EDUCATION / WORK EXPERIENCE
April 2019- present: Tenured Senior Researcher, Neuroscience Area, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
January 2013- present: Adjunct Faculty Investigator, Lieber Institute for Brain Development. Baltimore, MD, USA.
February 2014- March 2019: Senior Researcher, Associate Professor level, Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
December 2011- February 2014: Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Italy.
September 2010- February 2014: Tenure Track-1, Team Leader, Neuroscience and Brain Technologies Department, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
September 2005- August 2010: Post Doctoral Fellow, Clinical Brain Disorders Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Bethesda, USA. Supervisors: Dr. Daniel R. Weinberger and Dr. Jacqueline N. Crawley.
July 2004- December 2004: Researcher, University of Bordeaux, France. Supervisors: Prof. Antoine Tabarin and Dr. Angelo Contarino.
September 2003- July 2004: Researcher, INSERM Unit 588, “Laboratoire de Physiopathologie du Comportement”, Bordeaux, France. Supervisors: Dr. Pier Vincenzo Piazza and Dr. Angelo Contarino.
January 2002- March 2005: PhD Student in Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Padova, Italy. Supervisor: Dr. Angelo Contarino.
December 2000- November 2001: Pharmacist. S. Chiara pharmacy. Vicenza, Italy. Supervisor: Dr. Paolo Pretto.
October 1996- November 2001: Pharmacy graduate studies (110/110 cum Laude), University of Padova, Italy.
GRANTS
≈June 2021- June 2024: Co-PI, work package leader. AIFA (Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco). Title: “Cannabidiol as an add-on treatment to substance abuse in juvenile patients with psychosis: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study (CAT-PSY)”. 488792 €.
October 2020- October 2022: Principal Investigator. Research collaboration agreement with Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Switzerland. Title: “Use of an innovative conditional D2-receptor knockout approach, coupled to time- and cell type-specific viral delivery to identify the critical targets in the mouse model LgDel”. 350000 €.
February 2020- January 2024: Principal Investigator. Fondazione Telethon – project GGP19103, title: “Improving developmental trajectories in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome by oxytocin: focus on anti-inflammatory effects”. 419000 €.
November 2018- March 2023: Principal Investigator. Ricerca Finalizzata Giovani Ricercatori 2016 - Ministero Salute – project GR-2016-02362413, title: “Dysbindin-antipsychotics psychophamarcogenetics: a mouse-human translational study towards personalized healthcare in bipolar disorders”. 449991 €.
July 2018- April 2021: Principal Investigator. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma. Title: “Role of the frontocortical-parvalbumin system in higher-order cognitive functions and in the onset of cognitive deficits induced by schizophrenia-relevant mutations”. 290000 €.
September 2018- September 2020: Supervisor and hosting lab. Marie Sklodowska-Curie individual Fellowships to Celine Devroye. Grant N. 796244. SocialBrainCircuits. 168277 €.
October 2018: Principal Investigator. The MINDDS Action of the European COST Association (eCOST). Training school/hands-on workshop in “Convergence Neuroscience: bridging the gap between human patients and animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders”. 25000 €.
March 2016- December 2018: Principal Investigator. Compagnia di San Paolo grant n. 2015-0321. Title: “Utilizzo di variazioni genetiche in dysbindin-1 (dtnbp1) per lo sviluppo di trattamenti più efficaci e personalizzati per la schizofrenia”. 152000 €.
September 2015- March 2018: Principal Investigator. Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2015 NARSAD Independent Investigator grant n. 23234; Title: “Use of genetic-driven dysbindin-1 (DTNBP1) variations for more effective and personalized treatments in First Episode of Psychosis”. 100000 $.
January 2013- January 2017: Principal Investigator. Roche Postdoc Fellowship Program; title: “D2L/S-dysbindin genetic interaction: towards early detection and personalized interventions for cognitive deficits and schizophrenia”. 400000 €.
January 2014- December 2015: in charge of a work package. 2013 NARSAD Young Investigator grant. Title: “Indicated prevention with long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids in patients with 22q11 microdeletion syndrome genetically at high risk for psychosis: A randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled treatment trial”. 60000 €.
January 2013- May 2016: Principal Investigator. Ricerca Finalizzata Giovani Ricercatori 2010 - Ministero Salute – project GR-2010-2315883, title: “Schizophrenia pathogenetic mechanisms associated to dysbindin dysfunctions in fly and mouse models”. 280000 €.
September 2010- September 2014: Principal Investigator. Marie Curie FP7-Reintegration-Grants Call identifier: FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG Grant n.268247 – SCHIZOGENES. 100000 €.
August 2008-August 2010: Principal Investigator. NIHM Julius Axelrod Memorial Fellowship Training Award. Behavioral characterization of genetically modified mice for schizophrenia-associated susceptibility genes.
AWARDS AND HONORS
October 2018: Scientific Director and Organizer of the Training school/hands-on workshop in “Convergence Neuroscience: bridging the gap between human patients and animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders”. Genova, Italy.
December 2017: travel award, ACNP 56th Annual Meeting, USA.
July 2017: Scientific Director and Organizer of the International Summer School of Neuroscience. Noto, Italy.
March 2015: Spring 2015 JOVE/Med Associates Competition.
April 2014: the Marie Curie Alumni Association.
November 2012: Winter Conference on Brain Research Travel Fellowship Award.
May 2009: Award as Preceptor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Student Internship Program.
August 2008: NIMH Julius Axelrod Memorial Fellowship Training Award.
May 2008: Award as Preceptor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Student Internship Program.
May 2007: Mentor to prize winner, American Academy of Neurology, Neuroscience Research Prize.
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES & SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
2018- : The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
2013- : Societa' Italiana di Farmacologia
2012- : Schizophrenia International Research Society
2012- : The Marie Curie Alumni Association
2008- : International Behavioral Neuroscience Society
2004- : Society for Neuroscience
2021- : Scientific Programme Committee, European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP)
2020- : Scientific Committeee of the IIT IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee).
