Research themes (contents page being updated)

The main research topics within the Department are grouped into thematic clusters (Research Themes) that are identified by keywords. They correspond to groups of researchers (or individual staff) with their specific projects.

 

Scientific and cultural project

The Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology within the University of Torino is the point of reference for topics that bring together biology, environment and biotechnology, and present multidisciplinary aspects such as biodiversity, ecology, evolution, conservation and microbiology.

The Department acts as a crucial element in a series of themes that are currently central in the international scientific scene, including renewable energy, plant health, food, sensors and bio-nanotechnology, genetics, neuroscience, cardiovascular physiology, preservation of environmental resources, conservation of cultural heritage, as well as mycology and microbiology with their industrial and pharmaceutical applications.

The Department includes numerous research groups that interact in the areas of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, General Physiology and Plant Physiology, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Neurobiology, Zoology, Anthropology, Ethology, Ecology, Microbiology, Plant Biology and Teaching of Science. There are also many ongoing collaborations both in terms of teaching and also research which involve members of other departments of the University of Torino.

Structures associated with the Department are of great scientific importance. These include the public Botanical Garden that is part of the Turin Museum networks, the collections of the Herbarium and the  collections of the Museum of Anthropology. The Department also houses a significant collection of fungal germoplasm (Micoteca), one of the few present in Italy. Furthermore, the Department interfaces with the Museum of Natural Sciences, which houses major university-owned museum collections, ensuring their use in scientific research.

The Department also has two libraries that are a crucial and indispensable tool for research and educational activities, important both for current subscriptions as well as the antique book collections.

Moreover, since 1950 a group of CNR researchers have been working closely with the staff and Professors of this Department in the field of plant and fungal biology, despite having administrative autonomy. The collaboration is governed by agreements that define the mode of interaction and the physical presence of the CNR group in the University.