Francesca Di Nunzio

Francesca Di Nunzio, PhD, is a Group Leader at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, since 2018. She previously held a Researcher position (2014-2017) and has been a Visiting Scientist at institutions in Montevideo, Uruguay (2015) and New York, USA (2011). Her work focuses on HIV-1 nuclear entry, integration, and the role of membraneless organelles in viral replication.

• Education: HDR (2017, Université Paris Diderot 7-Sorbonne); PhD in Medical Biotechnology (2006, University of Verona & San Raffaele Institute); Laurea (2001, University Federico II of Naples)

Research Interests revolve around:

• HIV-1 replication cycle, particularly nuclear import and integration
• Membraneless nuclear organelles (MLOs) and liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in viral strategies
• Host-pathogen interactions and nucleoporin/viral capsid interfaces
• Development of live-cell imaging systems for retroviral DNA

Article Trends show consistent focus on:

• LLPS/MLOs in HIV and SARS-CoV-2
• Capsid-host co-evolution and nuclear invasion
• Nucleoporin-chromatin factor interplay
• Live imaging of viral DNA dynamics

Grants & Projects include multiple ANRS, FRM, and Sidaction grants (2013-present), with leadership roles in projects like:

• NEWVIRBIO: Latent HIV 'condensate' mechanisms
• HIV-1 and nuclear membraneless organelles
• Ultrastructural conformation states of HIV-1

Teaching & Editorial Work: MOOC instructor (2017-2018) and editorial board member of Frontiers in Medicine (2018-present).