WORK EXPERIENCE

Founder/Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Neurala LLC, Boston, MA (Current)
Neurala is a technology startup that focuses on developing advanced software applications for Artificial Intelligence computing. Responsibilities and achievements:

• Co-authored business plan.
• Co-authored business SBIR.
• Co-authored US Utility patent.
• Successfully led the company’s first consulting project.
• Defining the technical and commercial strategy.
• Currently negotiating seed financing to start operations.

Assistant Director, CNS Technology Lab for Science and Technology Outreach, Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Boston, MA (Current)
The target of this position is to create resources for academic and professionals interested in using biologically-inspired models in their applications. Responsibilities:

• Directly managing, expanding and updating the Technology Lab website.
• Coordinating the work of graduate students in the Technology Lab.
• Overseeing development projects with external consultants.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Boston, MA (Current)

• Computational modeling of the cerebral cortex. Co-supervising the research of two graduate students in their research. The project aims at applying and expanding the work developed in the PhD dissertation, in particular developing applications of biologically-inspired cerebral cortex models to solve outstanding problems in technology.

• Hi-Tech software development project. Currently leading a research team of 7 students and postdocs in developing an innovative software platform for advanced neural modeling. The software, the KDE Integrated NeuroSimulation Software (KinNeSS, www.kinness.org), has become the primary tool in many departmental research projects in design and testing of complex neural systems.

• Leadership and student outreach.
• Chairman of the organizing committee of the first CELEST/CNS Career Day event at the Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems at Boston University (24 October 2007) which will bring together about 50 students from selected BU Departments and five representatives from local hi-tech companies. Responsibilities involve planning and organizing the event and coordinate the invitations for attendees and speakers.

• Leadership role in the organizing committee of the first postdoc and student-organized workshop to take place at the Twelfth International Conference on Cognitive and Neural Systems (ICCNS May 2008). Invited leading researchers in the field of neural prosthetics and coordinated the format and organization of the event.   

Self-employed Consultant, Trieste, Italy

• SATA, Udine, Italy (September 2005 – September 2005)

Designed and implemented AI software for intrusion detection systems and ATM/Credit Card fraud protection. Supervised the MA thesis of an Italian Student at the Facoltà di Ingegneria, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica, Gestionale e Meccanica, Udine, Italy. The thesis, entitled “Integrazione tra sistemi di replicazione sicura dei log informaticie strumenti di analisi basati su reti neurali”, is a direct implementation of the systems developed during the consulting project to a real-life application of network intrusion/misuse.

• Contracted Insiel, Trieste, Italy (September 2000 – July 2001)

Implemented AI-based software components aimed at helping Italian public functionaries to quickly obtain pertinent documentation in large databases for private citizens and business owners during the interview process.

• Contracted by Progetto Impresa, Padova, Italy (February 2001)

Conceived and implemented curriculum for Web Development.

• Contracted by the Italian Ministry of Health, Verona, Italy (April 2000 – January 2001)

Developed and published nationwide website (www.dronet.org) for drug prevention and treatment for professionals. Coordinated a team of more than ten members in defining the structure, gathering contents, beta testing and publishing. The website is currently used by the Ministry of Health to provide key support for thousands of professionals in the field of drug prevention and treatment. The website made us of web design and database software components that combine multimedia contents with functional database access containing sensitive medical information.

• Contracted by the Veneto Region, Venezia, Italy (March 2000 – January 2001)

Consulted on a study regarding the impact of alcohol abuse prevention policies in the Veneto region of Italy.

• Contracted by LED, Trieste, Italy (June 2000 – September 2000)

Contracted by LED (www.ledfvg.it) to implement curriculum and teach Web Development.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. degree in Cognitive and Neural Systems, April 2007
BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Boston, MA
Concentration: Biologically-inspired pattern recognition.
PhD advisor: Stephen Grossberg.

• Research Projects
• Cerebral Cortex Modeling: This research proposes how the brain coordinates multiple levels of thalamocortical and corticocortical processing for learning and paying attention to important information about the world. The neural model developed links attentive learning requirements to detailed brain circuits, notably the layered organization of cells in neocortical circuits and how they interact with subcortical structures to allow stable learning.
•  
• Pattern Recognition in Finance: Conceived, developed and led a multidisciplinary research team in applying pattern recognition techniques to forecast financial time series. Results presented at Financial Engineering and Application conference in November 2004. More information available at: http://www.neurogest.com.

B.A. in Experimental Psychology (Summa cum Laude), July 1998
UNIVERSITY of TRIESTE, Trieste, Italy
Concentration: Biologically-inspired artificial visual systems

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Web Designer (September 2000 – July 2001)

Conceived and implemented during undergraduate psychology study one of the first websites in Italy that would provide, along with informative material on psychology and psychotherapy, a database of psychologists, psychotherapists and public services, as well as online psychological consulting. The website currently functions and receives several hundreds of hits every week (www.psiconet.net and www.psiconet.it).

• Teaching Assistant

Department of Psychology, University of Trieste (Psychology of Perception, 1999 – 2000) and Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems, Boston University (Principles and Methods of Cognitive and Neural Modeling I, 2002).

• Educational Module Developer (August 2005 – September 2006)

Developed and supervised the implementation of software modules, for high school, undergraduate and graduate-level curricula as part of the NSF sponsored CELEST (Center of Excellence for Learning in Education, Science, and Technology) Science of Learning Center. These modules were based on recent advances in modeling how the brain learns to control behavior. One of the major challenges in their design and implementation was to translate software realized in the context of academic research and reconcile them with the need of users with different levels of expertise and background knowledge in the classroom.

AWARDS RECEIVED

• Fulbright Fellowship (awarded, Rome, September 2001).

• Winning entry for the Euro Fund competition (awarded, Padova, February 2001).

• Post-B.A. Fellowship (awarded, University of Trieste, January 1999).

• Erasmus Fellowship (awarded, University College of London, UK, February 1996).

• Member of a panel discussion with leading neuroscientists and the developer of the Palm Pilot and Treo smartphone, Jeff Hawkins, during SfN 2007.

RELATED COURSEWORK

• Principles and Methods of Cognitive and Neural Modeling I
• Neural and Computational Models of Vision
• Neural and Computational Models of Adaptive Movement Planning and Control
• Neural and Computational Models of Recognition, Memory and Attention
• Neural and Computational Models of Conditioning, Reinforcement, Motivation
• and Rhythm
• Introduction to Computational Neuroscience
• Neural and Computational Models of Planning and Temporal Structure in Behavior
• Topics in Computational Neuroscience

SPECIAL SKILLS

Computer Skills:

• Programming Languages: Matlab, C++, Java, LISP.
• Web design: HTML, Macromedia Flash, Macromedia Dreamweaver,
• Microsoft Front Page 
• Operating systems: MS Windows XP and lower, Linux, Mac OS. 

Language:

• Mother tongue: Italian,
• Fluent: English, Spanish, Portuguese,
• Proficient: French