Biography
Dr. Francesca Zanderigo, Ph.D., is a bioengineer and Associate Professor of Clinical Neurobiology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. She is also the Co-Director of the Brain Imaging Lab in the Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Area at the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). With nearly 20 years of experience in medical imaging research, her work focuses on quantifying and modeling brain imaging data from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to investigate cerebral hemodynamics and neuroreceptor systems.
Dr. Zanderigo is a pioneer in developing noninvasive computational methods for PET imaging, eliminating the need for invasive blood sampling during scans. Her research aims to improve disease diagnosis, prevention, and treatment by extracting accurate quantitative information from medical images. She is currently the Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded projects, including one focused on portable PET cameras. Additionally, she has mentored numerous students and postdoctoral researchers and has contributed extensively to the field through publications and innovative methodologies.