People

Irene Farabella, PI

Giovanni Armenise Career Development Awardees

I received a MSc in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Milano- Bicocca, Italy, in 2008 after a visiting period sponsored by a fellowship from EXTRA PLUS Program financed by Fondazione Cariplo at the Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics (CMBI), Nijmegen supervised by Prof. Gert Vriend and Prof. Marialuisa Lavitrano. In 2013, I got a PhD sponsored by a Wellcome Trust Funded PhD studentship in Structural Biology working at ISMB (UCL/Birkbeck College, London, UK) under the supervision of Prof. Maya Topf and Prof. Gabriel Waksman. For her postdoc training, I joined Marc Marti-Renom’s lab at the Centre Nacional d’ Anàlisi Genòmica – Centre de Regulació Genòmica (CNAG-CRG), Barcelona as a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación Postdoctoral Fellow. During this time, I also worked as a visiting researcher in the C.-Ting Wu’s lab at Harvard Medical School. In September 2022 I established my Armenise-Harvard Integrative Nuclear Architecture Lab at the Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in the Center for Human Technologies in Genoa, where we will investigate the 3D genome structural variability at the nanoscale.

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bsky: @iosonoirene.bsky.social

Link to my CV

Chantal Usai

Post Doctoral Researcher

After receiving an MSc in Chemical Science from the University of Genoa, my academic journey led me to a PhD in Physics and Nanoscience, where I specialized in Biophysics. My doctoral research explored chromatin dynamics at the nanoscale, particularly focusing on chromatin organization modifications related to genetic diseases. Now, I'm enthusiastic about contributing to the research on 3D genome organization and chromatin plasticity, leveraging my background in super-resolution microscopy. Beyond academia, I cherish time spent in nature, and I'm passionate about hiking and exploring the beauty of mountains. 

Iago Maceda Porto

Post Doctoral Researcher. 

After obtaining an MSc in Bioinformatics for Health Sciences from Pompeu Fabra University, I pursued a PhD in Bioinformatics at the same institution under the supervision of Oscar Lao. My doctoral research focused on characterizing human populations from different valleys in the Pyrenees using both population genomics and medical genomics. Following my PhD, I joined Marc Martí-Renom’s laboratory at the Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico – Center de Regulació Genòmica (CNAG-CRG) as a postdoctoral researcher. There, I worked on developing new approaches to integrate Hi-C data with linear genomic data, such as ChIP-seq and GWAS datasets. During this postdoctoral period, I was introduced to the field of chromatin tracing through the Center for Genome Imaging, led by C.-Ting Wu. Since then, I have become increasingly involved in developing computational tools for chromatin tracing analysis. I am currently part of the Farabella Group at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), where I contribute to the development of software for the processing, quality assessment, and visualization of chromatin tracing experiments. Outside of research, I enjoy reading books—especially epic fantasy—playing video games, and exploring cities on foot.

Anja Tolic

Post Doctoral Researcher

I am a researcher with experience in both wet-lab and computational biology. I hold MSc and PhD degrees in molecular biology from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, where I focused on epigenetics. My doctoral research explored the interplay between TET and PARP proteins and their impact on DNA (de)methylation. Additionally, I contributed to projects that implemented CRISPR-based tools for targeted DNA methylation in the contexts of diabetes and cancer research. Over the years, I developed a strong interest in bioinformatics, leading me to pursue an unconventional career path and earn a MSc in Applied Bioinformatics from Cranfield University, UK, in 2024. Joining the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the teams of Dr. Di Giammartino and Dr. Farabella has allowed me to integrate my expertise in epigenetics with computational approaches in order to contribute to research on RNA biology and 3D chromatin structure.

Mattia Roccatello

PhD student,

I am a Master's student in Data Science at the University of Padua, currently conducting my thesis research within the Farabella lab. My work focuses on enhancing and optimising the CIMA library, applying advanced algorithmic techniques to improve its performance and the accuracy of automated chromatin structure analysis. By integrating optimisation strategies, I aim to refine data processing pipelines and contribute to the robustness of computational methods for decoding point-cloud imaging data obtained via Single Molecule Localization Microscopy.  Beyond my research, I am passionate about music, exploration, and artistic expression through drawing. Whether analysing data or embracing creativity, I strive to enjoy life in all its dimensions. 

Anthony Palmieri

PhD student, affiliated 

I graduated from the Data Science Master's program at the University of Padua, Italy, with a bachelor's in applied mathematics from the same university. In the Farabella lab, my work revolves around developing and testing clustering algorithms to decipher 3D chromatin structures from point-cloud imaging data obtained via Single Molecule Localization Microscopy.  In October 2024, I started my PhD in the Rinaldi lab at the University of Padua while continuing to collaborate with the Farabella lab. Outside the lab, you'll often find me absorbed in some books, gaming, or just enjoying the outdoors with my army of dogs and cats.

Past Member:

* Ivan Piacere (Research Assistant, Mar 2023 – Oct 2024)

* Jacopo Betti (MSc in Mathematics, UNIBO, Sep 2025 – Feb 2026; co-supervised with Luca Calatroni, UNIGE)