COLOMBO LUCIA

Current Position.
From 2010, Full Professor in General Botany, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy

Previous position.
2005 to 2010 Associate Professor, General Botany, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
1999 to 2005 Assistant Professor, General Botany, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
1998-1999 Scientist, Plant Developmental Genetics, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
-1993-1997 Post doc Plant Developmental Genetics, Plant Research International- University of Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Education.
-1993 PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Università degli Studi di Milano Italy.
-1989 Degree in Biological sciences (thesis in Plant Genetics), score 110/110 with laude.

Bibliometric indicators: ORCID 0000-0001-8415-1399. Total number of publications: 126 (Scopus)
h-index: 59 (Scopus); 63 (google scholar)


Management activities
2020. Member of the evaluation group (GEV) - Sub area 5 that will be involved in the 2015-2019 national quality evaluation system for universities and research bodies.
From 2019 coordinator of CusMiBio (Centre of the University and School of Milan for Bioscience Education), a UMIL center to improve Science Education in High Schools.
2014 to 2019. Head of the Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. In the 2018, the Biosciences Department has been selected as one of the 13 Italian Department of Excellence in the area 05 (biological sciences).
2010 to 2014 Coordinator of the Master Course in Molecular Biology of the Cell, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
2011 to 2014. Director of the Botanical Garden ‘Città Studi, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
2008 to 2014 member of the directory board of the Italian Botanical Society
From 2008 Member of the directory board of the PhD school in Molecular and Cellular Biology Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
2000 to 2008 Member of directory board of the PhD school in Plant Biology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.

Research Grants in the last 12 years
2026-2029 EU, PI, EU, STAFF Exchange project (Greenrice)
2023-2026 PI, PRIN 2022
20212023-2024 2025 MAECI- Coordinator, MAECI Italia Argentina, great-relevance project
2020-2023 PI, EU Marie Curie STAFF Exchange project (PolyPLOID)
2019-2022; Coordinator, PRIN project 2017
2019-2023: PI, EU Marie Curie STAFF Exchange project (MAD)
2018-2022: Coordinator keyGene srl.
2018-2021: PI, Fondazione Cariplo granted project (WAKE-APT).
2015-2020: PI, EU Marie Curie STAFF Exchange project (SEX SEED)
2014-2019: PI, EU project (PRO-CROP)
2014-2017; Coordinator, PRIN project 2012
2011-2015 Coordinator, EU Marie Curie STAFF Exchange project (MAD) (EVO-CODE )
2010-2014: PI, EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network (SysFLOW).

Professional membership
Member, EMBO
Member, Accademia Dei Lincei
Member, Italian Botanical Society
Member, International Society of Sexual Plant Reproduction

Honours and Awards
2024. Elected member of the of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
2022. Elected member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, one of the most ancient European science academies.
-In 2003 award by the President of the Italian Republic, Mr. Ciampi for the outstanding research in plant development and plant biotechnology.
-In 2003 award of the Journal ‘Le Scienze’ for the outstanding research in plant development and plant biotechnology.
-1993 Post Doc fellowship from Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei
-Marie Curie post doc fellowship (1993-1995) to spend two years at Plant Research -International, Wageningen to study the genetic control of flower development.
-Marie Curie Reintegration fellowship 1997 to start a group in developmental biology at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
-Best thesis in Plant Genetic in 1989. The award was given by the Italian Society of Plant Genetics.
-Best manuscript in Plant Genetics in 1993 (as Ph.D student). The award was given by the Italian Society of Plant Genetics.

Referee for International Journal and editorial board membership.
I am co-editor of Plant Journal, Plant Reproduction, and Biology Direct.
Reviewer for the following international journals: Science, Plant Journal, PLoS Biology, PLoS Genetics, Nature, Nature Communication, Nature Plants, Plant Physiology, Plant Reproduction, Mechanisms of Development, Journal of Experimental Botany, Plant Cell, Development, Current Biology.

Referee for national and International Granted Agencies
In the last 10 years I have been in the panel of the following granting agencies: Ministero dell’istruzione, dell’università e della ricerca (MIUR) Italy; National Science Foundation (NSF), USA; German Science Foundation (DFG); Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR), France; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Ireland; Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO), Netherlands. ERC - LS consolidetor grants

Main Contribution to Dissemination of Sciences
I am convinced about the significance of fostering interest in scientific research and the application of the scientific method in younger generations, as well as communicating the relevance of scientific research to society.
With these objectives in mind, in 2019 I accepted the position of director of the university center for the promotion of biosciences in high schools named CusMiBio.
The primary objective of the center is to stimulate the interest of students in the field of biosciences by organizing practical and theoretical programs at CusMiBio, as well as to provide them and their teachers with the most current and generally engaging topics. Each year, more than 10,000 high school students participate in our courses. We annually host conferences on topics in the field of biology that are open to the public to highlight the significance of scientific research to society.

I have been the initiator of the workshop series named “Molecular Control of Flower Development”, which she has organized with my group in 2007 (first edition). Subsequent editions were organized in 2009 and 2015 (Spain), 2011 and 2017 (Italy), 2013 and 2019 (France). I have been also initiated in 2006, the International PhD school of plant development in Maratea (Italy). Since then a Plant Developmental school has been organized every year in Germany except for 2012 when she has organized this event again in Siena (Italy). These two initiatives have promoted plant development and flower development studies in Europe and have as special focus the interaction between world-wide leaders in the field of flower development and young scientists.

National and International teaching activities and Ph.D commissions
In the last 10 years I have been teaching General Botany and Developmmental Biology to bachelor students; Reproductive Strategies and Developmental Genetics to the master students at the University of Milan.
I have been in Ph.D commission at the University of Valencia (E), University of Zurich (CH), University of Porto (P) and University of Wageningen (NL).