Lorenzo Portinale completed a Bachelor in Mathematics at the University of Torino before moving to Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, where he obtained his Master in Mathematics, under the supervision of Prof. Luigi Ambrosio. He joined IST Austria as PhD student where he joined the group of Prof. Jan Maas. He holds a PostDoc position at the Hausdorff Center of Mathematics in Bonn, under the mentoring of Prof. Karl-Theodor Sturm and Prof. Franca Hoffmann.

His research focuses on the theory of optimal transport, with particular attention to discrete transport problems and their connection to evolutive equations and gradient flows. Other interests include noncommutative optimal transport, conservation laws, and interacting particle systems.