Mariagrazia Pizza - Biography#

Mariagrazia was educated as pharmaceutical chemist at the University of Naples, Italy. After a fellowship at the EMBO laboratories in Heidelberg, Germany, she moved to Siena, Italy, where she stayed ever since as scientist and Project leader, responsible for many bacterial projects. During this period, she has contributed to the discovery and developed two innovative live-saving bacterial vaccines against pertussis and meningococcus B and the initiator of reverse vaccinology. She is currently Senior Scientific Director Bacterial Vaccines in the department of Chief Scientist and External R& D, GSK Vaccines, in Siena. During her career, she has received many scientific awards. She is co-author of over 200 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, and over 150 patents.