I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at UT Southwestern Medical Center working under the supervision of Dr. Genevieve Konopka.
Here, using next generation sequencing coupled with computational approaches, I have focused on understanding the gene regulatory mechanisms that contribute to neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders and how these complex regulatory mechanisms have evolved on the human lineage at cell-type level.
In addition to the neuro-evolutionary genomic interests, I am involved in the neuroimaging genomic field. Combining the techniques of gene expression profiling and advanced signal processing of brain oscillations recorded during mnemonic tasks and fMRI in resting state is an innovative way to link brain activity with molecular mechanisms. In the Kopopka lab, I integrated brain activity values with gene expression from multiple next-generation RNA-sequencing data. With this cross disciplinary and innovative plan, I uncovered novel gene signatures that may be important for brain pathophysiology.
PhD in Computer Science, 2016
Leipzig University
MSc in Evolutionary Biology, 2011
University of Padova
BSc in Biology, 2009
University of Padova