I am an Industry Associate Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at NYU Tandon. I received my BS in Biological Sciences and an MS in Molecular Biology from Universita’ degli Studi di Milano in Italy. After working for a year at Bayer, a pharmaceutical company, I started my Ph.D. in Genomics and System Biology in Salamanca, Spain, where I worked with Dr. Jose Perez-Martin, supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship. After my Ph.D., I pursued postdoctoral research in the Biology Department at New York University, in the laboratory of Prof. Enrique Rojas.
During my Ph.D., I investigated the molecular mechanism underlying cell cycle regulation and cell shape in a plant-pathogen fungus. In particular, I focused on characterizing the molecular pathway transmitting an environmental signal (pheromones) to the nucleus during cell cycle arrest and morphological switch. During my postdoc, I studied cell shape from a mechanical point of view, focusing on the structure and the synthesis of the cell wall in bacteria. My research found how the cell wall, a natural polymeric structure, has essential mechanical properties that control the shape and growth of bacteria.
