Alberto Mantovani

Alberto Mantovani is proud of his background in veterinary medicine, because he deems that it can provide a horizontal, cross-cutting approach to problems. As a young graduate, however, he became fascinated with research, and in particular with experimental toxicology as an emerging field. That field constituted his role from 1985 at the Italian National Health Institute (Istituto Superiore di Sanità). “Toxicology led me to be acquainted and interact with peculiar people like analytical chemists, molecular biologists and human physicians”. He has also had to deal with emerging (or re-emerging) issues, such as endocrine disrupters and nanomaterials. “I’m becoming more and more fascinated by risk assessment and currently (and rather happily) devote much of my time as an expert for the European Food Safety Authority.”