I am a Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Director of the KCVI Epigenetics Consortium. I am also a core scientist in the Division of Genetics at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC). My research program focuses on understanding the mechanisms of genome instability during primate evolution as well as human development and disease.

I received my Master’s degree in Biology and PhD in Genetics and Molecular Evolution from the University of Bari (Italy), where I trained in the laboratory of Prof. Mariano Rocchi. There, I developed a strong foundation in chromosome biology that has guided my research career. I subsequently completed postdoctoral training at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Oakland (CHORI) in the laboratory of Dr. Pieter de Jong, a pioneer in high-throughput genomics. In 2010, I established my independent research program at OHSU and ONPRC. In 2016, I founded the KCVI Epigenetics Consortium, which provides shared infrastructure and expertise to support epigenetics research across OHSU and beyond. 

My current research program integrates comparative genomics, epigenomics, and three-dimensional genome organization to investigate the molecular bases of congenital disorders and early embryonic development. By combining multi-omics datasets—including chromatin conformation, histone modifications, and transcriptomic profiles—with functional genomic tools such as CRISPR-based editing, we aim to uncover the mechanisms by which genome architecture regulates gene expression. Ultimately, my goal is to reveal fundamental principles of genome function and understand how structural variation drives both biological diversity and disease susceptibility.