Chiara Francavilla

Chiara Francavilla is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Division of Molecular & Cellular Function (L5), School of Biological Sciences, The University of Manchester. She is also the Principal Investigator (PI) at the Manchester Cancer Research Center since 2021 and has held a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellowship since 2016. Her research focuses on functional proteomics to elucidate mechanisms of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) trafficking and its role in cancer progression. Key areas include endocytic recycling of RTKs, signaling specificity, and therapeutic targets for diseases like cancer.

Education: PhD in Molecular Medicine from SEMM (European School of Molecular Medicine), FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), and European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan (2009). Master's in Industrial Biotechnology from University of Milano-Bicocca (2004).

Research Interests: Functional proteomics integrates mass spectrometry, bioinformatics, and cell biology to study RTK dynamics. Current projects include FGFR family signaling, ligand-receptor interactions, and in vivo trafficking mechanisms. She leads a lab using spatially resolved phosphoproteomics and temporal analysis to uncover novel signaling nodes.

Professional Roles: Member of the Biotechnology Beacon Board (2022–present), British Society for Biochemistry (2018–present), and British Society for Proteomics Research (2016–present). Junior Academic Lead of the Bio-MS core group at FBMH (2017–present).

Lab Team: Includes PDRA Joanne Watson, Experimental Officer Paul Fullwood, and PhD students Harriet Ferguson, Joseph Parsons, and Hanyi Mo.