Mauro D'Amato, PhD

I was born in Rome Italy, where I studied biology hoping I could also be bitten one day by a radioactive spider. Still chasing that dream, I have in the meantime gained training in human molecular genetics and genomics, and studied genetic predisposition to human complex diseases for more than 25 years. I have held academic and research positions at the University of Rome La Sapienza Italy,  The Wellcome Trust Center for Human Genetics in Oxford UK, the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm Sweden, Biodonostia Health Research Institute in San Sebastian Spain, Monash University in Melbourne Australia (there, I stayed away from spiders), and finally LUM University in Casamassima (Bari) Italy, where I currently hold a tenure position as Professor in Medical Genetics. 

My research is geared towards translational application for therapeutic precision in gastroenterology. My team use genomic, computational and bioinformatic approaches to identify risk genes and variants in gastrointestinal disease. I coordinate the bellygenes initiative on the genetics of irritable bowel syndrome, and our biobank-scale studies contribute to multiple consortia and collaborative networks across EU, USA and Australia.

I have supervised more than 40 PhD students and postdocs, edited 2 books, published >200 papers in human genetics; I provide feedback to international journals, research funding agencies, and pharma companies.

With so many moves across different countries, life has been indeed a rollercoaster, but I got to know so many great people and interesting cultures...!