Dr. Fiamma Ayelén Buratti

Biography

Fiamma is from Argentina and she joined the Wittung-Stafshede research group as a Postdoctoral Fellow in November 2024 in Sweden. She moved to Rice in August 2025 and helped set up the new lab. She obtained her PhD in Molecular Biosciences and Biomedicine in the Bionational Program between the Max Planck Laboratory of Chemical Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Rosario, Argentina, and the University of Göttingen, Germany. Her doctoral work focused on the molecular basis of α-synuclein amyloid aggregation and its connection to Parkinson’s disease, combining structural, biochemical, and cell-based approaches. Her current postdoctoral research focus on a newly discovered functionality of amyloids, chemical catalysis, with the aim of uncovering novel mechanisms that may underlie neurodegeneration.

Outside the lab, Fiamma enjoys gardening and spending time outdoors, whether hiking or simply being surrounded by nature. She loves preparing traditional Argentine asado on weekends, often paired with a good IPA beer.

Thesis title: Alpha-synuclein amyloid aggregation: From basic to translational research.