Maria Chiara is currently a Research Assistant in the group of Prof. Silvia GIordani at Dublin City University, supported by her Research Ireland Frontiers for the Future Programme grant (2/FFP-A/11067).

Maria Chiara obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at the University of Pisa, Italy, where she worked on the synthesis and characterization of Pt(IV) complexes functionalised with vitamin E derivatives as anticancer prodrugs. She then obtained a Master’s degree in Chemical Sciences, specialising in Chemistry of Biomolecules at the University of Florence, Italy. This provided her with advanced knowledge in bioorganic chemistry and chemical biology, with a particular focus on protein and peptide chemistry.

During her Master’s degree, she was awarded a scholarship for a six-month internship at the Department of Biological Chemistry, Osaka Metropolitan University, Japan, where she worked on the design, synthesis, and characterization of triazolyl-bridged cyclopeptides as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 infection.