Pierfrancesco Pagella, PhD
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Date of birth: 27/12/1986
Nationality: Italian
ORCID Researcher unique identifier(s): orcid.org/0000-0001-6912-0957
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=etApDXAAAAAJ&hl=it;
Academic Website: https://liu.se/en/employee/piepa82
CURRENT POSITION
2024-present Associate professor and Principal Investigator, Laboratoty of Molecular Materials, Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, Sweden
EDUCATION and TRAINING
2011-2015 PhD. in Molecular Life Sciences PhD Program, ETH/University of Zurich. Institute of Oral Biology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
2008-2011 MSc. In Biology (110/110 cum laude), Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
2005-2008 BSc. In Biological Sciences (110/110), Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
Teaching training:
October 2020 “Alternative exam formats” (1 day) – ETH / University of Zurich
November 2020 “Learning-by-doing: supervising students in hands-on-projects” (1 day) – ETH / University of Zurich
November 2021 “Supervision of problem-based learning tutorials” (2 weeks / 80 hours) – Linköping University
Leadership training:
April 2019 “Develop leadership skills” (2 days) – ETH / University of Zurich
Animal experimentation training:
2012 Felasa B - LTK Module 1 – Introductory course in Laboratory Animal Science, ETH and University of Zurich, Switzerland.
2016 Felasa C - LTK Module 2 – Training for persons responsible for directing animal experiments, ETH and University of Zurich, Switzerland.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2021- 2023 Senior Scientist / Postdoctoral research Fellow, Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
2017-2021 Junior Group Leader / Oberassistent, Institute of Oral Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
04/2018 Visiting scientist, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, NY, U.S.A. - Group Prof. S. Rafii.
2015-2017 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland - Institute of Oral Biology.
10/2012 Visiting student, Center of Biomedical Engineering (INEB), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal - Group of Dr. M. Lamghari.
2011-2015 PhD student, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, Molecular Life Sciences PhD Program, ETH/University of Zurich - Institute of Oral Biology, group of Prof. T. Mitsiadis.
07-11/2011 Research Associate, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy - Group of Prof. S. K. Nicolis.
2010-2011 Visiting Student, Institute for Neuropathology and Prion Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany - Group of Prof. U. Schüller.
2008-2011 Master’s degree Student, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy -Group of Prof. S. K. Nicolis.
2005-2008 Bachelor’s degree Student, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy - Group of Dr. M. Bruschi.
TEACHING AND SUPERVISION ACTIVITIES
2024-present Examiner and lecturer, MSc in Chemical Biology + MSc in Engineering Biology, Linköping University: Design of Biotechnical Processes (TFTB52); Production of Biopharmaceuticals (TFTB53)
2023 PBL base-group tutor, Läkarprogrammet / Medicine, Linköping University: Läkarrollen och biologisk funktion (8LPG10) / The Professional Physician and Biological Function
PBL base-group tutor, BSc. Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine: Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (8BKG22)
Lecturer, BSc. Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine: Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (8BKG22), Lecture: “Development and evolution of face and teeth”
PBL base-group tutor, BSc. Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine: Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (8BKG22)
Lecturer, BSc. Experimental and Industrial Biomedicine: Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (8BKG22), Lecture: “Development and evolution of face and teeth”
2016-2021 Lecturer BSc Dental Medicine, University of Zurich (incl. design of teaching material):
- Embryonic development of the mouth, teeth and periodontium
- Developmental malformations during odontogenesis
- Oral histology and physiology
- Pathology and pathophysiology of teeth and periodontium
- Microscopy course: Histology and histopathology of teeth and periodontium
2016–2021 Official supervisor (Betreuer) of 17 Master’s degree theses at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, and at the Health Sciences and Technology program, ETH Zurich.
2017–2021 Official co-supervisor (Betreuer) of 1 Doctoral Thesis at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich.
ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES
2016-2021 ETH / University of Zurich Molecular Life Sciences PhD Program: member of the evaluation committees reviewing PhD candidates’ applications and of the admission interview panel.
2017-2021 Representative of the Institute of Oral Biology in the Research Committee, the Curriculums Committee, the IT-Committee of the Center of Dental Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
2017-2021 Study director for animal experimentation of the Institute of Oral Biology, University of Zurich,
July 2021 University of the Basque Country: Member of the PhD committee of Dr. Igor Irastorza, Thesis: “Study of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) combined with titanium, decellularized adipose tissue and plasma derived products on osteoinduction for bone tissue engineering”.
2019-2020 Reviewer for Agence National de la Recherche (ANR) – France, CE19 - Technologies pour la santé.
Editorial activities:
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Physiology; Review Editor, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology; Review Editor, European Cells & Materials; Reviewer for Archives of Oral Biology, Acta Biomaterialia, Biochemical Society Transactions, Cells, Frontiers in Genetics, Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, Frontiers in Dental Science, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, PeerJ, Scientific Reports, Nature Communications, Stem Cells.
Invited talks:
June 2019 Congress of the Italian Association of Dental Hygienists, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy. “Tooth regeneration” - invited talk
December 2019 PhD Program in Translational and Molecular Medicine (DIMET), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. “Face the tooth: an unconventional model for the study of development, regeneration and evolution” – invited talk
July 2023 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS): Wnt Signaling in Development, Disease and Tissue Regeneration, Castellefelds, Spain. “The time-resolved genomic impact of Wnt/b-catenin signaling” – selected talk
March 2023 Astra Zeneca R&D, Mölndal, Sweden: “Biofabrication and emulation of human oral tissues and disease models” – invited seminar
March 2023 Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Sweden: “Biofabrication and emulation of human oral tissues and disease models” – invited seminar
May 2023 Biomedical Engineering day, Linköping University, Sweden: “Biofabrication and emulation of human oral tissues and disease models” – invited talk
May 2023 Tandvårdcentralen, Region Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden: “Biofabrication and emulation of human oral tissues and disease models” – invited seminar
July 2025 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS): Wnt Signaling in Development, Disease and Tissue Regeneration, Newport, U.S.A. - organizer