Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2025

In Memoriam

Lorenzo Stella

Our most esteemed colleague and friend, Lorenzo Stella (1968–2025) passed away on August 24. Lorenzo was a Full Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Department of Chemical Science and Technologies, Tor Vergata University of Rome, which he joined in 1997 after obtaining a PhD at the La Sapienza University of Rome and gaining international research experi ence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (advisor Enrico Gratton ) and in the Laboratorium für Biochemie at ETH Zürich.

and 2016, and was a member of the steering committee of the Italian Society for Pure and Applied Biophysics. His strong dedication to science showed not only in following high stan dards when doing research, but also in his public engagement, being an active member of a number of scientific societies and initiatives to advance science. Furthermore, he served on the editorial boards of several other international journals. Next to his family, science was the most important thing to Lorenzo. Until shortly before his death, he followed this passion, being in touch with colleagues and collaborators to discuss science and to help the younger members of his laboratory with his advice and support. Beyond his scientific achievements, he was profoundly committed to teaching. He devoted exceptional care and dedication to the numerous courses he taught over the years, shaping generations of chemists and biophysicists. Those who knew him are aware that he was much more than a distinguished scientist and teacher. Anyone who came into contact with Lorenzo, whether a student, a colleague, or an international collaborator, was profoundly struck by the depth of his intellectual and moral stature and by the exemplary way in which he embraced life. A man of great humanity, he never neglected his wonderful family. He deeply loved the arts and music in particular, which was his second great passion after science. He played in several bands, first as a pianist and more recently as a saxophonist. As a final testa ment to his eclectic spirit, his final work was not a scientific article, but the first-ever Italian translation of a novel written a century ago by Johnston McCulley , part of the well-known Zorro saga. Lorenzo leaves a deep void in the biophysics community, among his collaborators, his friends, and the people who knew him, that will be difficult to fill. We will miss his open and critical mind, his friendly character, and his great sense of humor. — Gianfranco Boccinfuso , Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy — Burkhard Bechinger , University of Strasbourg/CNRS, France The Biophysical Society provides many opportunities for members to get involved and give back to the biophysics community. To learn more about the different opportunities, please visit www.biophysics.org/get-involved.

Lorenzo Stella

Throughout his career, Lorenzo combined with rare mastery spectroscopic techniques and computational methods, par ticularly fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. He regarded this dual perspective as essential for advancing the understanding of the complex systems that inspired his research. An outstanding spectroscopist and a skilled computational chemist, with unfailing methodological rigor and a deep sense of professional ethics, he significantly contributed to characterizing the structural, dynamic, and functional effects of pathogenic mutations involved in differ ent human diseases. Of note, in a deeply personal instance, he contributed significantly to uncovering the molecular basis of a disease from which he suffered. In recent years, his research focused on bioactive peptides, particularly antimicrobial peptides, to which he made seminal contributions in elucidating their mechanisms of action by ap plying biophysical approaches to living cells. He also explored the potential of these versatile molecular systems to inhibit pathological protein-protein interactions. Lorenzo was a long-standing member of the Biophysical So ciety and served on the Editorial Board of the Biophysical Jour nal ’s “Membranes” section, a role of which he was particularly proud. He also contributed to the foundation of the Italian Peptide Society, serving as its first Secretary in 2015

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November 2025

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