Prof Francesca Palombo

Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy

Telephone: 01392 726612

Extension: (Streatham) 6612

Along with being a PI in Physics, I am an affiliate investigator of the Living Systems Institute.

My research is focused on developments of Brillouin, Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy methods for applications to biology and medicine. I am interested in physical and chemical aspects of biological systems at a molecular level, as well as their implications in disease. Previously, I developed the application of Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) - FTIR spectroscopic imaging to atherosclerosis in animal models of the disease. I used both ultrafast time-resolved Optical Kerr Effect (OKE) and low-frequency Raman scattering to elucidate the dynamics, structure and physical interactions in ionic solutions. My PhD project was focused on investigating the hydrogen bonding properties of octanols in the liquid and supercritical fluid phases using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.

Visit our BioSpec team website and Raman NanoTheranostics website.

Current 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
Eve Nebbiolo (PhD): Collagen organisation and biomineralisation in biological tissues
Ioana Blein (PhD): Novel nanoparticles for Raman nanotheranostic applications
Doriana Calabrese (PhD): FTIR imaging of breast cancer microcalcifications
Jenni Haskell (PhD): Deep Raman spectroscopy applied to breast cancer
Jacob Binsley (PhD): Magnetoelastic metamaterials for lab-on-a-chip technology

Alumni: postdoc - Dr Noemi Correa 2017-21; PhD Physics - Michelle Bailey and Fahad Aldosari 2022, Rikke Morrish 2021, Ryan Edginton 2018; visiting PhDs - Leonardo Pioppi 2021, Martina Alunni Cardinali 2019/20, Doriana Calabrese 2018, Beatrice Gironi 2017, Sara Mattana 2016; visiting undergraduates - Antoine David (MEng) 2014; 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.

Taught modules: Physical Chemistry (NSC2002); Physical Methods in Biology and Medicine (PHYM008).

Education and Employment

2022-date 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
Jul 2003 MSc Chemistry (110/110 cum laude), University of Perugia

Recently Funded Research Projects

(PI) CRUK/EPSRC Early Detection and Diagnosis Award, 2022-25, £499,139
(PI) Research Network "Health Technologies @ Exeter", 2023, £12.5k
(PI) COST Innovators Grant "BLiSS-BMD" IG16124, 2021-22, €116,150
EPSRC Programme Grant "RaNT" (PI: Nick Stone) EP/R020965/1, 2018-23, £5.75M
EPSRC Core Equipment Award "EBOC" (PI: Neil Gow) EP/V034251/1, 2020-22, £632,086
Hubert Curien Alliance Programme 2021 (PI: 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
Wellcome Trust ISSF2 Seed-Corn Fund Round 3, 2016-17, £10,950
(PI) Wellcome Trust ISSF2 Seed-Corn Fund Round 2, 2016, £11,480

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 Presentations

VISPEC 2023 Meeting, University of Perugia, Italy, 14-16 Jun 2023
Optics and Photonics Group Seminar, 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
Vibrational Spectroscopy Gordon Research Conference, Rhode Island, 31 Jul - 5 Aug 2022, declined
4th WOMBAT, Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Light, Erlangen, 14-17 Jun 2022
International Conference on Biomedical Photonics (ICBP), Palavas-les-Flots, 2-4 Jun 2022, cancelled
Pittcon Conference and Expo 2022, Atlanta, 5-9 Mar 2022, cancelled
Photonics West BiOS 2022, Conference 11962, San Francisco, 22-27 Jan 2022
5th BioBrillouin Training School, online, 11-12 Oct 2021
SPIE Photonex Frontiers in Biophotonics and Imaging, Glasgow, 28-30 Sep 2021
International Conference on Advanced Vibrational Spectroscopy (ICAVS), on-line, 23-26 Aug 2021
OSA 2021 Novel Optical Materials and Applications (NOMA) Conference, on-line, 26-30 Jul 2021
Keynote: Optics and photonics for scientific progress (OPSP) Conference, on-line, 13-14 Apr 2021

Contributions to the Community

External examiner for the award of PhD degrees at Imperial College London, King's College London, Polytechnic University of Valencia, and University of Perugia
Member of the Independent Advisory Board of EPSRC Programme Grant "U-care" (PI: Robert Thomson, Heriot Watt) EP/T020903/1, 2021-25, £6.13M
Member of the 2023 and 2024 Program Committee of "Optical Elastography and Tissue Biomechanics IX" conference, BiOS Photonics West, San Francisco
Chair of SPIE Photonex 2022, Birmingham, UK, 6-8/12/2022
Member of the Steering Committee of the Workshop on optomechanics and Brillouin scattering (WOMBAT)
Member of the Scientific Committee of the 6th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM6), Lyon, 14-17/11/2022
Member of the Scientific Committee of Son et Lumière School, Oléron Island, 12-23/09/2022
Member of the Technical Programme Committee of ICO25 & OWLS16 General Congress, Dresden, 5-9/09/2022
Member of the Programme Committee of SPIE Biophotonics Conference "Frontiers in Biophotonics and Imaging", Glasgow, 28-30/09/2021
Review Editor for Frontiers in Physics - Soft Matter Physics 2021
Chair of Organising Committee of the 4th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM4), online, 9-11/09/2020
Guest Associate Editor for Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology and Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences - Cellular Biochemistry. Research topic "Probing the Chromatin Architecture", 01/03/2021
Guest editor of Biomedical Optics Express feature issue "Brillouin Light Scattering Microspectroscopy for Biomedical Research and Applications", 01/05/2019
Member of CRUK Multidisciplinary Expert Review Panel, Oct 2021 and Oct 2022
Member of CRUK Expert Review Panel, Sep 2021
Member of EPSRC Transformative Healthcare Technologies Panel, Jul 2021
Member of EPSRC Transformative Healthcare Technologies Outlines Panel, Nov 2020
Member of EPSRC Physical Sciences Prioritisation Panel, Sep 2019
Member of MRC Neurosciences & Mental Health Board, Jul 2017
Member of EPSRC Peer Review College
Recognised for significant contribution to EPSRC Peer Review in 2020/21 (top 4%), 2019/20 (top 6%) and 2016/17 (top 7%)
Member of ERC, FET Open, EIC Pathfinder, and COST Expert Panels
Reviewer for funding bodies including all RCUK, UKRI, RAEng, CRUK, ERC, FET Open, EIC Pathfinder, and COST
Reviewer for international scientific journals including Nature Communications, PNAS, Advanced Materials, Analytical Methods, Applied Spectroscopy, Biomacromolecules and Optics Express

Conference Organisation

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

Recent Outreach

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

High quality presentation at SPIE Photonics West BiOS 2020, Conference 11252, $250
Above and 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 and Beyond Award for support and collegiality, Exeter, 12/04/2019, £250
Above and 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, St John Ambulance 2015

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