Dr Leandro Castellano obtained his BSc in Biology at University of Salento, Italy. He then moved to Rome at University “La Sapienza” where he completed a PhD in Human Biology and Genetics (2003-2007) working during the first year on the role of Post Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) in the Circadian Rhythm of the filamentous fungus Neurospora Crassa and later, on the role of microRNAs in human Cell Cycle and in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL). He moved to Imperial College London in 2007 where he worked as a Research Associate focusing on the role of microRNAs in epithelial cancers. From 2011 he was appointed as a Team Leader at the Division of Surgery and cancer, at Imperial, where he directly supervised several PhD students and Research Associates. During these years Dr Castellano research interests expanded from microRNAs to the role of various classes of short and long non-coding RNAs in epithelial cancer development and progression. In 2018 he moved to the University of Sussex where he was appointed as Senior Lecturer and was promoted as Reader in RNA biology the following year.