Biography:

Simone studied biotechnology and molecular biology at the University of Pisa (Italy), where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees working at the department of Genetics. In 2017 he moved to Nice (France), where he carried out his PhD as a collaboration between the “Population genetics and complex traits” team at the Institute for Research on Cancer and Ageing (IRCAN) and the biotechnology company Meiogenix. During his PhD studies, Simone got interested in the evolution of microbial genomes and developed an experimental evolution protocol to improve industrial yeasts’ traits, which is now part of the company assets. He obtained his PhD in 2021 and, in collaboration with other members of the team, he secured funding from the Deep Tech framework to explore the early steps of start-up creation. In 2023 he joined the laboratory of Kiran Patil at the MRC Toxicology Unit.

Research interests:

Bacterial communities inhabit many environments, from soil and rivers to our gut and skin. They play critical roles in regulating biochemical flows through metabolic interactions that are continuously shaped by external factors. Pollution from human-made chemicals poses a novel threat to these communities whose long-term consequences are not entirely understood.
Simone is interested in studying how interactions within microbial communities, such as those that inhabit our gut or live in other ecological niches, can evolve when challenged with abiotic stresses. Furthermore, he is interested in the role of genome evolution and its impact on shaping microbial interactions and microbial metabolic profiles following adaptation.