I obtained my PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2008 from the University of Genova, working on the design and development of a low-cost remotely controlled platform for humanitarian demining, built around a powertiller. I have obtained a 5 years degree in Mechanical Engineering from the same university in 2003, with a thesis on the design of a snake robot for landmine detection in thick vegetation.
I have also obtained a diploma in Mechanical Engineering while studying at the Dublin Institute of Technology, in Ireland, as Erasmus student, in 2001. Argument of the thesis was the design and development of the control via PLC of a robot able to climb vertical surfaces.
I joined IIT in August 2018 as post-doc mainly working on the design, development and test of innovative grippers for handling complex objects, such as deformable web materials and bottles with different shapes, sizes and orientations within the context of the industrial project FAMECCANICA.
I have previously worked as assistant professor at the American College of the Middle East in Kuwait, as research assistant at the University of Genova, as consultant for the no profit social enterprise Snail Aid – Technology for Development and as part time teacher in several technical high schools in Genova.
In 2011 I was a short term visiting researcher at Asian Institute of Technology (Bangkok, Thailand) working on appropriate technologies and in 2002 I spent two months as a visiting student at the University of Western Australia (Perth, Australia) working on my master thesis.
I’m co-author of approximately 40 papers, the majority in the field of technologies for humanitarian demining. In this domain, I have worked and coordinated a national project (LOCOSTRA 2010-2011) and I have worked and coordinated a work package of a FP7 project (TIRAMISU 2013-2015).