After completing my studies in psychology at the University of Padua (1999), I carried out a PhD in neuroscience at University College London (2002). In 2004 I joined the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King's College London, where I am Professor of Early Intervention in Mental Health.

The focus of my research is the identification of predictors of disease onset and treatment response in psychosis. This involves the application of machine learning methods to psychosocial and multi-modal imaging data. A core aim of my programme is to exploit the translational potential of this information, using it to inform the development and evaluation of novel tools for early detection and treatment.

In the past few years I have also been pursuing a new line of research, involving the use of smartphone technologies to monitor the impact of the surrounding environment on mental health in real time. As part of this line of research I have developed Urban Mind (www.urbanmind.info), a cross-disciplinary project which brings together clinicians, neuroscientists, social scientists, urban planners and designers, architects and artists with a shared interest in urban mental health.