BINA Careers Speakers Series 2024

Valeria Piazza – February 6

Valeria Piazza, PhD
Investigadora titular A
Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, A.C

Career Overview:
Valeria graduated in Molecular Biology from the University of Padova, with a thesis conducted at the Oncological Reference Center of Aviano, Italy. She then obtained her PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Italy, where she worked on inner ear physiology and calcium imaging. Her postdoctoral research projects were carried out at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (supported by the HHMI), and at the University of Göttingen, Germany, as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow. During her postdoctoral training, her focus shifted to the study of the fine anatomy, physiology, and metabolism of the inner ear through pioneering techniques, such as Multi-Isotope Imaging Mass Spectrometry and X-ray Diffraction Imaging. Since 2015, she has been active as a professor, researcher, and science communicator at the Center for Research in Optics (CIO) in León, Mexico, where she leads the Biophotonics Research Group. Her current work centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms of a newly described neurodegenerative disease using a highly transdisciplinary approach, driven by a youthful enthusiasm for basic science.