Elisabetta Blasi graduated with honors in Biological Sciences from the University of Perugia in 1980. From 1982 to 1986, she worked as a visiting fellow and visiting associate at the Frederick Cancer Research Facility, National Institute of Health. Once back in Italy, she was first employed at the University of Perugia as a post-doc (1987–1988), then as Researcher (1988–1992) and Associate Professor (1992–1994) in Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology. Since 1994, she has been a Full Professor in Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where she is also Director of the “School of Specialization” in Microbiology and Virology.