FEDERICA MARIA ANGELA RIZZI, PhD is Associate Professor of Molecular Biology (SSD BIOS-08/A) at the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Parma since 2014. She obtained her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Bologna in 2008 and holds the Italian National Scientific Qualifications for Full Professor in Molecular Biology and in Biochemistry. Since January 1, 2024, she has served as Dean of the Bachelor’s Degree programmed in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques and is a member of the PhD Board in Molecular Medicine. She teaches Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in the PhD Programme in Molecular Medicine, in the Single-Cycle Degree Programmes in Medicine and Surgery (including the English-language programme at the Piacenza campus) and in Dentistry and Dental Prosthodontics, in the Professional Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Biomedical Laboratory Techniques, and in several Medical Residency Schools at the University of Parma.
Professor Rizzi’s research activity focuses on the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and tumor progression, with particular emphasis on the role of the secreted protein clusterin (CLU), mechanisms of invasion and metastasis, cellular proteostasis (ER stress, unfolded protein response, ubiquitin–proteasome system, autophagy), and the identification of molecular biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and patient risk stratification. She has served as principal investigator and participant in national and international competitive research projects (PRIN, FIRB, ERA4Health, AICR) and is involved in scientific collaborations with European partners in basic and translational cancer research.
Since 2015, she has been a member of the Editorial Board of Scientific Reports (Molecular Biology section) and regularly serves as a peer reviewer for numerous international journals in oncology and molecular biosciences.
Since 2016, she has been a member of the Organizing Board of the “Tumor Biochemistry” Group of the Società Italiana di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare, of which she has been a member since 2012. She serves as Scientific Director of the Laboratory of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Oncometabolism at the Department of Medicine and Surgery, and of the Biochemistry Section of the UNIPR Animal Research Facility. Since 2023, she has been a Scientific Member of the University Animal Welfare Body (OPBA). She regularly supervises undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students. She is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed scientific publications in high-impact international journals (7,760 total citations, H-index 30; Scopus database, February 2026).
