My main interest is in the application of mathematics and statistics to understand brain functions in healthy and pathological conditions. My research activity focuses on the development and validation of neuroimaging biomarkers in human and animal models. This includes the synergetic combination of molecular imaging modalities like PET with genetic data and more conventional neuroimaging methods like MRI.

Ongoing studies (November 2017):

• Imaging neuroinflammation with TSPO PET tracers in Schizophrenia, Major Depression Disorder, Small Vessel Disease and AD
• Imaging of brain neuroreceptor systems (including Dopamine, Gaba, NMDA, CB1 receptors)
• Myelin mapping in Multiple Scleroris
• PK/PD drug assessment with PET/MR

My research career started in 2008 when I spent one year as visiting student at Section of Neuroadaptation and Protein Metabolism, NIMH, Bethesda, USA. In 2009 I obtained my master in bioengineering at Padova University, Italy. In the same university, between 2010 and 2012, I did my PhD on PET kinetic modelling in collaboration with the Clinical Imaging Centre - GSK spa in London. The thesis was awarded by the Italian National Group of Bioengineering in 2013. In the same year, I started to work postdoc at the Neuroimaging department at King’s College London. In 2017 I started a new position as senior molecular imaging scientist at IoPPN, a position funded from Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre

My network of collaboration does not include only UK based universities but extends to several prestigious institutes across the world like the National Institute of Mental Health (Maryland, USA), the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (Paris, France), the medical school of Texas university (Houston, USA) or the Seoul National University (Seoul, South Korea).