DOCTORAL
CANDIDATES
Background
From 2017 to 2020, he pursued his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology at the University of Perugia. From October 2019 to March 2020, he completed an ERASMUS+ internship at the University of Reading in the laboratory of Professor Ketan Patel, where he worked on his thesis project in the field of muscular dystrophy. During this period, he learned the basic techniques of laboratory research and developed skills in mouse model handling and dissection.
From 2021 to 2023, he pursued his master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Trento, where he developed a strong interest in cancer research. He completed his internship at the Armenise-Harvard Laboratory of Cancer Biology & Genetics under the supervision of Professor Andrea Lunardi, working on his thesis project focused on organoid development as a model system for prostate cancer.
In 2024, he started his PhD in the Environmental Epigenetics Lab at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he is investigating the role of metabolic enzymes in the nucleus, their interaction with chromatin components, and how these chromatin–metabolism networks are altered during human aging.
Research
Federico’s research integrates biochemistry and epigenetics to understand molecular mechanisms underlying human aging. His work explores the non-canonical role of metabolic enzymes within the nucleus, focusing on their direct interaction with chromatin components.
He investigates how these chromatin–metabolism interactions influence histone modifications, chromatin organization, and transcriptional regulation. A central aim of his research is to define how these regulatory networks are altered during human aging and to clarify their downstream impact on chromatin structure and function.