Nicola Pirastu

Since graduating in Biology at the University of Cagliari, Dr. Pirastu’s research has been focused in understanding how genetic variation influences our lives and health. His work has spanned in many different areas contributing to numerous research ranging from blood cell counts to the identification of the genes associated to success in school. His focus in the last 10 years has been in using genetics to identify the factors underlying food choices and to understand the effects of diet on health. In particular, he has been looking at how genes and thus biology determines our food preferences. In the future, this knowledge will allow to devise new food products or medications to support the fight against obesity and other food related diseases. His research has brought him first to Trieste, then to Doha and Edinburgh and finally in Milan where he manages the biostatistics unit within the Genomics Research Centre.