Professore Associato

I am currently Associate Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Florence and
Associate Researcher and Group Leader (Molecular and Cellular Mechanobiology Group) at the European Laboratory
for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS). My scientific interests lie at the intersection of physics and biology. On the one
hand, my research focuses on the development of techniques for studying biology at the molecular level. In particular, I
am developing microscopy and optical trapping techniques for the detection, localization, and manipulation of single
biological molecules. On the other hand, I am particularly interested in biophysics and the mechanisms of mechanical
regulation of biological systems. I study molecular motors and how mechanical signals are converted into biochemical
signals and changes in gene expression. My research has shed light on important mechanisms underlying the
functioning of molecular motors and led to the development of cutting-edge techniques for studying individual
biological molecules and the influence of forces on them (Capitanio et al., PNAS, 2006; Capitanio et al., Nature
Methods, 2012; Gardini et al. Nature Communications, 2018; Tempestini et al. NAR 2018; Woody et al. eLife 2019;
Arbore et al. Nature Communications 2022).
Teaching is another important part of my activities. In recent years, I have contributed to the creation of a program in
Physics of Living Systems within the Master's Degree in Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Florence, within
which I teach a course in Molecular and Cellular Biophysics and a course in Laboratory Biophysics and Biophotonics. I
also teach "Optical Methods for Biology" within the Molecular Biotechnology program. I have supervised numerous
undergraduate and graduate students during their theses and doctoral students as supervisor and co-supervisor, served
on thesis committees, and conducted seminars at doctoral schools and national and international scientific schools.