Alireza obtained his Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the University of Padua, where his thesis focused on developing a screening platform to identify Furin inhibitors. He then held two research fellow positions, working first on autophagy and the role of Beclin 1 in schwannoma, and later on DNA damage responses and transcription–replication conflicts. Outside the lab, Alireza enjoys concerts, cinema and cooking with friends.