Jody was born in 2000 in Montevarchi, Italy, and grew up in the picturesque Valdarno Superiore, right in the heart of Tuscany. After completing his high school education at Liceo Scientifico Benedetto Varchi, he moved to the University of Pisa to pursue a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology.
In an attempt to add a bit of international flavor (and break the monotony of his five-year single-cycle degree), he spent a spring Erasmus semester at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, where he was introduced to Neuroscience (and Swedish fika).
Back in Pisa, Jody gained his first hands-on research experience at the Department of Pharmacy under the supervision of Professor Simona Rapposelli. His final thesis focused on the synthesis of novel small molecules as promising AMPK agonists—proof that, despite his origins, he can survive both Nordic winters and the lab environment.