Associate Professor of Physiology @ Biology Department (SSD: BIO/09) – University of Pisa
José Fernando Maya-Vetencourt obtained his PhD and Post Doc in Neurobiology at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa while working with Prof. Lamberto Maffei. He then moved as Post Doc to the NEST laboratory. He also worked as Research Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genova with Prof. Fabio Benfenati. In addition to his research activities at the IIT, he obtained the “National Scientific Habilitation (ASN)” (requirement to apply for academic positions) in Physiology and was appointed as Adjunct Professor in the School of Medicine and Pharmacy, at the University of Genova during 4 years. Later on, he obtained a permanent position as Associate Professor in the Biology Department, Physiology Institute, at the University of Pisa. He is also affiliated senior researcher in the NSYN Department at the IIT in Genova. His research interests centre on (i) neuronal interfaces designed to substitute damaged tissues in the nervous system, (ii) optogenetics- and experience-dependent mechanisms of neuronal plasticity that underlie sensory perception as well as behaviour, and (iii) retinal circuitries under physiological and pathological conditions. Dr. Maya-Vetencourt is editor of 1 neuroscience book, author of 4 book chapters, and coinventor in 4 patents. He has published 36 scientific manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, out of which 31 indexed in pubmed including: Science, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, Journal of Physiology, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, European Journal of Neuroscience, Progress in Neurobiology, Experimental Eye Research, Nanomedicine, Scientific Reports, and others. He has delivered > 20 scientific presentations at international meetings abroad. His academic record includes > 4000 citations with an “H-index” of 23 (Google Scholar), and an average “impact factor per manuscript” of 12.6. He has also supervised > 50 students for Master Thesis in the Degree of Neuroscience, Medicine, Biology, and Biotechnology. He is member of the Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS), the American Society of Neuroscience (SfN), and the Italian Physiological Society (SIF). He works as associate review editor for “Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience”, “Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience” and “Frontiers in Medicine”. In the year 2017, he was awarded two prestigious and independent scientific recognitions as “Young Investigator”: one by the Italian Physiological Society in Pavia and another one by the Federation of European Physiological Societies in Vienna.
Scientific Affiliations
• Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS)
• American Society of Neuroscience (SfN)
• Italian Society of Physiology (SIF)
• Associate Reviewer: “Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience”, “Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience”, “Frontiers in Medicine”
Metrics of Citations
Research Grants Awarded
• Tuscany Health Ecosystem (THE), European Union Next Generation EU. 2024-2026. Grant: 45.000 €. Co-Investigator. “National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) – Mission 4, Component 2, Investment N.1.5 – CUP N. I53C22000780001”
• Progetto di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN). 2022-2024. Grant: 205.500 €. Principal Investigator (PI). “Transcriptional regulation of visual cortex plasticity: vision restoration by chemo-optogenetic regulation of the transcriptional repressor REST/NRSF”
• Progetto di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN). 2020-2022. Grant: 716.000 €. Co-Investigator and PI of the Pisa Research Unit.
“Wireless and non-genetic photostimulation of neurons by cell-specific targeting of photovoltaic nanoparticles: neurodegenerative diseases”
• Progetto Ricerca di Ateneo (PRA) – Università di Pisa 2020-2021. Grant: 84.616 €. Co-Investigator.
“Riprogrammazione anti-infiammatoria della microglia come terapia per la neurodegenerazione retinica”
• Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde (CARIPLO). 2018-2021. Grant: 400.000 €. Co-Investigator.
“Nanosparks: high-resolution and non-invasive photostimulation strategies to rescue vision in age-related macular degeneration”
• Compagnia di San Paolo (CSP). 2016-2018. Grant: 180.000 €. Principal Investigator (PI).
“Modulation of adult visual cortical plasticity via optogenetic control of gene expression”
Scientific Awards
• Best Poster Award. 2019. Federation of European Physiological Societies (FEPS). Bologna, Italy
• Young Investigator Award. 2017. The Italian Society of Physiology (SIF). Pavia, Italy
• “Raising Star” Award. 2017. Federation of European Physiological Societies (FEPS). Vienna, Austria
• Major Scientific Advances in Biology. 2008. Faculty of 1000
Academic Formation
• Associate Professor in Physiology (Aug 2022 – present)
Department of Biology at the University of Pisa
• Tenure-Track Senior Researcher (Aug 2019 – Jul 2022)
Department of Biology at the University of Pisa
• Adjunct Professor (Jan 2015 – Jul 2019)
School of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Genova
• Senior Researcher (Feb 2017- Jul 2019)
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Synaptic Neuroscience & Technology, Genova
• Post Doc in Neuroscience (Oct 2014- Oct 2016)
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Neuroscience & Brain Technology, Genova
• Post Doc in Neuroscience (Sept 2012- Aug 2014)
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Neuroscience & Cognitive Systems, Rovereto
• Post Doc in Neuroscience (Jan 2008 – May 2012)
Scuola Normale Superiore, Laboratorio di Neurobiologia, Pisa
• Doctorate in Neurobiology (Jan 2005- Dec 2007)
Scuola Normale Superiore, Laboratorio di Neurobiologia, Pisa
• Master in Cellular Biology (Jan 2002- Dec 2004)
Ecole Normale Supérioure. Biologie Cellulaire e Moléculaire, Paris
University of the Andes, Biology Department, Mérida
• Bachellor Degree in Biology (Sept 1996- Dec 2001)
University of the Andes, Biology Department, Mérida
Supervision/Evaluation of Undergraduate Thesis
• Guya Spinabella, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Lorenzo Vaselli, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Chiara Ippoliti, undergraduate student (Biotechnology), UNIPI
• Virginia Luperini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Matteo Vagelli, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Giulia Leoni, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Francesca Mazzi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Carolina Iadarola, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Alysha Teora, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Agnese Fronte, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Giulia Gualemi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Francesca Casu, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Carlotta Dini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Denise Akaboh, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Domiziana Magli, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Alice Taramelli, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Alessia Vallesi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Giacomo Del Rio, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Asia Rossi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Emiliano Alù, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Francesco Valsecchi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Federico Sturiale, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Livia Gragnani, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Alessia Crucitti, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Gabrielle Quaranta, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Martina Perullo, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Federica Baccelli, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Silvia Pieraccini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Emanuela Calvagna, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Chiara Viani, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Matteo Carpi De Resmini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Tommaso Spadaccini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Sara Devali, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Tommaso Volpini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Asia Batini, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Martina Barsacchi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Giovanni Scarso, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Marco Scantamburlo, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Caterina Pignata, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Giuseppe Rizza, undergrduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Martina Orsetti, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Cristina Gigliotti, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Veronica Giunti, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Alessia Todisco, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Tacylla Santos Silva, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Agonigi Anna, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Edoardo Porzano, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Silvia Vegni, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Gabriele Aldighieri, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Luca Moresi, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Lorenzo Santucci, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Lorenzo De Palmata, undergraduate student (Biology), UNIPI
• Elisa Pati, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), SISSA
• Edda Grilli, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Eléa Coulomb, undergraduate student (Biotechnology), UNIPI
• Isabella Scrivieri, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Lorenza Tamberi, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Rocco Granata, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Francesco Scarlatti, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Giovanni D’Errico, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Noemi Sanna, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Pietro Vaninetti, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Camilla Paraciani, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Stefano Amoretti, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Francesca Abela, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Giulia Borgonovo, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Beatrice Corci, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Manuel Tongiani, undergraduate student (Neuroscience), UNIPI
• Giulia Mantero, undergraduate student (Biotechnology), UNIGE
• Alice Prasso, undergraduate student (Biotechnology), UNIGE
• Martina Pesce, undergraduate student (Biotechnology), UNIGE
• Dmytro Shmal, undergraduate student (Medicine), UNIGE