Education

2002    PhD in Physics,  University of Lausanne, Switzerland
1996    Laurea in Physics cum Laude, University of Genova, Italy

Professional  background

2018-       Professore Associato, Dipartimento di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Genova
2010-18    Ricercatore CNR, Istituto SPIN, Genova, Italy
2008-10    Ricercatore CNR, Istituto Nazionale Fisica della Materia, Lab. Regionale LAMIA, Genova
2005-08    Ricercatore Tenure Track, CNR-INFM, LAMIA, Genova
2002-05    Ricercatore Not-Tenured, INFM, Unità di Ricerca di Genova
2001-02    Assistante Diplômée, IPHE, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
1998-01    Assegnista di Ricerca, INFM, Unità di Ricerca di Genova
1997-98    Fellow INFM, Unità di Ricerca di Genova

Honorary appointments and academy memberships

2013            Group Achievement Award to RHESSI Science and Data Analysis Team, NASA
2011-2016    Honorary Research Associate, School of Physics and Astronomy, Università di Glasgow, UK
2004-2010    Honorary Research Associate, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Università di Glasgow, UK

Professional activities

2016-18        P.I. for the CNR-SPIN research activity  (Project E) "Advanced materials and techniques for organic electronics, bio-medical and sensing applications"
2016-           Co-Investigator for FOXSI, Focusing Optics X-Ray Solar Imager
2014-           Member of the Space Weather Italian Community (SWICO)
2013-           Member of the panel of the PhD Program in Mathematics and Applications, University of Genova
2011-           Co-Investigator for STIX, Spectrometer Telescope for Imaging X-rays, Solar Orbiter
2004-           Member of the italian GNCS (National Group of Scientific Computation)
2003-           Member of the RHESSI Science and Data Analysis Team SSL, University of California at Berkeley

Research activity

• Inverse Problems in Solar Physics (X-ray imaging and spectroscopy)

• Biomedical Imaging (Multimodal medical volume fusion and segmentation, Image reconstruction and image processing problems in MR, PET and SPECT)

• Pattern Recognition and soft computing techniques (Hough transform, neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, fuzzy logic)

Visits

Institut für Kernphysik, University of Mainz, Germany
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, UK
Low Temperature Laboratory (Brain Research Unit), Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki, Finland
International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, Switzerland
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt (MD), USA
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik, Potsdam, Germany
Institut für 4D-Technologien, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW), Windisch, Switzerland
Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Observatoire de Paris, Paris, France

Grants (Principal Investigator)

2018    Contract Camelot Biomedical Systems srl - Beamformers for ultrasound imaging
2016    Fondazione AriSla: SCM-ALS - Spinal cord metabolism in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Unit Leader)
2016    Par Fas 2007-2013: MATRIX - Mathematical extraction of diagnostic information from imaging with complex systems (Unit Leader)
2015    H2020-PROTEC-1-2014: FLARECAST - Flare Likelihood and region eruption forecasting (Unit Leader)
2015    Contract ALA Advanced Lidar Applications srl: Inverse problems for LIDAR data
2012    PO CRO FSE 2007-2013:  PET/MRI integration with applications to hematology
2012    POR-FESR 2007/2013: Image processing techniques in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
2008    INFM: "Seed" Projects - Image Reconstruction in Biomedicine
2008    ISSI: Determination of Energy and Angular Distributions of Accelerated  Electrons in Solar Flares
2007    PSTL: Optimization of the acquisition procedure for Whole Body images in Magnetic Resonance: software and hardware issues
2007    ASI/INAF: Inversion methods for Bremsstrahlung X-ray emission. Sub Task n. 0210 - Activity 02123 of the ASI/INAF contract n. I/015/07/0
2006    ISSI: The RHESSI Mission: Inversion Methods for Imaging Spectroscopy
2005    ISSI: The RHESSI Mission: X-ray Spectra and Image Analysis by Means of Inversion Methods

Other grants

2018    GNCS: Non-linear regularization methods: theory, computational aspects, applications
2014    GNCS: Sparsity in applied inverse problems
2010    FP7-SPACE-2010.2.1 Cooperation Project, High Energy Solar Physics Data in Europe (HESPE)
2009    GNCS: Computational methods in Neuroscience
2008    Università di Verona - Joint Projects 2007: Image Integration in Medicine
2008    CARIVE: Bayesian Tracking of brain oscillatory activity
2007    Università di Verona - Joint Projects 2005: Integrating Information in Medical Imaging
2006    MIUR FIRB: Learning Theory and Engineering Applications
2006    MIUR PRIN: Inverse problems in medicine and astronomy
2005    GNCS: Inverse problems in astronomy: models, algorithms, applications
2004    GNCS: Numerical methods for satellite image and data analysis
2004    MIUR Cofin: Inverse problems in medical imaging
2002    INFM - PRA MAIA: Medicine and Architecture Image Analysis
1999    INFM - PAIS Project: Global Search in Clustering
1997    INFM - TELEMA Project: Remote Sensing Image Interpretation for Environment Resources Management

International workshop organization

FLARECAST Second Full Consortium meeting. June 27-28, 2016, Genova, Italy
HESPE Third year meeting. October 28-30, 2013, Genova, Italy
9th RHESSI WORKSHOP. September 1-5, 2009, Genova, Italy

Symposia organization within international workshops 

• SIAM Conference on Imaging Science 2018. June 5-8 G, 2018, Bologna, Italy

• Working Group Leader (WG1: Data Analysis/Imaging), 12th RHESSI Workshop. October 17-21, 2011. Nanjing, Cina

• Working Group Leader (WG1: X-ray spectral issues and electron energetics), 11th RHESSI Workshop. April 4-7, 2011. Glasgow, UK

• AIP2009 Conference on Applied Inverse Problems 2009. July 20-24, 2009, Vienna, Austria

• AIP2007 Conference on Applied Inverse Problems 2007: Theoretical and Computational Aspects. June 25-29, 2007, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

• 5th RHESSI WORKSHOP June 7-11, 2005. Ascona, Switzerland

International conference attendence

Click here for a list of the conferences/workshops I attended.

Invited seminars

• INdAM Workshop on Biomedical Imaging, A place where mathematics, clinics, and industry meet Biomedical Imaging, February 6-10 2017, Roma

• SIMAI 2016-MS31, New Mathematical Trends in Imaging – Part II, September 13-16 2016, Milano

• Calcolo Scientifico e modelli matematici: alla ricerca delle cose nascoste attraverso le cose manifeste. Dipartimento di Matematica,   Università degli Studi di Genova, June 3-6, 2015

• SIMAI 2014-MS8, Mathematical Models and Computational Methods in Biomedicine, 7-10 Luglio, 2014, Taormina

• Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. January 15, 2014, Napoli, Italy

• Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik. July 5 2011, Potsdam, Germany

• 10th RHESSI Workshop. August 1-5, 2010, Annapolis (MD), USA

• INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Arcetri. December 19, 2009, Firenze, Italy

• SOLTER4. IV Convegno della Ricerca Italiana in Fisica Solare e Relazioni Sole-Terra. October 18-20 2005, Trieste, Italy

• INFN. Sezione di Milano. February 2, 2003, Milano, Italy 

Schools

Mathematics in Brain Imaging. Week 2: Functional Brain Mapping, July 21-25, 2008. UCLA, Los Angeles (CA), USA
Minicourse on Applied Inverse Problems. May 22-26, 2006. Firenze, Italy
Inverse Problems: Computational Methods and Emerging Applications. Inverse Problems Workshop Series I. October 16-23, 2003. IPAM-UCLA. Los Angeles (CA), USA
MEG Intensive Course. February 8-10, 2003. Helsinki, Finland
Direct and Inverse Scattering Problems. January 27-31, 2003. INRIA, Rocquencourt, France
Imaging. Ciclo CIME 2002. September 15-21, 2002. Martina Franca (TA), Italy
The Second EvoNet Summer School on Theoretical Aspects of Evolutionary Computing. The Lectures. September 6-7, 1999. Antwerp, Belgium

Teaching activity

Università di Genova, Corso di Studi in Scienze Geologiche, Elementi di Matematica (A.A. 2017-2018, 2018-2019)
Università di Genova, Corso di Studi in Matematica, Elaborazione di Immagini (A.A. 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019)
Università di Genova, Corso di Studi in Matematica, Minicorso Problemi di Soft Computing (A.A. 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017)
Moreover, since 1997, I have taught courses or parts of courses in neural networks, image and signal processing, medical imaging, numerical analysis and quantum mechanics.

Supervisor activity

I have supervised 6 post-doctoral positions in the following topics:
-    Reconstruction techniques in medical imaging
-    Methods for Bremsstrahlung X-ray Imaging-Spectroscopy
-    Reconstruction of neural activity from measurements of the biomagnetic field as recorded by magnetoencephalography (MEG) devices
-    MRI image reconstruction and PET/MRI integration with applications to hematology
-    Machine learning methods for the analysis of time series with applications to magnetic field data
-    Computational techniques for the recognition and metabolic assessment of the spinal cord in PET/CT images
I have supervised 4 PhD theses in Mathematics and Applications, 26 MSc theses in Mathematics, 2 MSc theses in Physics, 3 MSc theses in Computer Science and 15 BSc theses in Mathematics (8) and Computer Science (7). I am currently the supervisor of 1 MSc theses in Mathematics.
Click here for a list of the theses I supervised.