Professor Francesca Palombo

Prof. Francesca Palombo is Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy in Physics. She is also the Director of Global Engagement for Physics, as well as being an Affiliate Investigator of the Living Systems Institute. 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 developing novel nanoconstructs for application in pre-clinical cancer research.

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 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 undergraduate - 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 and NSC2002 Physical Chemistry.

Links: LinkedIn profile, X profile.

Education and Employment

• 2022- Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy
• 2018-22 Associate Professor of Biomedical Spectroscopy
• 2017-18 Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Spectroscopy
• 2013-17 Lecturer in Biomedical Spectroscopy
• 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
• (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

Recent Invited Talks

• 2nd International Conference on Biomedical Photonics (ICBP), Palavas-les-Flots, France, 3-5/4/2025
• Rank Prize Symposium "Precision Photonics for Healthcare", Grasmere, UK, 31/3-3/4/2024
• School of Pharmacy, University of Reading, 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
• Optics and Photonics Research Group, University of Nottingham, 30/11/2022
• 1st SPIE-CLP Conference on Advanced Photonics, Hangzhou, China, 21-23/11/2022
• 6th BioBrillouin Meeting (BBM6), Lyon, France, 14-17/11/2022
• VISPEC 2022 Meeting, online, 7/10/2022
• 8th International School of Sound and Light, Saint Pierre d'Oléron, France, 12-23/9/2022
• ICO25 & OWLS16 General Congress, Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany, 5-9/9/2022
• 19th European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules (ECSBM), Reims, France, 29/9 - 1/9/2022

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

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

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