Ilaria Ferlenghi (Italy)
| Hello, my name is Ilaria. I'm 42 years old and Head of the Imaging& Design Unit at the Novartis V&D. I'm also the proud mother of two beautiful girls of 9 and 7 years old! |  |
As a child I loved to read books about history, legends and adventures. My dream was to spend my entire life in a library with my imaginary friends. My greatest concern was how to give dimension to those friends. At the time I couldn't find the answer, but one day I was given the biography of Albert Einstein as a present, and I instantly fell in love with his life and his theories on physics. I realised that by studying physics and biology, I could hopefully get answers to some of my questions.
At high school in Russia I was very attracted to maths and physics as I considered them the perfect tools for me to investigate life. Eventually, I chose to study Biology (in Rome, Italy) because it included several different fascinating subjects. During the course I discovered the micro-world of the bacteria, cells, viruses and their atomic components. I was amazed! And the most obvious decision was to continue to study for a PhD in biophysics, allowing me to get a closer view of the cell and viral components: it was a much closer view because I was using a microscope most of the time! I was even more lucky to be able to do my PhD at the EMBL! It was the most fantastic experience I have ever had in my life, from both a personal and working point of view! I spent the rest of my scientific career abroad (USA, Germany, Austria and France) working hard but truly enjoying myself.
I had my two lovely daughters, Martina Lena and Francesca Luba, in France. Since I have become a mother, I pay more attention to the role of women in science. From my own experience, I see that it is difficult for women in science when they want to start a family. I was lucky. I had a lot of support from my husband and from my co-workers to continue my research.
In 2003, the whole family moved to Siena (Italy), where I am currently Head of the Imaging & Design Unit at Novartis V&D, which is a research centre for vaccines development. As part of the Structural Vaccinology Network, my department focuses on the atomic structure of potential antigens and the design of vaccines. We work on important bacterial diseases such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Disease, Group B streptococcal infection and several others, with a particular focus on pathogens harmful to children.
In the light of my past and recent personal experience, I am enthusiastic at the idea of visiting schools to tell young students and in particular young girls and women about my experiences in science, because I am firmly convinced that there is no better way to get closer to life than by bringing science directly to the public.