Maffeis Giulia

Giulia Maffeis is a post-doctoral research associate (RTDa) at the Physics Department of Politecnico di Milano. After graduating in Physics Engineering, she obtained the PhD with European title in Physics (Politecnico di Milano), under the supervision of Prof. Paola Taroni with a thesis entitled "Diffuse optical imaging for breast cancer: diagnosis, therapy monitoring and surgical margin assessment”. She has spent research periods at the Image-Guided Surgery group in Amsterdam (Nethelands Cancer Institute “Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek”, The Netherlands) and the Research Institute for Electronics and Information Technologies in Grenoble (LETI-CEA, France).

Her research focuses on the design, fabrication, and characterization of photonic devices, as well as the development of analytical methods for Time Domain Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy (TD-DOS) in the red to near-infrared range (600–1600 nm). She applies these methods for the non-invasive assessment of biological tissues, with particular emphasis on breast and lung tissue. She has developed substantial expertise in instrument development and validation under real clinical conditions (radiology and surgery units), establishing a strong profile as a translational researcher.

The activities were carried out within the Horizon2020 SOLUS and Laserlab-Europe projects, the PNRR I-PHOQS and AGRITECH projects, the PNC ANTHEM project, the Fondazione Veronesi NADOPTIC project, in collaboration with international and national research centers, such as the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, LETI-CEA, University College of London, Università di Firenze.

She has authored several publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and proceedings of international conferences. She served as referee for international journals and participated in the scientific program committees of international conferences. She has worked as a lecturer, teaching assistant, and tutor for courses in the FIS/01 disciplinary sector. Additionally, she has supervised bachelor's, master's degree and PhD students. She is actively engaged in science dissemination across various social contexts.

Giulia's work was selected among best communications at the National Congress of the Italian Society of Physics (SIF 2020, 2022). She also received a dissemination grant from SIF for the International Day of Light 2023 and a travel grant from the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology in Jena to attend the “Women in Photonics 2025” workshop.