His research focuses on how organelles known as lysosomes participate in nutrient sensing and metabolic signal transduction, and how disruption of organelle homeostasis contributes to cancer growth. Roberto received his B.S. from the University of Pisa, Italy. He then moved to the U.S. to pursue Ph.D. studies in the laboratory of Pietro De Camilli at Yale University, and completed postdoctoral training under the supervision of David Sabatini at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. In addition to the Innovator Award, Roberto is the recipient of a Pew-Stewart Scholarship for Cancer Research and an Edward J Mallinckrodt Research Grant.