The Department of Food and Drug Sciences has lost a colleague of great scientific and didactic value, and a friend to all.His colleagues and closest friends offer his memory to the whole University of Parma, the students, and the scientific community.
Who is Stefano Sforza?A passionate researcher and teacher, animated by a contagious enthusiasm for the study, research and teaching of chemistry and its applications in the field of food science.A researcher who knew how to convey his passion to his collaborators and a teacher who knew how to interest and excite students, who have always appreciated him for his engaging way of teaching, his ability to arouse interest, his patience in following them in the process of learning chemistry and organic chemistry, often difficult subjects, but which he knew how to make understandable with rigorous but simple language and with examples linked to everyday experiences.He loved challenges, he always wanted to take a step forward and beyond, like when as a young PhD student he took part in the competition to become an astronaut, a sign not of imaginative ambition, but of his determination to get involved and always try to go beyond the limit.This determination has led him to tackle particularly complex frontier issues in research, such as the study of peptide-nucleic acids, innovative systems for the recognition of gene sequences, with relevant applications in the fields of medicine and food science.He has made a fundamental contribution to food science as an innovator and pioneer in the study of the chemistry of proteins and peptides, investigating their technological and nutritional role in food with innovative methods of investigation, investigating the properties of food allergens and the application of proteomics and peptidomics to determine the authenticity of food products.The research interests then expanded to the study of the recovery and valorisation of by-products of the food industry, to the study of the application of insects for the production of food and feed and, more generally, to the topic of novel foods, subjects on which Stefano played a pioneering role for the Parma University.His research and his incredible passion for research have taught us how the in-depth knowledge of biomolecules at the molecular level, which only a chemist can achieve, is of fundamental importance for understanding the natural and physiological mechanisms. His enthusiasm, innovative ideas and ability to relate to others gave rise to international collaborations from which the research group will continue to benefit today and in the future. Deeply convinced of the wealth deriving from exchange and comparison, Stefano has in fact spent a great deal on an international level, cultivating deep collaborative relationships with many research groups recognized worldwide, and first of all with the Food Chemistry group of the University of Wageningen , where he held the role of Visiting Professor for years.His international experience has led him to fill the role of Rector's Delegate for International Research, a role in which he devoted himself to improving the University's participation and results in European projects, placing his skills at the service of other researchers.His actions have always been animated by a profound sense of the institution, in which personal successes and those of his group were understood as successes of the University of Parma. A sense of the institution that has never ceased to testify and transmit to collaborators and students. Despite the difficulties that the disease has imposed on him, in recent months, Stefano has been one of the main protagonists of the planning that has led the Department to receive the qualification of Department of Excellence. Even in differences of opinion and discussions, sometimes (often) animated, he has always had a constructive, proactive and positive spirit, open to dialogue and confrontation, despite the determination to propose and carry forward his ideas. He has never backed down in the face of challenges and the possibility of overcoming them, not even those with illness, in the deep conviction that with commitment and will you can always overcome your limits.And perhaps this very spirit is the greatest gift he leaves to us and to those like us who have known him and shared with him many years of a journey of professional and personal growth, also made up of moments of play, sharing and profound and true friendship.With this and with everything you have taught us, we will try to fill the unbridgeable void that afflicts us right now.Ciao Stefano
