Alessandra Pesce

Alessandra Pesce is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physics (DIFI) of the University of Genoa, Italy. Her research focuses on structural biology of globins, protein aggregation, and cold-adapted enzymes, with applications in life sciences, environmental monitoring, and cultural heritage preservation. She teaches Applied Physics and Biophysics at both undergraduate and graduate levels in Physics and Biological Sciences. Her work spans from atomic-level characterization of protein crystals using Atomic Force Microscopy to large-scale ecological projects like the LIFE+ WHALESAFE initiative for sperm whale conservation through acoustic monitoring.

• Email: alessandra.pesce@unige.it
• Phone: +39 010 33 56243

Research Interests:

• Structural characterization of hexa-coordinated globins in marine organisms
• Thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of truncated hemoglobins in pathogenic bacteria
• Quaternary structure adaptations in Antarctic enzymes
• Development of acoustic monitoring systems for marine mammal conservation
• Protein aggregation mechanisms in amyloid-related diseases

Publication Trends: Over 15 years, her research demonstrates expertise in combining X-ray crystallography with biophysical techniques to study globin family proteins across diverse species (from nematodes to whales). Key themes include heme reactivity modulation, ligand diffusion pathways, and structure-function relationships in extremophile proteins, with recent emphasis on marine conservation technology.