Domenico Azarnia Tehran is an Assistant Professor (RTDb) in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padua since March 2025, appointed through the Programma per Giovani Ricercatori "Rita Levi Montalcini". He studied Biological Sciences at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and earned a PhD in Bioscience and Biotechnology from the University of Padua (2013–2016). In 2016, supported by an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship, he joined the laboratory of Prof. Volker Haucke at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin (2016–2023), with a brief research visit at the Bordeaux Neurocampus (2019). In 2023, funded by the Klaus Tschira Boost Fund, he became a project leader in the Structural Interactomics group and mass spectrometry facility led by Prof. Fan Liu at the FMP. In 2025, he achieved the National Scientific qualification as Associate Professor for the disciplinary field of 06/A2 (Pathology), earned an EMBA, and obtained accreditation as a PRINCE2® Practitioner project manager. He is the author of several scientific publications, a member of numerous scientific societies, serves as a reviewer for top-tier peer-reviewed scientific journals, and actively contributes to initiatives promoting early-career researchers and open and collaborative science.
The curriculum below is updated to August 2025.

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- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Domenico+Azarnia+Tehran+&sort=date
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ysQAnAYAAAAJ&hl=it&oi=ao

My research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying synaptic function and their alterations in neurodegenerative diseases and age-related disorders. In particular, I investigate how membrane trafficking, organelle contact sites, and signaling pathways regulate synaptic activity and plasticity, and how their dysregulation contributes to pathological processes in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders of the central nervous system. To address these questions, we employ an integrated set of experimental approaches, including molecular biology, biochemistry, quantitative proteomics, and advanced imaging techniques. We use complementary model systems ranging from primary neuronal cultures to human-induced neurons and astrocytes obtained by direct reprogramming technologies, which allow us to study both physiological and disease-relevant processes in a translational context. Our work aims not only to elucidate fundamental aspects of synaptic biology but also to identify novel molecular targets for therapeutic intervention.