Marino Zerial, born on August 8, 1958, in Trieste, Italy, is a renowned Italian-German cell biologist and biochemist. He earned his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Trieste in 1982. Following his Ph.D., Zerial conducted postdoctoral research at the Institut Jacques Monod in Paris and later at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. In 1991, he became a group leader in EMBL's Cell Biology Program. In 1998, Zerial co-founded the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden, serving as a director and scientific member. His research has significantly advanced the understanding of endocytosis and intracellular trafficking, particularly through elucidating the role of Rab GTPases in organelle formation and membrane fusion. Beyond his research, Zerial has been recognized with several honors, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in 2006. In 2023, he was appointed director of the Human Technopole in Milan, while continuing to oversee his research group at MPI-CBG during a transitional period.