Meet the team

Giovanna Lalli

"Excellence, innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the UK DRI – it’s truly exciting to be part of this important collective effort to defeat dementia." Giovanna Lalli
UK DRI Director of Scientific Affairs

Roles & Responsibilities: strategic development and partnerships, coordination of internal and external reporting activities, horizon scanning, scientific events and workshops, liaising with funders/scientific community and other relevant stakeholders, training/career development initiatives

Giovanna joined the UK DRI as Director of Scientific Affairs in September 2018, following three years at Wellcome Neuroscience and Mental Health as Senior Portfolio Developer. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing the Wellcome cellular and molecular neuroscience portfolio, supporting applicants and award holders, interacting with a wide range of UK and international stakeholders. While at Wellcome Giovanna also served for 10 months as Acting Head of NMH, developing new strategic funding initiatives in neuroscience research.

Giovanna holds MSc degrees in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Bologna and in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California. She obtained a PhD in Cell Physiology from University College London and has nearly 20 years of research experience, including a 7-year period as principal investigator and lecturer in molecular neurobiology at King’s College London. Her research interests included membrane traffic mechanisms and signalling pathways controlling axonal transport in motor neurons, neuronal development and neurogenesis in the mammalian brain.

Giovanna is a gym enthusiast, runner, art lover…and a busy tennis mum at weekends!

Contact
02031 088180
g.lalli@ukdri.ucl.ac.uk

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