Pierdomenico Perata (born 24 March 1962 in Genova) is an Italian

physiologist Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...

whose activities are focused on

plant physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

and

plant biology Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

. Since 8 May 2013 he has been the rector of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. Perata is a member of the

Accademia dei Georgofili The Accademia dei Georgofili (Academy of Georgofili) is an educational institution in Florence, Italy. It was established in 1753. The academy has been a historic institution for over 250 years, and is best known for promoting, amongst scholars a ...

and of the National Academy of Sciences, known as Academy of the XL.

Biography

Pierdomenico Perata graduated in

Agricultural Sciences Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...

from University of Pisa. He earned another degree in

from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and a PhD from the University of Pisa. He was visiting scientist in

Nagoya University , abbreviated to or NU, is a Japanese national research university located in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. It was the seventh Imperial University in Japan, one of the first five Designated National University and selected as a Top Type university of T ...

, Japan. He became assistant professor at the University of Pisa, associate professor in

plant Physiology Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...

at the University of Bari, then full professor at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where he was also vice dean of Agriculture from 2003 to 2004. In 2004 he came back to the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna as full professor. In 2010 he became dean of Experimental Sciences, and in 2012, after the resignation of

Maria Chiara Carrozza Maria Chiara Carrozza (born 16 September 1965) is an Italians, Italian physicist, engineer and politician. She was Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy), Minister of Education, University and Research between April 2013 and Feb ...

(who had been elected member of the Italian Parliament), he became vice rector. Finally Perata was elected rector of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in May 2013.

Scientific activity

His scientific activity is focused on

, with a main focus in

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

. He has discovered and shown experimentally that starch metabolism represents an essential metabolic intersection for plants' tolerance to

hypoxia Hypoxia means a lower than normal level of oxygen, and may refer to: Reduced or insufficient oxygen * Hypoxia (environmental), abnormally low oxygen content of the specific environment * Hypoxia (medical), abnormally low level of oxygen in the tis ...

. Other noteworthy discoveries that he contributed towards include the cross-communication between

plant hormones Plant hormone (or phytohormones) are signal molecules, produced within plants, that occur in extremely low concentrations. Plant hormones control all aspects of plant growth and development, from embryogenesis, the regulation of organ size, pat ...

and metabolic signals and the oxygen sensing mechanism in plants.

Notes and references

External links

Pierdomenico Perata’s page
on Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna website
Plantlab
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perata, Pierdomenico Plant physiologists 20th-century Italian botanists 21st-century Italian botanists Living people 1962 births Scientists from Genoa University of Pisa alumni Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies alumni Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies faculty Heads of universities in Italy University of Modena and Reggio Emilia faculty