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Meet Federica Quattrone

  1. Tell me in five words who is Federica Quattrone?
    Vivacious, Adventurous, Poised, Self-willed, Optimist.
     
  2. What made you join CeMM?
    The reason why joining CeMM struck me at the end of the second exhausting day of PhD selection, while enjoying a glass of wine at the CeMM terrace with other candidates and CeMMies. CeMM offered facilities for developing cutting-edge research and its most unique and precious treasure: a selection of the most brilliant and inspiring individuals I've ever met. I couldn’t miss out on this opportunity. 
     
  3. What is it about science that interests you the most?
    Science is an endless exploration of interconnected patterns. I’m fascinated by the endless challenge of shifting perspectives and understand what surrounds us in a never-ending journey.
     
  4. What is the best career advice you ever received, or you can give to the CeMM community?
    “It’s not over until it’s over”: in good times and bad times. 
    If success approaches, keep your focus, head down. Do not take anything for granted. 
    Conversely, when a challenge arises, stay perseverant and resolute. Do not prematurely concede defeat. 
     
  5. Tell us what happened to you after you left CeMM?
    In mid 2021 I joined Cutanos, a newly founded Vienna-based spin-off of the Max Planck Society. Starting as one of the initial team members, we grew a dynamic team of ten scientists dedicated to developing cutting-edge vaccines and therapeutics administered through the skin.
     
  6. What book do you have on your night table at the moment
    On my nightstand I have a leaning tower of books, currently - surprisingly;) - overrun by Italian authors.
    Accabadora - a hunting tale of life and death in 1950s Sardinia, by a great Italian author and activist who passed away too soon and whose influential voice I miss hearing,  Michela Murgia.
    The Pseudoscience Society by Prof. Giuseppe Tipaldo an assay giving a comprehensive analysis of the societal factors that contribute to the rise of pseudoscientific belief. 
    The Seagull's Dance by Andrea Camilleri, a classic Sicilian crime novel that transports me back on holiday to the sun-drenched Sicily with every page.
     
  7. What is the last song you heard?
    The Zephyr song – Red Hot Chili Peppers 
                  
  8. Any message you would like to give to CeMMies or a former colleague?
    Enjoy your coffee breaks with your colleagues, core memories are built on caffeine taking break... Who is up for a coffee (and cake)? 

Federica Quattrone trained in Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine at  Vita-Salute San Raffaele University and in European Patent Law at the University of Milano. In 2015, she joined Sylvia Knapp's team at CeMM and the Medical University of Vienna to focus on functional genomics research. Her work centered on understanding the role of the SLC20A1 transporter in macrophage and red blood cell development. Since 2021 she is the  head of Cutanos’ R&D programs focused on inflammation ad infectious diseases.