Benfenati Fabio

Fabio Benfenati is a Full Professor of Neurophysiology at the University of Genova’s School of Medicine and Research Director at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)’s Center of Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology (NSYN). He holds adjunct faculty roles at The Rockefeller University and has held leadership positions in neuroscience organizations including the Italian Society for Neuroscience and the Italian Physiological Society.

His research focuses on synaptic transmission mechanisms, neuroprosthetics, and neural interface technologies. Key contributions include studies on synapsins, SNARE proteins, and optogenetics applications. He leads a 40-member team at NSYN, collaborating with IRCCS University Hospital San Martino and the University of Genova to advance neurotechnology for CNS diseases.

Benfenati has authored >390 peer-reviewed papers (h-index 67) in journals like *Nature*, *Science*, and *Neuron*, with 16,700+ citations. He has co-invented 8 patents and received awards such as the 2012 Foreign Scientist Award for Parkinson’s Disease research.

• Education: Postdoc at Karolinska Institutet (1983-1984), Fogarty Fellow at Rockefeller University (1986-1989)
• Labs/Teams: NSYN (IIT), interdisciplinary groups in neurotechnology
• Grants/Awards: Fullbright, Michael Stern Foundation, multiple national/international leadership roles