Francesco Lacquaniti

Francesco Lacquaniti is a Full Professor of Physiology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata and Director of the Center for Space Bio-Medicine there. He also leads the Department of Neuromotor Physiology at the Scientific Institute Santa Lucia Foundation in Rome. His academic journey includes positions at Cagliari University, University of Minnesota, and roles with the Italian National Research Council. Lacquaniti holds an M.D. and Neurology specialization from Turin University, followed by post-doctoral research in Minnesota.

His research focuses on Neuroscience, Gait/Posture, and Space Physiology, particularly motor control systems, neural programming of movement, and gravitational effects on human physiology. Notable contributions include studies on locomotor primitives in infants and the neural basis of interception timing. Lacquaniti has authored over 130 peer-reviewed articles and serves on editorial boards of major journals like Experimental Brain Research and Frontiers in Exercise Physiology.

Key honors include membership in Academia Europaea (2012), lifetime achievement awards in Space Biomedicine, and multiple keynote lectureships. He advises European and North American research agencies and has held leadership roles in neurosciences societies.