Prof Francesca Palombo

Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy

Telephone: 01392 726612

Extension: (Streatham) 6612

I am the Director of Global Engagement and Study Abroad Coordinator for Physics and Astronomy since August 2023.

I lead the Health Technologies @ Exeter Research Network with Prof. Helen Dawes since January 2023.

Along with being a Principal Investigator in Physics, I am an Affiliate Investigator of the Living Systems Institute.

My research is focused on developing Brillouin, Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging methods for applications to biology and medicine. I am interested in the physical and chemical aspects of biological systems at a molecular level, as well as their implications in health and disease.

Team members:

Michelle Bailey (PDRA): Novel Brillouin-Raman microscopy applied to oesophageal cancer
Hao Meng (PhD): Laser spectroscopy for biofluid detection of Alzheimer's disease
Felix Weedon (PhD): Light scattering spectroscopy of keratin structures
Steve Hill (PhD): Advanced optical tools for early detection of oesophageal cancer
Hessah Moteb Alotaibi (PhD): Gold nanoconstructs for cancer theranostics
Ioana Blein (PhD): Novel nanoparticles for Raman nanotheranostic applications

Alumni: postdoc - Dr Noemi Correa 2017-21; PhD Physics - (2nd sup.) Doriana Calabrese, Eve Nebbiolo, Jenni Haskell and (3rd) Jacob Binsley 2023, (2nd) Pascaline Bouzy, (1st) Michelle Bailey and Fahad Aldosari 2022, (1st) Rikke Morrish 2021, (1st) Ryan Edginton 2018; visiting PhDs - Francesco Monnati 2023 (University of Tor Vergata, Rome) and Leonardo Pioppi 2021, Martina Alunni Cardinali 2019/20, Doriana Calabrese 2018, Beatrice Gironi 2017, and Sara Mattana 2016 (University of Perugia); visiting undergraduates - Antoine David (MEng) 2014 (ENSEIRB-MATMECA Bordeaux); summer internship - Savi Elias (MSci) 2022, Will Mitchell (MSci) 2021, Elise Hobson (MSci) 2020, Ebony Cave and Tom Carter (MSci) 2018, Laurence Mitchell and Thomas Ledgerwood (MSci) 2017, Imogen Swift (MSci) 2016, Sarah Stoyle (MPhys) 2016.

Teaching: PHY2026 Practical Physics II with Prof. Feodor Ogrin (module lead) and NSC2002 Physical Chemistry with Dr Steve Green (module lead).

Links:

BioSpec Team website

EPSRC RaNT Medicine Programme Grant website

LinkedIn profile

Twitter profile

Education and Employment

2022- Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy, University of Exeter
2018-22 Associate Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy, University of Exeter
2017-18 Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Spectroscopy, University of Exeter
2013-17 Lecturer in Biomedical Spectroscopy, University of Exeter
2012-13 Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of East Anglia
2009-11 Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Perugia, Italy
2007-9 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Imperial College London
Feb 2007 PhD Physical Chemistry, University of Perugia, Italy

Recently Funded Research Projects

(PI) CRUK/EPSRC Early Detection and Diagnosis Award, 2022-25, £499,139
(PI) Research Network "Health Technologies @ Exeter", 2023-
(PI) COST Innovators Grant "BLiSS-BMD" IG16124, 2021-22, €116,150
EPSRC Programme Grant "RaNT" (PI: Prof. Nick Stone) EP/R020965/1, 2018-23, £5.75M
EPSRC Core Equipment Award "EBOC" (PI: Prof. Neil Gow) EP/V034251/1, 2020-22, £632,086
Hubert Curien Alliance Programme 2021 (PI: Dr Ben Sherlock) 816469063, 2022, €5k
(PI) CRUK/EPSRC Multidisciplinary Award NS/A000063/1, 2017-21, £499,876
(Vice-Chair) COST Action "BioBrillouin" CA16124, 2017-21, €507,935
(PI) BBSRC CTP PhD Studentship BB/V509450/1 with Unilever to Felix Weedon, 2021-25, £158,026
(PI) China Scholarship Council/Exeter PhD Scholarship to Hao Meng, 2021-25, £137k
(PI) EPSRC IAA Impact and Knowledge Exchange Award, 2018, £33,995
(PI) EPSRC DTG PhD Studentship to Rikke Morrish, 2016-20, £102,238
(PI) EPSRC First Grant EP/M028739/1, 2015-17, £114,916
Wellcome Trust ISSF2 Seed-Corn Fund Round 7, 2020, £10k
Wellcome Trust ISSF2 Seed-Corn Fund Round 5, 2018, £9,986

Facilities Usage

(PI) UK Diamond Light Source, 2-6 Mar 2021, 15 shifts of 8 hours, £75,360
UK National Ion Beam Centre University of Surrey, 1 Jan - 30 Nov 2017, 24 hours, £11,693
(PI) LASERLAB EUROPE, LENS002120, 13 Jul - 6 Aug 2015, 18 shifts of 9 hours, €14,592

Recent Invited Talks

Keynote: SPEC 2024 Conference, Ioannina, Greece, 2-6 Jun 2024
Dept Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, 20 Nov 2023
SciX 2023 Conference, Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks NV, 8-13 Oct 2023
Royal Society UK-Brazil bilateral international meeting, London, 11-12 Oct 2023, declined
VISPEC 2023 Training School, University of Perugia, Italy, 12-14 Jun 2023
Optics and Photonics Research Group, University of Nottingham, 30 Nov 2022
1st SPIE-CLP Conference on Advanced Photonics, Hangzhou, China, 21-23 Nov 2022
6th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM6), Lyon, France, 14-17 Nov 2022
VISPEC 2022 Meeting, online, 7 Oct 2022
8th International School of Sound and Light, Saint Pierre d'Oléron, France, 12-23 Sep 2022
ICO25 & OWLS16 General Congress, Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany, 5-9 Sep 2022
19th European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules (ECSBM), Reims, 29 Aug - 1 Sep 2022

Advisory Board, Program Committee and Panel Membership

Advisory Board of EPSRC Programme Grant "U-care" (PI: Prof. Robert Thomson, Heriot Watt) EP/T020903/1, 2021-5, £6.13M
Translational Committee of "Optica Biophotonics Congress: Biomedical Optics", Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA, 7-10/04/2024
Program Committee of "Optical Elastography and Tissue Biomechanics IX" conference, BiOS Photonics West, San Francisco, CA, USA
Chair of SPIE Photonex 2022, Birmingham, UK, 6-8/12/2022
Steering Committee of the Workshop on OptoMechanics and Brillouin scattering: fundamentals, Applications and Technology (WOMBAT), Campinas, Brazil, 5-8/02/2024
Scientific Committee of the 6th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM6), Lyon, France, 14-17/11/2022
Scientific Committee of Son et Lumière School, Oléron Island, France, 12-23/09/2022
Technical Programme Committee of ICO25 & OWLS16 General Congress, Dresden, Germany, 5-9/09/2022
Wellcome Trust, Data Sciences, Tools and Technology Discovery Advisory Group
CRUK, EDx Biology, Markers, Technology and Data
CRUK, Early Detection and Diagnosis Panel
CRUK, Multidisciplinary Expert Review Panel
EPSRC, Physical Sciences Panel
European Commission, Horizon 2020

Organised Conferences

6th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM6), Lyon, 14-17/11/2022
5th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM5), online, 12-14/10/2021
(Chair) 4th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM4), online, 9-11/09/2020
3rd BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM3), Porto, 25-27/09/2019
2nd BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM2), Perugia, 12-14/09/2018
13th Martin & Willis Student Prize Meeting and IRDG Meeting 210, Exeter, 26-27/08/2015
CLIRSPEC Network Conference, Exeter, 20-22/04/2015

Outreach

School workshop with Exeter Science Centre, Sidmouth College, 14/07/2021
Public Engagement Programme with Exeter Science Centre, 2021
Talk at Cancer Research UK Live event, Exeter, 10/10/2018
International Day of Light - EUOPS, Exeter Princesshay, 16/05/2018
Lead organiser of RSC ChemNet event, University of Exeter, 14/12/2015

Memberships

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Member of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS)

Recent Prizes

Above & Beyond Award for fantastic talk at the ESE Faculty Launch, 10/03/2023
High quality presentation at SPIE Photonics West BiOS 2020, Conference 11252, $250
Above & Beyond Award for first class research talk at Physics@Exeter, 02/03/2020, £250
Best PhD Supervisor, Students' Guild Teaching Award, 31/07/2019
Above & Beyond Award for support and collegiality, Exeter, 12/04/2019, £250
Above & Beyond Silver Award for research achievements, Exeter, 24/07/2018, £2k
Inspirational leader and role model, International Women's Day committee, Exeter, 02/02/2018
Best Undergraduate Supervisor, Students' Guild Teaching Award, 06/06/2017

Training Courses

Aurora Leadership Programme 2017
First Aid at Work Course, OneLife Training 2023
First Aid at Work Course, St John Ambulance 2015

Profile