Paolo Sassone-Corsi was an Italian molecular biologist, epigeneticist, and researcher. He is known for his contributions in the areas of transcriptional regulation, epigenetics, circadian biology, and metabolic regulation. He is known for his contributions in the areas of transcriptional regulation, epigenetics, circadian biology, and metabolic regulation. His research primarily focused on the mechanisms that regulate transcription and their relation to metabolism and circadian clocks. His work focused on understanding how the circadian clock regulates metabolic cycles. Most notably, he discovered that SIRT1, a histone deacetylase with a critical role in gene expression and metabolism, is able to regulate the activity of the CLOCK protein. In 2011, Sassone-Corsi founded and directed the “Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism” at the University of California, Irvine.