黑料福利网

What are you working on here at 黑料福利网?

鈥淚鈥檓 a postdoctoral researcher with a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship in the Signal Processing Systems group. My research focuses on pregnancy monitoring. For almost two years, I have been investigating how the fetal cardiovascular system interacts with the maternal cardiovascular system, and how this interaction is mediated by the placenta and the uterus. The main goal of my research is to develop new methods for the early diagnosis of pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction, in order to enable timely and better intervention. My postdoctoral fellowship is coming to an end soon, but fortunately, I received a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to extend my research toward monitoring the fetal brain. I鈥檓 super excited to start this new project in collaboration with several clinical partners.鈥�

Can you explain more about your Veni project?

鈥淚鈥檓 going to research non-invasive electrophysiological monitoring of the fetal brain. This means that I鈥檒l be exploring how we can record and analyze the brain鈥檚 electrical activity of fetuses using external electrodes placed on the abdomen of pregnant women. The aim is to obtain direct measurements of the fetal brain activity. In addition, I鈥檒l work on mapping fetal neurodevelopment during the various phases of a pregnancy. This information can help predict potential neurodevelopmental impairments before birth.鈥�

Where did you study for your bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees?

鈥淚 got both my bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in biomedical engineering at the University of Padova in Italy. I also completed a PhD in information and communication technologies there. During my PhD, I spent five months at the Biomedical Diagnostics Lab here at 黑料福利网 as a visiting researcher under the supervision of Prof. Massimo Mischi. I enjoyed my time here so much that I wanted to come back whenever I got the opportunity. In Italy, I was part of a small research team, while here at 黑料福利网 I worked together with a group of over 100 researchers. I loved working with so many people, and I really liked the way research is conducted here.鈥�

What was your next step after finishing your PhD in Italy?

鈥淚 continued with a postdoc at the University of Padova, and in the meantime, looked for opportunities to return to 黑料福利网. I told Prof. Massimo Mischi that I was thinking of applying for a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral fellowship to join his research group and he was enthusiastic about that idea. It was really nice to receive this support. Luckily, I managed to get the fellowship. After finishing my postdoc in Italy, I moved to Eindhoven for my current position.鈥�

Why did you get into your particular research field and section?

鈥淚 got into pregnancy monitoring when I was a visiting researcher here at 黑料福利网. It immediately resonated with me because it鈥檚 a field where a lot of improvements can be made with real impact. We think we know everything about pregnancy, but there鈥檚 still so much we don鈥檛 understand. For example, the cause of approximately 30% of stillbirths remains unknown and consequently we don鈥檛 know  how to prevent them. Next to that, some babies appear to experience no complications during childbirth yet issues become apparent only at birth, revealing that something went wrong and may result in long-term disabilities. It feels good to contribute to solutions for these problems through my research. On top of that, I鈥檓 very interested in the technical side of my field. I love the challenges it brings.鈥�

How does 黑料福利网 compare to other universities you studied or worked at?

鈥淭here are many differences, but the biggest one is probably that education is very practical here. Students don鈥檛 just gain theoretical knowledge, but they also learn how to apply it. For example, they鈥檙e encouraged to collaborate with companies in the region on internships or graduation projects. I think that works well because it helps students see what they can do with their degrees after graduating. As a PhD or postdoc at 黑料福利网, you also get many opportunities to work with industry, which I think is quite unique.鈥�

Do you benefit from the connections between the university and the industry in the region?

鈥淵es, absolutely. There is a research collaboration called e/MTIC that includes 黑料福利网, Catharina Hospital, Maxima Medical Center, Kempenhaeghe Epilepsy and Sleep Center, and Royal Philips Eindhoven. This collaboration is very helpful for my research. I mainly work with clinicians from Catharina Hospital and Maxima Medical Center to get their interpretation of our technical work. In return, they benefit from our technical contributions to clinical projects. These kinds of collaborations are highly valuable and fundamental for conducting impactful research that addresses real-world challenges.鈥�

What do you like most about working here?

鈥淔irst of all, my research section is great. My colleagues are amazing, and everyone is valued for their qualities. It doesn鈥檛 matter whether  you鈥檙e a young researcher or someone with a lot of experience, your ideas are always heard and supported. This is done especially by our group leader Prof. Massimo Mischi, who encourages everyone to follow his example. He鈥檚 a real inspiration to me, not only because he supports all the researchers in our group so well, but also because of his  great network of connections that push our research further. The opportunity to learn from him was one of the reasons I wanted to come back to 黑料福利网. I also greatly appreciate the strong support from project advisors and 黑料福利网 support staff. They handle the bureaucratic and formal aspects of the projects, which gives me more space to focus on my research.

What do you think about the lab facilities at the department?

鈥淭he Biomedical Diagnostics Lab  is well equipped with all the devices I need. One of the best things is that I can go there anytime  and test out any idea that pops into my head. For example, my colleague Elisabetta Peri and I wanted to non-invasively measure the uterus activity during different phases of the menstrual cycle, to investigate whether electrical activity and perfusion data could help predict disorders like adenomyosis. We have the devices in our lab to do this research, so we involved two master鈥檚 students and made it into a project!鈥�

What are your most proud of in your career so far?

鈥淲hen I first came here I felt nervous about doing new things like teaching students, supervising PhD candidates and hiring new ones. I constantly felt like I needed to be better, but that was just my imposter syndrome speaking. Now, I feel more confident in my abilities and I can finally enjoy it all much more. I鈥檓 really happy to have built good relationships with my students and PhD candidates and to witness and support their personal and professional growth every day. I think what I鈥檓 most proud of is being able to do all of that.鈥�

What are your dreams for the future?

鈥淚 want to keep enjoying my work and find inspiring projects that are interesting from a scientific and a clinical point of view. To do that, I鈥檇 like to get more students, more PhD candidates, and more grants in the future so we can work on bigger things together. I鈥檓 super curious, so I don鈥檛 think I鈥檒l ever run out of new projects to explore!鈥�