Alessandro joined the Helmann lab in 2025 as a research associate to work on Bacillus subtilis stress response and unveil the resulting epigenetic adaptations. Before joining Cornell University, he pursued his postdoctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom) in Dr. Patrick Heun’s group, where he worked on elucidating the epigenetic mechanisms controlling centromere formation in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. He earned his PhD in 2019 by investigating the structural basis of heterochromatin formation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe in the lab of Dr. Thomas Schalch at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). He pursued his bachelor's and master’s studies at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) where he earned degrees in Biological Science, and in Genetic and Molecular Biology. Outside work, Alessandro passions include carving wood, playing guitar, climbing, travelling, human rights and equality, and much more.
