I am assistant professor of statistical processing of biosignals at the Biomedical Diagnostics lab (BM/d), which is part of the Signal Processing Systems group, Electrical Engineering department, Eindhoven University of Techonology (TU/e). I am a member of the Eindhoven Young Academy of Engineering and the chair of the Benelux chapter of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) .

Research

My research is devoted to quantitative model-driven analysis of medical images and biosignals, with application ranging from cancer imaging to perioperative care and hemodynamic monitoring. As cancer growth and aggressiveness relate to angiogenesis, i.e., the formation of chaotic network of leaky microvessels, my research in cancer diagnostics is devoted to developing novel imaging solutions for assessment of angiogenesis. To go beyond structural imaging, ultrasound and MRI dynamic imaging with injection of contrast agents are used to extract structural, functional, and molecular information on angiogenic vasculature at different spatial and temporal scales. Additionally, correlation with genomic information may reveal the underlying mechanisms producing the observed imaging features. In the context of perioperative monitoring, I focus on model-based analysis of biosignals for accurate prognosis and timely identification of patients at risk. By combining model-based feature extraction with data-driven approaches for optimal feature selection, I aim at developing effective risk prediction models to support clinical decision making. In general, I strive to facilitate the translation of research, driven by industrial and clinical needs, through tight collaborations with top healthcare partners.

Teaching

Since 2018, I am the designer and responsible teacher for the course “Statistical Signal Processing”, which is part of the master curriculum in Electrical Engineering and the master curriculum in Artificial Intelligence & Engineering Systems at TU/e. I am alos a guest lecturer for the course “Technology for Care and Cure”.

Background

I obtained my BSc and MSc in Biomedical Engineering from the School of Engineering of the University of Pisa (Italy), both summa cum laude. My master graduation project was carried out at Philips Research (Eindhoven, the Netherlands). In 2015, I obtained a professional doctorate in engineering (PDEng) in Healthcare system design from the Stan Ackermans Institute at the Eindhoven University of Technology, which was awarded best project in the designer program in Electrical Engineering. In 2018, I completed my PhD at the Eindhoven University of Technology, with thesis entitled “Pharmacokinetic modeling in cancer: from functional to molecular imaging of angiogenesis”. Both my PDEng and PhD were carried out at the BM/d lab. Here, after a short post-doctoral fellowship, I became assistant professor in statistical processing of biosignals in 2018, with tenure in 2021. I have served as a board member of the Women in Science Eindhoven network (2018-2022), and I am now serving as chair of the IEEE-EMBS Benelux chapter and as a member of Eindhoven Young Academy of Engineering.