Learned Societies:
Editor-in-Chief of the US journal Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, Wiley, ISSN: 1470-8744
Fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)
Member of the Accademia delle Scienze, Torino, IT
Member of the American Chemical Society
Member of The Biochemical Society, UK
Member of The Institute of Biology (MIBiol) and Chartered Biologist (CBiol) UK
Member of the Italian Biochemical Society (Component of the Managing Council from 2019)
Taught Courses:
Biochemistry course (convenor) for the undergraduate courses in Biological Sciences,
in Chemistry, in Natural Sciences
Protein Engineering and Drug Design course (convenor) – second year master degree course in Industrial Biotechnology – Univ. of Torino
Post-graduate Supervision:
He has supervised more than 30 PhD students, 10 at Imperial College London and more than 20 at the University of Torino, they all successfully completed.
He has frequently acted as external examiners at Oxford University (Chemistry), University of Newcastle (Chemical Engineering), University of Sussex (Biochemistry), University of Parma (Biochemistry), University of Modena (Chemistry), University of Rome “Tor Vergata” (Biochemistry), University of Naples “Federico II” (Chemistry).
Current Research interests and Scientific Track Record:
Head of an international research group in Protein Engineering applied to biosensing supported by first class technical facilities. His research is focused on redox systems with particular reference to electron transfer proteins and monooxygenase enzymes. Current projects range from engineering human aromatase for structural-functional studies of steroidal hormones metabolism to engineering versatile artificial four helix bundles for bioelectronic devices, functional studies of hydrogenase for the construction of an artificial leaf for alternative energy sources. Particular emphasis has been given over the last 5 years to cytochrome P450 enzymes and their applications in the environmental and drug development fields. The pharmaceutical aspects of this work were patented and captured in the Imperial College spin off company NanoBioDesign, of which he was the sole scientific founder.
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and Member of the American Chemical Society, author of over 100 refereed papers, 11 chapters in edited books, several patents, invited speaker to over 50 international congresses, workshops and seminar series, organizer and chairman to several international meetings.
Referee to the UK BBSRC Committees Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Biomolecular Sciences, Engineering Biological Systems, UK EPSRC – Interface chemistry-biology, The Netherlands NWO - Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, The EU from FP3 to present FP7, The Human Frontier Science Programme, The European Research Council, The Italian Research Council (CNR Biotechnology, The Italian Space Agency and the San Paolo Foundation granting bodies and to the international journals Journal of the American Chemical Society, Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie, Biophysical Journal, Biochemistry, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, scientific consultant to Pfizer Sandwich (Kent) and NanoBioDesign Ltd (London), Scientific founder of Imperial College spin off NanoBioDesign Ltd (London), Chief Scientific Officer till 2010 to NanoBioDesign Ltd (London).