Meet Our Lab Heroes Awards™ 2023 Highly Commended Nominees: Elia Ranzato
It’s time to meet another of our Lab Heroes Awards™ 2023 Highly Commended nominees! Elia Ranzato was nominated in the ‘Lab Leader’ category by his colleague Simona Martinotti who praised his ability to inspire others, as well as his drive to change the perception of a ‘typical’ scientist.
Elia is an Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology at the University of Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria, Italy. He took a fast-track to graduation in Biological Sciences (summa cum laude) before joining a Doctorate Programme undertaking environmental-related projects, developing a battery of stress and exposure biomarkers. After gaining his PhD, Elia decided to move to hypothesis-driven research as a postdoctoral fellow.
Elia now focuses on wound repair and the regeneration process. His research takes advantage of various models and employs a wide range of methodologies. He is currently using both platelet derivatives and natural compounds (such as lichen extracts and honeys), as experimental tools in order to perform a more in-depth analysis, in terms of cell biology and proteomics, of the mechanisms of wound healing.
We grabbed a few minutes with Elia to ask him some quick-fire questions about his career so far and his passion for working in STEM...
Congratulations, Elia! How did it feel to find out that your colleague had nominated you as their Lab Hero?
It was an honour and a pleasure to discover that I was nominated for this recognition.
How did it feel when you found out our judges had chosen you as 'Highly Commended'?
It was another great honour to have been recognized as “highly commended”. A great recognition for me, but I hope also for our entire laboratory!
Why do you think it’s so important to celebrate life science researchers, and what more could be done to show life scientists recognition?
I think that research work is not completely understood by the general public, and it’s important to give more space and visibility to scientists and their work.
What do you enjoy most about working in STEM?
What I like most about my job is being able to add some little information to the great knowledge we are acquiring about life.
Did you always want to be a scientist when you were younger, and if so, why?
I always wanted to be a scientist! Why? I'm curious!
Can you tell us a bit more about what you're working on in the lab at the moment?
Our laboratory is studying the biological properties of honey, in terms of its ability to induce wound repair.
What does a typical day in the lab look like for you?
It's difficult to define a typical day, but in general I divide my time between lessons and the laboratory.
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing life scientists at the moment?
The most important challenge is to continue working towards a better knowledge of the natural world that allows everyone to live in better conditions.
Your colleague praised your ability to inspire younger scientists. What do you enjoy most about mentoring, and why is it important to you?
I believe that another important challenge for people doing research is to motivate students to get involved.
What key piece of advice would you give to a younger scientist just starting out in their career?
Never give up.
How do you see your career developing in the future/where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Honestly I do not know. However, I hope to continue to be encouraged to do research.
Which scientists working today do you admire the most?
I don't have a scientist or scientists I admire. But there are many people I have met in my career who have pushed me to improve.
What’s your favourite science quote?
“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” - Theodosius Dobzhansky
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Connect with Elia Ranzato:
- LinkedIn: Elia Ranzato
- Twitter: Elia Ranzato
- Google Scholar: Elia Ranzato
And you can meet our other Lab Heroes Awards™ 2023 prize-winners here.
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