Martin Centola holds a B.Sc. in Biomolecular Sciences and Technologies from the Università degli Studi di Trento and a M.Sc. in Molecular and Industrial Biotechnology from the Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna. While pursuing his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Martin began as a structural biologist using X-ray crystallography to determine membrane protein structures from bacteria, archaea, and archaeal viral membrane proteins. He later transitioned to electron microscopy (EM) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), utilizing single-particle analysis and sub-tomogram averaging to study the structures of viral membrane proteins and DNA nanomachines.

Martin’s expertise spans biochemical and biophysical techniques for protein expression, isolation, characterization and structure determination, as well as computational skills for X-ray and cryo-EM data analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. He has extensive experience leading and contributing to membrane protein research and has worked on various membrane protein structures involved in transport across membranes, lipid synthesis, lipid transport, toxins, unique viral membrane proteins, and DNA nanomachines.

Recently, Martin joined Humanitas in the group of Edoardo D’Imprima as a cryo-EM specialist, where he is helping establish the Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) Core Unit. In this position, Martin is responsible for performing or guiding other users in sample preparation for electron microscopy and is actively involved in data collection and analysis, ensuring the highest quality and accuracy in imaging results. He is also tasked with maintaining and keeping the lab and instruments running smoothly. He contributes to various projects and the development of new techniques for specimen analysis. Martin is committed to supporting the research community and enhancing the capabilities of the CLEM Core Unit.