Cristina Piazza

Prof. Cristina Piazza is an Assistant Professor at the Technische Universität München (TUM), leading the Healthcare and Rehabilitation Robotics Professorship within the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology. Her research focuses on developing soft robotics technologies for prosthetics and assistive devices, emphasizing human movement analysis, control algorithms, and clinical integration. She holds a PhD in Robotics (summa cum laude, 2019) from the University of Pisa and completed postdoctoral work at Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago.

Prof. Piazza’s academic leadership includes roles as co-chair of IEEE/RAS Technical Committees for Robotic Hand, Grasping and Manipulation (2022–present), and Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE BioRob 2024 conference. She has authored over 50 publications and earned awards such as the IEEE Humanoid Best Paper Award (2012) and the Dr. Kanako Miura Award (2016).

• Education:
  • B.Sc. and M.S., Biomedical & Robotics Engineering, University of Pisa
  • PhD in Robotics (summa cum laude), University of Pisa
• Key Research: Soft prosthetic hands, myoelectric control, virtual reality for rehabilitation, and adaptive bionic systems.
• Professional Roles:
  • Co-chair of IEEE/RAS Technical Committees
  • Editorial roles for IEEE journals and conferences
  • Global Edition Cybathlon competition participation (2020)

Her work bridges robotics and clinical practice, with a focus on improving prosthetic embodiment and user-centered design. The IN-HAND Lab at TUM/Siemens Technology Center serves as her research hub, advancing technologies for natural integration of bionic limbs.