About
I am an assistant professor in bioengineering at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Torino, where I work in the M3B group (Mechanistic and Machine Learning-driven Modelling in Bioengineering) led by Marco A. Deriu.
My work sits between engineering and molecular biology. With molecular dynamics, multiscale models and machine learning, I try to explain how the structure of molecules determines what they do: how microtubules carry and transmit forces, how volatile anaesthetics act on proteins and membranes, how bitter taste receptors recognise molecules, and how nanocarriers bind drugs. Much of this work is done with experimental groups and with long-standing collaborators such as Jack A. Tuszynski at the University of Alberta.
I studied Biomedical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, graduating in 2019 with a thesis on volatile anaesthetics and cytoskeletal proteins, and in 2023 I completed a PhD in Bioengineering and Medical-Surgical Sciences at the University of Turin.
I teach molecular modelling and biomechanics in the Biomedical Engineering MSc programme, and I enjoy explaining science to people outside the field.
Education and career
- Since 2023: Politecnico di Torino, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS): postdoctoral researcher from July 2023, now assistant professor.
- 2023: PhD in Bioengineering and Medical-Surgical Sciences, University of Turin. Thesis: Strategies for the molecular-level understanding of small molecule–target interactions and dynamics through tailored computational modelling. Supervisors: Marco A. Deriu and Jack A. Tuszynski.
- 2019: MSc in Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (110/110 cum laude). Thesis: Predicting the Interaction between Volatile Anesthetics and Cytoskeleton Proteins by Molecular Modelling.
- 2017: BSc, Politecnico di Torino.
Service
- Invited member of the Biomedical Engineering degree board (Collegio di Ingegneria Biomedica), Politecnico di Torino.
Activities
- Editorial: Editorial Board member, Biological Modeling and Simulation (a specialty section of Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences and Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics), since 2023.
- Awards: Best Paper Award 2024, Computation, for “In Silico Analysis of the Multi-Targeted Mode of Action of Ivermectin and Related Compounds” (co-author).
- Journal covers: ACS Central Science 9(3), 2023; Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 64(21), 2021.
- Talks in 2026: keynote, SET-M Conference, South East Technological University, Waterford, Ireland (October); BME Distinguished Speaker Series, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (22 July); 10th World Congress of Biomechanics, Vancouver, Canada (July).
- Outreach: teaching and science communication for secondary-school classes in “Bioingegneria della Nutrizione: dalla molecola alla forchetta” (Progetto Diderot, Fondazione CRT); Politecnico di Torino badge “Comunicare la ricerca alla cittadinanza” (2025).
Outside the lab
I like to understand how things work by opening them up. In my spare time I tinker with electronics and hardware, and I run a small homelab for home automation and self-hosted services.