Governance

He graduated in Chemistry, physical chemistry track, from the University of Turin in 2002, and obtained his PhD in Basic and Applied Biomolecular Sciences (University of Pavia and IUSS) in 2007, where he continued as a postdoctoral fellow for a further year. From early 2009 to late 2013, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in structural biology at the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University (Netherlands), before starting his independent research laboratory after returning to Italy at the University of Pavia, Department of Biology and Biotechnology, thanks to the Giovanni Armenise-Harvard Foundation Career Development Award and the Italian Ministry of University and Research “Rita Levi-Montalcini” Programme for the Return of Researchers. Since August 2023, he has been Full Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Pavia.
Over 10 years of activity as a Principal Investigator, he has obtained major research funding from several national and international organizations and has published numerous articles in high-profile scientific journals.
His research focuses on the characterization of extracellular macromolecular systems using biochemical, biophysical and structural techniques.
His teaching activities include coordinating the Master’s Degree Programme in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Pavia and the PhD Programme in Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology of IUSS and the University of Pavia.
Since 2021, he has served as Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Pavia.

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From her PhD until 2000, she was a researcher at CNRSM in Brindisi. She joined the CNR - Institute of Crystallography in 2001 as a researcher (2001-2010), became senior researcher (2010-2020) and then research director (2020-present). Since 1 July 2021, she has been Director of the Institute of Crystallography.

Over more than 30 years of research, she has studied the structure and morphology of a variety of different materials, working with X-ray scattering/diffraction techniques combined with advanced data analysis methodologies, based on a balanced integration of X-ray physics, crystallography, statistics and imaging algorithms. Until 2001, most of her work concerned thin films, surfaces, interfaces and lamellar heterostructures - superlattices, produced using physical methods for photonics and electronics applications.

Since 2001, she has worked on nanomaterials, biomaterials, fibres and tissues, mainly synthesized using chemical methods for applications in energy, nanomedicine and the circular economy.

The maturity she has achieved in the field, and the many collaborations stemming from it, have made her an internationally recognized expert in X-ray materials analysis.

She has disseminated her research results through more than 320 articles published in international journals and presented at numerous national and international conferences and schools.

Born in Naples in 1970, Giuseppe Matarese graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Naples Federico II in 1994, subsequently specializing in Clinical Pathology in 1999 and obtaining a PhD in Endocrinological and Metabolic Sciences in 2004. During his specialization, he trained abroad at the Department of Immunology of the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital in London, returning to Italy in 1998.
He was the recipient of two Telethon-JDRF projects on juvenile type 1 diabetes and has received numerous research grants, including two European Research Council (ERC) grants. After more than 10 years as a CNR researcher, in 2010 Giuseppe Matarese obtained the national qualification as Full Professor of General Pathology, first at the University of Bari and then at the University of Salerno. Since 2016, he has been Full Professor of General Pathology and Immunology at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology of the University of Naples Federico II.
The main objective of Prof. Matarese’s studies is to understand the fundamental mechanisms by which metabolism controls susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and infections.

Antonia Ricci was born in Padua, studied in Verona and graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Bologna. In March 2018, she was appointed Health Director of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe), and since September 2020 she has been Director General of the same Institute. Previously, she headed the Department of Food Safety of IZSVe, which hosts the National and OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) Reference Centre for Salmonellosis, of which Dr. Ricci is responsible.

She is a member of the National Ethics Committee for trials by public research bodies and other national public bodies at the Italian National Institute of Health, and of the Technical Health Committee of the Ministry of Health - Health Research Section.

From 2009 to 2018, she was a member (and Chair from 2015) of the Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) of EFSA (European Food Safety Authority).

Her research activity is particularly focused on zoonoses, the epidemiology and control of foodborne diseases and antimicrobial resistance; in these fields she provides consultancy to national and international organizations such as the European Commission, WOAH and WHO, and manages numerous research projects.

She has participated in numerous international cooperation missions as an expert appointed by the European Commission and other international organizations (WOAH, EFSA, FAO).

She is the author or co-author of approximately 300 scientific publications in indexed journals.

After a very brief experience at an Italian company in the field of management control, she joined the Italian National Institute of Health in 1993 with a research assignment for the management of funding related to the National Training Programme for the fight against HIV.
Subsequently, from October 1999, she was assigned to the central directorate of administrative services and, until 2022, dealt with the administrative management of national and international funding received by the Institute for the implementation of research projects through grants and agreements.
Since January 2023, she has been Head of the Institute’s Budget Office.
Since 2018, she has also served as Head of the Planning and Management Control Service.

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Prof. Enzo Tramontano has long-standing experience in the development of antiviral drugs. He graduated from the University of Cagliari in 1990 and was a Visiting Research Scientist at the Department of Pharmacology, Yale University Medical School (CT, USA), from 1990 to 1992 and from 1996 to 1998.

He joined the University of Cagliari in 1999 and has been Full Professor of Microbiology since 2015; he is currently Director of the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences.

His current research activities focus on: i) discovery of antiviral drugs through techniques for assessing viral enzymatic functions and viral replication in cells; ii) understanding mechanisms of viral evasion of innate immunity for the development of antiviral agents; iii) identification and characterization of retroviral sequences stably integrated into human genomes and definition of their transcriptome to explore their physiological and pathological roles.

Prof. Tramontano has served as scientific coordinator or unit coordinator of research projects funded by the EU, Italian and US national agencies, and regional local agencies. He recently collaborated on projects studying drug development for SARS-CoV-2, HIV-1 and Ebola viruses. He has been invited to deliver lectures at universities and conferences worldwide, and has chaired numerous scientific meetings.

She obtained a degree in Economics and Business under the old system (before Ministerial Decree 509/1999) from the University of Pavia. She subsequently obtained the following professional qualifications:

• qualification as a Chartered Accountant;
• qualification to teach Law and Economics in upper secondary schools;
• qualification to teach Applied Mathematics in upper secondary schools;
• Statutory Auditor, registered in the Register of Auditors no. 91184, Italian Official Gazette no. 87 of 2 November 1999.

Dr. Buttazzoni began her career as a teacher of applied mathematics, then practised as a chartered accountant after obtaining the required qualification, and held positions as auditor on Boards of Statutory Auditors.
She currently works at the University of Pavia.
Since 2015, she has been responsible for preparing the University’s financial statements and consolidated financial statements, and since 2011 she has also been Head of the University’s Tax Service.

Dr. Sara Genovese was born in Messina on 30 December 1969. On 25 July 1994, she graduated in Economics and Business from the University of Messina and, on 23 November 1996, she qualified as a chartered accountant at the University of Messina.

Since 15 October 1999, she has been registered in the Register of Statutory Auditors. Since 15 December 2010, she has been employed on a permanent contract as a Technologist at the National Research Council. She has developed extensive expertise in business plans, structural funds, EU funding, national incentives for internationalization and research, and has consistently held management roles involving planning and implementation, monitoring progress through reporting and control based on variance analysis, as well as managing research projects and activities deriving from the use of financial resources and instruments such as international, European and national projects. In some cases, she has held high-level technical and administrative coordination roles, managing relations with scientific partners in the European Community and with project technical and administrative representatives.

In the field of technology transfer, she is also involved in the technical and commercial exploitation of the results of research conducted by the Institute. She manages relations with companies in order to generate genuine innovation processes in production and to explore the commercial exploitation of research results. Since 2020, she has been Head and Coordinator of the IRIB CNR Project Office, supporting the planning, submission and management of national and international research projects. Since 22 November 2021, she has been a member of the permanent CNR PNRR Working Group, reporting directly to the CNR Presidency.

Pietro Vignali is a Chartered Accountant, Statutory Auditor and Financial Consultant with extensive and diversified experience. He graduated in Economics and Business from the University of Parma with top marks and has broad expertise in financial consulting and auditing, being registered with the Association of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts and with the Register of Statutory Auditors.

He currently holds numerous positions, including Chair of the Board of Statutory Auditors at the Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione (IULM), Statutory Auditor for the OnFoods Foundation and standing auditor for several companies, including Bonani SPA and Overmach Holding & C. SRL. In the past, he held prominent roles such as Mayor of the Municipality of Parma and President of the National Conference of Environment Councillors.

Prof. Baldanti is Full Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences of the University of Pavia (since 1 February 2023), Director of the Department of Diagnostic and Imaging Services at Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia (since September 2022), and Director of the Complex Unit of Microbiology and Virology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia (since 1 September 2022).

Since 2 May 2017, he has been Director of the School of Specialization in Microbiology and Virology at the University of Pavia, for both medical and non-medical graduates.

In 2004, he obtained his specialization in Microbiology and Virology with a mark of 70/70 cum laude at the University of Padua.

In 1995, he obtained his specialization in Infectious Diseases, with a mark of 50/50 cum laude, at the University of Pavia.

He is co-author of more than 500 papers published in international scientific journals indexed in Medline, most of them as first, last or corresponding author (Scopus).

He is co-author of 4 book chapters, 3 in English-language textbooks and 1 in an Italian-language textbook.

H-index = 66 (Scopus); 18,418 total citations (Scopus).

Biologist. CNR Research Director, head of the Laboratory of DNA Enzymology and Molecular Virology at the CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics in Pavia, and Director of the CNR Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Topics: replication and repair of the genome in human cells and viruses. Development of antivirals. Author of 277 publications, H-index 54 (Scopus).

Prof. Palamara is Director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Italian National Institute of Health and Full Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at Sapienza University of Rome. She graduated with honours in Medicine and Surgery from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. During her specialization in Dermatology and Venereology, she began her research activity on infectious diseases.

Author of more than 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and 600 technical-scientific documents (H-index: 48; total citations: 7,550), during her career Prof. Palamara has deepened and consolidated her expertise in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, Public Health and the organization of complex systems, participating in multidisciplinary expert groups and collaborating with national and international organizations and bodies such as the Ministry of Health, ECDC and WHO. From 2013 to 2019, she was President of the Italian Society of Microbiology, promoting scientific and training activities.

During the pandemic, she actively contributed to coordinating integrated COVID-19 surveillance and the monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and was also part of the COVID-19 Task Force of Sapienza University of Rome. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Technical Health Committee of the Ministry of Health (Section L).

Since 2023, she has been a member of the working group on antimicrobial resistance and of the Governance Board of Microbiology Networks: definition of organizational models (AGENAS). She is also the ISS representative in the Steering Committee of the PNCAR 2022-2025 at the Directorate-General for Health Prevention of the Ministry of Health.

Federica Zacchini obtained her MSc in Reproductive Biotechnology in 2008 and her PhD in Epidemiology and Advanced Diagnostics in Comparative Pathology in 2011 from the University of Teramo, Italy. From 2012 to 2015, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Teramo. Since 2015, Dr Zacchini has been involved in both national and international research projects, while also working in grant writing and project management. During this period, she gained professional experience in Poland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In these roles, she collaborated with numerous research institutions and companies, actively contributing to all stages of the project lifecycle, from proposal development to project implementation and both scientific and administrative management. She has also coordinated two research projects and was awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship. From 2021 to 2023, she served as Project Manager at King's College London. Dr Zacchini has extensive experience in the design, management, and delivery of training and capacity-building activities, as well as in the planning and implementation of dissemination and communication activities within research and innovation projects.Since 2023, she has been serving as Program Research Manager at the INF-ACT Foundation.

Silvia Angeletti graduated with honours in Medicine and Surgery from Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome and with honours in Biological Sciences from Sapienza University of Rome.

She obtained her specialization in Microbiology and Virology with honours at Sapienza University of Rome.

She is Full Professor of Clinical Pathology at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome; Director of the Complex Operating Unit of Laboratory Medicine - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico; Director of the Research Unit of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Campus Bio-Medico University; and Director of the School of Specialization in Clinical Pathology and Clinical Biochemistry, Campus Bio-Medico University.

She is a member of the Committee for the Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico.

In 2021, she received the David di Donatello 2021 Award for her fundamental contribution to the safe resumption of film and audiovisual production in Rome and Italy during the COVID-19 crisis. She was appointed Knight of the Italian Republic for the important contribution and dedication shown as a healthcare worker during the COVID-19 pandemic - December 2020.

Number of publications: 209 - citations: 5,018 - H-index: 34.

Ariela Benigni, Biol. Sci. D, PhD, is Scientific Secretary of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research and Research Coordinator at the Bergamo sites. She spent training periods abroad in Strasbourg, London and Boston.

Her team identified vasoactive and inflammatory mediators of renal damage in progressive experimental and human kidney diseases.

The recent interest of her group focuses on finding therapies to halt the progression of kidney disease or even induce regression of renal lesions through a multidrug approach and stem cell therapy. She has held prestigious international positions, including Consultant to the World Health Organization and Senior Fellow in Obstetric Medicine at the University of Oxford.
She has served as Associate and Academic Editor of several international journals and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Nephron.

In 2019, she received the International “Tomoh Masaki Award” for her studies on endothelin.

In July 2021, she was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the President of the Italian Republic; in 2022, she was appointed Italian Delegate to the Horizon Europe Programme Committee, Cluster Health 2021-2027, and expert consultant to the technical table for the Italian strategy on basic research at the Ministry of University and Research.

She has published 353 peer-reviewed articles and is a member of the Top Italian Scientists and Top Italian Women Scientists groups. Her H-index (Scopus) is 83.

Giuseppe Campiani is Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Siena, Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, and Adjunct Professor at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

He began his career as senior researcher in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Siena and, in the early 1990s, moved to Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, FL, USA, collaborating with Prof. Alan P. Kozikowski on the development of new drugs against neurodegenerative diseases. He subsequently continued his research at Columbia University in the City of New York, Department of Chemistry, as visiting scientist, collaborating with Prof. Koji Nakanishi.

In 1999, he became Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Salerno; in 2001, he was visiting professor at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; and in 2002, he became Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Siena.

The exploration of the chemistry and biology of natural and synthetic organic molecules with therapeutic potential in infectious diseases is one of the main themes of his research activity. These interests include target selection and the rational design of innovative drugs, the discovery of new synthesis methodologies and general synthesis strategies, bioinformatics and the study of important structure-function relationships.

Full Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Padua. He graduated in Medicine and Surgery and specialized in Internal Medicine. He spent approximately seven years at Boston University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, working on Clostridioides difficile and contributing to the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of this hospital-acquired pathogen. He returned to Italy as a Microbiology Researcher in 1999. Since then, he has taught at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Padua to students in Medicine, Pharmacy and Nursing degree programmes.

He is currently Director of the School of Specialization in Microbiology and Virology at the University of Padua and Chief Editor of “Frontiers in Molecular Medicine, section Molecular Microbes and Diseases”.

During his academic career, he has received numerous grants from national and international research bodies including CCFA of America, MUR, Cariparo and AIRC. Prof. Castagliuolo’s research focuses on host-microbe interaction, including the role of the microbiota in host health.

He has published 170 scientific articles in high-impact journals including Nature Communications, PNAS, JCI and Gastroenterology, which have accumulated more than 9,200 citations with an H-index of 56.

Concetta Castilletti is a biologist manager at IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria, Negrar di Valpolicella (VR), and is head of the UOS Virology and Emerging Pathogens of the Department of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, where she mainly carries out research activities alongside healthcare activities dedicated to virological diagnosis, with particular reference to infections caused by emerging/re-emerging viruses.

As part of her work, she also coordinates scientific research activities with particular attention to emerging/re-emerging viruses, participates in national and international virology networks, and deals with biosafety aspects for activities carried out in IRCCS biosafety laboratories.

Dr. Castilletti has been and still is scientific coordinator for research projects or for individual operating units of international and national projects funded through competitive calls with peer review. She holds the National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor in competition sector 06/A3 - Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology (D.D. 2175/2018), and is the author of more than 200 full-length publications, at least 50 of which are indexed by PubMed as main author (first, last or corresponding author); H-index 44.

Alessandra della Torre is Professor of Parasitology at the Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases. She coordinates the Medical Entomology research group, focusing on arthropod vectors of human and zoonotic pathogens, with particular reference to invasive Aedes species that vector exotic arboviruses in Europe and Afro-tropical malaria vectors.

The research projects integrate genomic, cytogenetic, molecular, ecological and behavioural approaches with field and laboratory activities, in collaboration with research groups in Europe, the USA and Australia to characterize the biology of Aedes albopictus and other invasive mosquito species in temperate regions, and with groups in Africa, Europe and the USA to increase knowledge of malaria transmission dynamics in Africa.

The knowledge derived from these studies is applied to the optimization of surveillance and control strategies.

Alessandra della Torre has received funding from WHO-TDR, EC FP7 and H2020, the National Institutes of Health (NIH-USA) and the Pasteur Institute Italy-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti. She coordinated the Aedes Invasive Mosquito COST Action (AIM-COST, H2020, 2018-2023), which brought together research groups from 37 European countries, and is a member of the inter-sectoral Task Force on vector-borne diseases of the Ministry of Health.

She has published 155 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals (H-index = 49).

Giovanni Delogu, PhD, is Full Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the A. Gemelli Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome. He is also Director of the Laboratory Analysis Unit at Mater Olbia Hospital.

His main research interests concern the study of the interaction between M. tuberculosis and the host; molecular and functional characterization of Mtb virulence factors; the study of the immune response against Mtb; the development of immunological diagnostic tools with prognostic value; the development and evaluation of new vaccines against TB; and the evaluation of host-directed strategies against Mtb and nontuberculous mycobacteria. He is also involved in studying the role of microorganisms and viruses in the development of tumours and diseases with complex aetiology.

Sara Epis is Associate Professor of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, PI of the EntoparUnimi research group, Coordinator of the Master’s Degree in Biodiversity and Biological Evolution (BIOEVO), and member of the Pediatric Clinical Research Center “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi”.

Her main research lines concern: (1) the protozoan parasite Leishmania tarentolae as a platform for the production of antigens from emerging pathogens, for the serodiagnosis of infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19 and Rift Valley fever) and for vaccine applications; (2) arthropod vectors and vector-borne diseases: investigation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic symbioses associated with arthropod vectors, application of biological control techniques (paratransgenesis), monitoring and study of alien and invasive species. In particular, recently obtained results on the alien mosquitoes Aedes koreicus and Aedes japonicus in Northern Italy have opened a research line aimed at studying their biology, control strategies and spread, also through mathematical forecasting models and environmental DNA.

With an academic age of 16 years, she is author of 110 scientific articles, approximately 20 conference proceedings and book chapters, and more than 30 audio/video interviews; H-index: 37 (Google Scholar), 31 (Scopus); total citations: 4,043 (Google Scholar), 2,761 (Scopus).

A graduate in Veterinary Medicine and PhD in “Epidemiology and Control of Zoonoses”, Ezio Ferroglio is Full Professor of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases at the University of Turin. He is a Diplomate of the European Veterinary Parasitologist College (2003), of which he is a specialist, and of the European College of Veterinary Public Health (2005). He is President of the Italian section of the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasite (ESCCAP).

He works on the epidemiology and diagnosis of parasitic diseases, with particular regard to zoonotic diseases and wildlife ecopathology. As part of the aforementioned research activities, he has been/is principal investigator of more than 80 research projects funded by public and private bodies, and is author/co-author of more than 230 publications, including more than 140 in Scopus-indexed journals and 7 book chapters published by international publishers.

Since 1 July 2018, he has been Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Catania.

From 1 June 2021 to 1 June 2030, he is qualified as Full Professor in sector 03/C1 Organic Chemistry.

He has acquired broad experience in synthetic organic chemistry, with particular focus on heterocyclic compounds and computational chemistry. At national level, he became one of the researchers most specialized in heterocyclic synthesis.

His scientific activity is characterized by several research lines, as reflected in funded projects. The first concerns the synthesis of heterocycles with potential antitumor activity, initiated in the laboratories of Prof. G. Musumarra and leading to numerous collaborations. The second research line is based on the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds with specific push-pull features for applications in nonlinear optics. The third focuses on the synthesis of polymers for photovoltaic applications, and the fourth concerns molecular modelling. Research lines in this area focus on the design of linezolid-like compounds, which led to a national patent and the filing of an international patent, and on the design of COX-1 inhibitors, resulting in close collaboration with the groups of Prof. A. Scillimati and antibacterial research in collaboration with Prof. S. Stefani.

Total number of publications: 83; total number of citations: 1,603; H-index (Scopus): 24.

Renata Grifantini holds a degree in biological sciences and a PhD in molecular and cellular biology. She has devoted much of her work to translational and industrial research.

She was a researcher at ENI-Ricerca (1990-1996), conducting research in biotechnology applied to the optimization of pharmacologically active proteins through molecular engineering and structural proteomics approaches. She was then Project Leader and Head of the Microarray Unit at Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics (2004-2008) and at Chiron Vaccines (1996-2004) in Siena, Italy, leading research on the identification of vaccine candidates against various bacterial pathogens. Subsequently (2008-2016), she was Research Director at Externautics Srl (Siena, Italy), focusing on the development of new anticancer targets and monoclonal antibodies for cancer therapy.

In June 2016, she joined the National Institute of Molecular Genetics (Milan, Italy) as PI and Head of the Translational Research Unit. In 2018, she was also appointed Scientific Director and General Manager of CheckmAb SrL, dedicated to the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies for cancer immunotherapy.

She is deeply involved in the study of immunological determinants in infectious diseases, the identification and validation of new therapeutic targets for cancer and autoimmune diseases, and the development of monoclonal antibodies for immunotherapy.

Roberta Iatta is Associate Professor of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases (VET/06) at the Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari.
In 2001, she obtained a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Bari.

She continued with a PhD in “Epidemiology and Prevention of Infectious Diseases”, obtained in 2005 at the Department of Internal Medicine and Public Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bari, in collaboration with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, USA. In 2007, she carried out postdoctoral research in “Epidemiology and Prevention of Infectious Diseases” at the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Bari.

She is lecturer and member of the PhD School in “Animal Health and Zoonoses” at the University of Bari and of the national PhD School in “One Health approaches to infectious diseases and life science research”.

She is author of 117 articles published in international scientific journals, with an H-index of 28 and 2,842 citations (Scopus indexes).

Main research topics: epidemiology and diagnosis of parasitic diseases caused by zoonotic and vector-borne pathogens. She is currently interested in environmental monitoring of ticks and sand flies and in diseases caused by protozoa (i.e., Leishmania) and bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi complex, Rickettsia of the SFG, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis) in humans, vectors and synanthropic animals.

Stefano Merler’s research has covered a range of scientific topics related to the epidemiology of infectious diseases, the statistical, mathematical and computational modelling of infectious disease transmission, and the assessment of the effectiveness of intervention measures. He has conducted research on emerging infectious diseases (influenza, SARS-CoV-2), vector-borne diseases (chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika, dengue), antimicrobial resistance (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae), childhood diseases (measles, chickenpox, respiratory syncytial virus, tuberculosis), filoviruses (Zaire and Sudan ebolavirus, Marburg), and sexually transmitted diseases (mpox). During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as scientific advisor to the Italian National Institute of Health, the Italian Ministry of Health, the Extraordinary Commissioner for the COVID-19 emergency and the Italian Technical Scientific Committee.

During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, he served as scientific advisor to the Italian National Institute of Health. He is the author of 176 research articles, including 156 academic articles with a cumulative JCR 2022 impact factor (updated June 2023) of 1,610.5, as well as 20 conference proceedings and book chapters; H-index: 44 (Scopus); total citations: 13,164 (Scopus).

Carlo Federico Perno is Professor of Microbiology at UniCamillus and International Medical University, and Director of Microbiology at IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital.

From 2001 to 2017, he was Full Professor of Microbiology at the University of Tor Vergata, and later in Milan. Between 2012 and 2017, he was Deputy Director of the Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. He was Academic Senator of the University of Rome Tor Vergata from 2001 to 2010, Coordinator of the Pharmacy Degree Course (English) at the University of Rome Tor Vergata from 2016 to 2017, and President of the Board of Microbiology Professors MED/07 from 2011 to 2017. From 2003 to 2020, he was Director of Virology and then Microbiology at Policlinico Tor Vergata and later at the Grande Ospedale Niguarda, Milan. Since 1998, he has been Head of the Antiretroviral Therapy Monitoring Laboratory at IRCCS “L. Spallanzani” in Rome.

He is author of approximately 600 printed publications, most of them (557) in international English-language journals, including Nature, Science, The Lancet, Journal of Experimental Medicine and PNAS. H-index (Google Scholar): 68; total citations: 15,466; total impact factor: 2,550.

In 2001, he won the European Community Descartes Award as part of the best European biomedical research group.

Maria Rescigno (H-index: 73) graduated in Biology in 1990 from the University of Milan. From 1991 to 1994 she worked at the University of Cambridge, UK, in the Department of Biochemistry as a visiting scholar. From 1995 to 1999 she was at the CNR in Milan, where she obtained a PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology.

From 2001 to December 2017, she was Director of the Dendritic Cell and Immunotherapy Unit at the European Institute of Oncology and, from 2014, Associate Professor at the University of Milan.
From 2008 to 2013, she was visiting professor at the University of Oslo.

Maria Rescigno is now Vice-Rector and Pro-Rector for Research at Humanitas University and group leader at the Humanitas Research Center, where she heads the Mucosal Immunity and Microbiota Unit.
She has received three prestigious European Community grants (European Research Council, ERC): “Starting”, “Proof-of-concept” and “Consolidator”. Since 2019 she has been a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

Maria Rescigno has published more than 200 papers in prestigious journals such as Science, Nature Immunology, Immunity, Nature and Cancer Cell. She has received several awards, including the Rome Award for Enterprise, Economy and Social Affairs (2022) and the Pezcoller-Marina Larcher Fogazzaro-EACR Women in Cancer Research Award (2023).

In 2016, she founded a start-up, “Postbiotica”, which in 2017 won the international Mystart BCN award (Barcelona, Spain).

Vittorio Sambri graduated with honours in Medicine and Surgery from Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna in academic year 1985/86. From 1 September 1988 to 31 May 1989, he worked at the University of California at Los Angeles under the supervision of Michael A. Lovett on the genetic transformation of spirochetes and contributed to the development of the first recombinant antigens of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum. He received his PhD in Microbiological Sciences in 1991.

From 1990 to 2004, he worked as an assistant in the laboratory of the Microbiology section of the DMCSS at the University of Bologna.

From 7 January 2004 to 17 December 2012, he served as Associate Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at Alma Mater Studiorum, and was also Head of the laboratory of the Regional Reference Centre for Microbiological Emergencies (CRREM) until 17 December 2012. From that date he was on leave to direct the Microbiology Unit of the AUSL, until returning to his university role on 1 August 2020; he now directs, under agreement, the Microbiology Operating Unit of AUSL Romagna.

Vittorio Sambri is coordinator of the Emilia-Romagna regional network of Microbiology laboratories.