About us

We are an interdepartmental research group at the Università degli Studi di Milano, focused on the study of developmental biology and genetics in rice. The laboratory was founded in 2011 by Fabio Fornara, supported by a grant from the European Research Council, following his return from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne. In the same year, Vittoria Brambilla also joined the group, coming from the same institute. Since 2021, the team has expanded with the arrival of Camilla Betti, who returned from the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) in Ghent.

Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating rice plant development, with particular focus on flowering and stem growth. For several years, we have combined basic research with applied projects aimed at the genetic improvement of rice for agronomic performance and nutritional quality.

The story of Fabio Fornara as told by the website of the University of Milan: