MEET THE DIBIO SCIENTIST SERIES : Alessandro Alboresi

Pubblicato il: 17.09.2019 09:13

Alessandro is a tenure-track researcher (RTDb) at DiBio

Can you summarize in few words your research?

My research is aimed to understand plant response to environmental changes with an evolutionary perspective. In a broad sense, I am interested in the perception of external cues and I am mainly focused on the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of the photosynthetic machinery. For this purpose, I am interested in the natural biodiversity of photosynthetic organisms, applying an integrated approach that combines genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, microscopy and spectroscopy.

What is the most rewarding and the most challenging part of your work?

Lab-life itself is rewarding with its discoveries, the data obtained from the research, the training young fellows and the possibility to better understand (not always:) how nature works.

Tell us your story: what brings you to DiBio?

I graduated in Plant Biotechnology at the University of Milano and I obtained a Phd in Molecular and Cell Genetics at INRA Versailles (France) studying how plants sense nutrients in the environment. I also did my first postdoc in France, at the Université de Marseille, where I started my training in the field of photosynthesis. I moved to Verona where I stayed for a long post-doc. Now I just feel so lucky to be part of this high quality department.

What’s your favourite “toy” for research – and what can it do?

I guess my favourite toy is a moss, aka Physcomitrella patens. It is a tiny plant but also an extremely powerful tool to study most of the fundamental processes related to plant science. Like in yeast, genome editing is easy in Physcomitrella patens. This feature, together with its evolutionary position, allows the characterization of those traits related to water-to-land transition.

What are your interests outside science?

I usually spend my free time cooking; sourdough has been one of my “pets” for almost 10 years now. I also enjoy hiking with my dog, running and lately playing volley.

Alessandro's google scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kEuMlt8AAAAJ&hl=en