Biography

Research Project: Magnetic Resonance Imaging – Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (MRI-QSM) for identifying the mechanical integrity of human carotid plaque tissues
Supervisors: Dr. Caitríona Lally (TCD), Dr. Karin Shmueli (UCL)

Francesco graduated from an integrated master’s program (M.A.I.) in biomedical engineering at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) in 2022. During his studies, Francesco had the opportunity to undertake various research and work experiences, including a summer internship with the institute of lightweight engineering and polymer technology in Dresden, and a six-month internship in a medical device start-up company developing a wound closure device, Starling Surgical, in Dublin. He carried out his final year master’s project under the supervision of Prof. Michael Monaghan in TCD. Francesco’s master’s thesis focused on evaluating the potential of blends of poly(ε-caprolactone) and a functional polyethylene glycol backbone polymer to produce melt electro written tissue engineering scaffolds.

For his PhD project, Francesco is working under the supervision of Prof. Caitríona Lally, with the Lally Lab, a cardiovascular biomechanics research group in TCD. Francesco’s project focuses on evaluating the possible use of MRI-QSM as a tool to assess the composition, mechanical properties, and stability of carotid plaque tissues, including carotid atherosclerotic plaque and cerebral blood clots.

Ryan Bower

I really enjoyed my time as a member of the CDT-ACM. It provided the opportunity to gain experience with a wide range of materials characterisation techniques and to engage with the wider research community by participating in conferences and Outreach events.