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Prof. Francesca Palombo is Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy in Physics, as well as being an Affiliate Investigator of the Living Systems Institute. She is also the Director of Global Engagement and Study Abroad Coordinator for Physics. Francesca co-leads the BioSpec team and the Health Technologies @ Exeter network.

Francesca's research is highly interdisciplinary, crossing boundaries between physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. She is internationally recognised for her research on development of Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) spectroscopy applied in biomedical sciences, and is co-founder of the BioBrillouin network (an international network established in 2017). Alongside BLS, Francesca is also interested in Raman and infrared spectroscopy methods to reveal physical and chemical aspects of biological systems at a molecular level, as well as their implications in health and disease. She was co-investigator of the multi-institutional EPSRC RaNT Medicine Programme Grant (2018-2024) developing novel gold nanoconstructs for application in pre-clinical cancer research.

Team members:

Hao Meng (PDRA): Novel Brillouin-Raman microscopy applied to oesophageal cancer
Felix Weedon (PhD): Light scattering spectroscopy of keratin structures
Steve Hill (PhD): Advanced optical tools for early detection of oesophageal cancer
Valerie Williams (PhD): Multimodal biophotonic technologies: powering a revolution in diabetes research
Niamh Gale (DClinRes): Pilot study to investigate the correlation between fingernail composition and bone health in males.

Alumni: Postdocs - Dr Michelle Bailey 2022-25, Dr Noemi Correa 2017-21; PhDs - (2nd sup.) Ioana Blein 2025, Doriana Calabrese, Eve Nebbiolo, Jenni Haskell and (3rd) Jacob Binsley 2023, (1st) Michelle Bailey and Fahad Aldosari 2022, (1st) Rikke Morrish 2021, (2nd) Pascaline Bouzy 2020, (2nd) Michael Hermes 2019, (1st) Ryan Edginton and (2nd) Louise Clark 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 undergraduate - Antoine David (MEng) 2014 (ENSEIRB-MATMECA Bordeaux); summer internships - 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; NSC2002 Physical Chemistry.

Links: LinkedIn profile, X 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 Researcher, University of East Anglia
2009-11 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Perugia, Italy
2007-9 Postdoctoral Researcher, Imperial College London
2007 PhD in Physical Chemistry, University of Perugia, Italy
2003 BSc (Hons) Chemistry, University of Perugia - 1st class

Recently Funded Research Projects

(PI) CRUK/EPSRC Early Detection and Diagnosis Award, 2022-25, £499,139
(Co-lead) Research Network "Exeter Health Technologies", 2023-date £21,500
(PI) COST Innovators Grant "BLiSS-BMD" IG16124, 2021-22, €116,150
EPSRC Programme Grant "RaNT" (PI: Prof. Nick Stone) EP/R020965/1, 2018-24, £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

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

Summer School "BioBrillouin for Mechanobiology", University of Perugia, Italy, 6-9/7/2025
2nd International Conference on Biomedical Photonics (ICBP), Palavas-les-Flots, France, 3-5/4/2025
University of Montpellier, France, 2/4/2025
Rank Prize Symposium "Precision Photonics for Healthcare", Grasmere, UK, 31/3-3/4/2025, declined
School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, UK, 18/11/2024
Keynote: BioBrillouin 2024 Conference, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 11-13/9/2024
Keynote: BioMedEng24 Conference, Queen Mary University of London, UK, 5-6/9/2024
20th European Conference on Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules (ECSBM), Lodz, Poland, 1-5/9/2024, declined
Keynote: SPEC 2024 Conference, Ioannina, Greece, 2-6/6/2024
Dept. Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Italy, 20/11/2023
SciX 2023 Conference, Nugget Casino Resort, Sparks NV, 8-13/10/2023
Royal Society UK-Brazil bilateral international meeting, London, 11-12/10/2023, declined
VISPEC 2023 Training School, University of Perugia, Italy, 12-14/6/2023

Advisory Board, Programme Committee, and Panel Membership

Advisory Board of EPSRC Programme Grant "U-care" (PI: Prof. Robert Thomson, Heriot Watt) EP/T020903/1, 2021-2025, £6.13M
Program Committee of SPIE conference BO404: Optical Elastography and Tissue Biomechanics XII, part of the SPIE Photonics West 2025, San Francisco, CA, USA, 25-30/1/2025
Translational Committee of Optica Biophotonics Congress: Biomedical Optics, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA, 7-10/4/2024
Steering Committee of the Workshop on OptoMechanics and Brillouin scattering: fundamentals, Applications and Technology (WOMBAT), Campinas, Brazil, 5-8/2/2024
Program Committee of SPIE conference BO404: Optical Elastography and Tissue Biomechanics XI, part of the SPIE Photonics West 2024, San Francisco, CA, USA, 27/1 - 1/2/2024
Programme Committee of SPIE conference: Frontiers in Biophotonics and Imaging II, Birmingham, UK, 6-8/12/2022
Scientific Committee of the 6th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM6), Lyon, France, 14-17/11/2022; 5th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM5), online, 12-14/10/2021; 3rd BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM3), Porto, Portugal, 25-27/9/2019; 2nd BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM2), Perugia, Italy, 12-14/9/2018
Scientific Committee of Son et Lumière School, Oléron Island, France, 12-23/9/2022
Technical Programme Committee of ICO25 & OWLS16 General Congress, Dresden, Germany, 5-9/9/2022
Programme Committee of SPIE conference: Frontiers in Biophotonics and Imaging, Glasgow, UK, 28-30/9/2021
Wellcome Trust, Data Sciences, Tools and Technology Discovery Advisory Group
CRUK EDx Biology, Markers, Technology and Data Panel
CRUK Early Detection and Diagnosis Panel
CRUK Multidisciplinary Expert Review Panel
EPSRC Physical Sciences Panel
European Commission: Pathfinder, ERC, and COST

Organised Conferences

(Chair) 4th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM4), online, 9-11/9/2020
13th Martin & Willis Student Prize Meeting and IRDG Meeting 210, Exeter, 26-27/8/2015
CLIRSPEC Network Conference, Exeter, 20-22/4/2015

Outreach Activities

CRUK Event with funders and fundraisers, University of Exeter, 18/4/2024
School workshop with Exeter Science Centre, Sidmouth College, 14/7/2021
Public Engagement Programme with Exeter Science Centre, 2021
Talk at Cancer Research UK Live event, Exeter Mercure Rougemont Hotel, 10/10/2018
International Day of Light - EUOPS, Exeter Princesshay, 16/5/2018
Lead organiser of RSC ChemNet event, University of Exeter, 14/12/2015

Memberships

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)
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, 10/3/2023
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, 31/7/2019
Above & Beyond Award for support and collegiality, Exeter, 12/4/2019, £250
Above & Beyond Silver Award for research achievements, Exeter, 24/7/2018, £2k
Inspirational leader and role model, International Women's Day committee, Exeter, 02/2/2018
Best Undergraduate Supervisor, Students' Guild Teaching Award, 06/6/2017

Training Courses

Leadership Difference Programme 2024-25
Aurora Leadership Programme 2017
First Aid at Work Course, OneLife Training 2023
First Aid at Work Course, St John Ambulance 2015

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Professor Francesca Palombo