Dario Alessi

Dario Alessi is a Professor of Biochemistry and Director of the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit at the University of Dundee. Alessi's research centers on protein kinases, including those associated with many common forms of cancer. Recently, he has begun exploring methods for better understanding, treating, and preventing Parkinson's Disease.

Much of Dario’s current work is focused on biological research that is relevant to better understanding, treating, and preventing Parkinson’s disease. Dario also serves as the Director of the Dundee Signal Transduction Therapy Unit, a unique collaboration between scientists at the University of Dundee and pharmaceutical companies dedicated to accelerating research and development.

Dario is passionate about mentorship, open science, sharing, working with industry and clinicians, as well as fostering a collaborative culture. He is motivated to bring talented scientists into the Parkinson’s research field and improve awareness of issues relating to equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, and mental health.

Dario was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2002), Fellow of the Royal Society (2008), and Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (2012). He received the EMBO Gold Medal (2005), the Francis Crick Prize of the Royal Society (2006), the MJFF Langston Award (2017), the Louis Jeantet-Collen Prize for Translational Medicine (2023), an Order of the British Empire (2023) and the MJFF Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research (2023). He has published nearly 300 papers.

Alessi received a B.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham.