GIULIA RUSSO

Curriculum Vitae of Giulia Russo, Updated on June 8, 2024

EDUCATION

Giulia Russo was born in Messina on January 11, 1986. She graduated in Scientific Information on Drugs in 2008 and in Pharmacy in 2014 from the University of Catania. In 2018, she obtained a Ph.D. in "Basic and Applied Biomedical Sciences" with a particular interest in computational and systems biology. From 2018 to 2020, she was a research fellow (SSD INF/01) at the Department of Drug and Health Sciences of the University of Catania. Since 2020, she has been a Researcher in Computer Science (SSD INF/01) at the same Department. In 2023, she obtained the National Scientific Qualification for the role of associate professor in the competitive sector 01/B1 – Computer Science.

INSTITUTIONAL POSITIONS

• Member of the COMBINE Research Group (www.combine-group.org)
• Lecturer in Computer Science with Elements of Mathematics and Statistics for the Master’s Degree in Pharmacy
• Lecturer in Principles of Computer Science for the Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology
• Adjunct Research Fellow - Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University, Queensland (Australia)

Dr. Giulia Russo is also:

• Expert for the European Commission - Joint Research Center (JRC)
• Member of the "In Silico Medicine in Italy" working group - Section I of the Higher Health Council and VPH Institute
• Member of the "In Silico World (ISW) Focus Group"
• Affiliate member of the VPH Institute

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

Giulia Russo is the lecturer for Computer Science in the Master’s Degree in Pharmacy at the University of Catania and teaches Principles of Computer Science for the Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology. She is a supervisor and co-supervisor of experimental thesis projects.

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Giulia Russo’s research focuses on the application of computational models in biomedicine, particularly in the fields of precision medicine and the drug discovery and development process. She has published over 40 articles in high-impact journals and international conferences. She is co-editor, associate editor, and guest editor of special issues for some of the major journals in the bioinformatics field. She has been an Organizing Committee Member since 2018 of the "Computational Modeling in Immune System Function" Workshop within the IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Team member of ERAMET, Horizon Europe project ("Ecosystem for rapid adoption of new data types and innovative methods used in medicinal product development and evaluation")
• Team member of ITHEMYC, Horizon 2020 project ("Novel immunotherapies for tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases")
• Team member of SIGNATURE, HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks ("Single Cells in Autoimmune Inflammatory Diseases")
• Participant in Spoke 8 – In Silico Medicine & Omics Data within the PNRR - National Research Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing
• Scientific coordinator and Risk Manager of ISW, HORIZON 2020 Project ("In Silico World: Lowering barriers to ubiquitous adoption of In Silico Trials")
• Task Manager of 3TR, HORIZON 2020 project ("Taxonomy, Treatment, Targets, and Remission: Identification of the Molecular Mechanisms of Non-response to Treatments, Relapses, and Remission in Autoimmune, Inflammatory, and Allergic Conditions")
• Team member of "Case Studies NAMS_PFAS Immunotox", EFSA project
• Work Package Leader, STriTuVaD Project WP2 ("Computational Modeling of the IS-TBC Vaccine Dynamics")

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVITIES

Giulia Russo is the co-founder of MIMESIS, an academic spin-off of the University of Catania, which focuses on the design, development, implementation, and commercialization of high-tech simulation software for the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of medicinal products (https://www.mimesis.srl).

Giulia Russo's research activities are centered on computational modeling in biomedical sciences with a particular focus on in silico medicine. Her research includes:

• Mathematical Modeling in Medical Research: As an adjunct research fellow at Griffith University, she focuses on mathematical modeling applications in medical research.
• In Silico Medicine: Development and application of computational models to simulate biological processes and medical treatments, particularly for personalized medicine and regulatory purposes.
• Computational Immunology: Involvement in projects such as the development of a Universal Immune System Simulator (UISS) to predict the immune response to various treatments, including tuberculosis vaccines and cancer immunotherapies.
• Agent-Based Models: Advanced modeling techniques for diseases like multiple sclerosis and lupus erythematosus using agent-based modeling to identify biological pathways of non-responsiveness to therapies.
• Big Data and Omics: Utilizing high-performance computing and big data analytics to develop in silico trials and personalized treatments, as part of the PNRR - National Research Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing.
• Research Projects: Participation in multiple Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, such as ERAMET and ITHEMYC, focusing on innovative methods in medicinal product development and evaluation, as well as novel immunotherapies for diseases like tuberculosis.