Profile

Photo:

Elisa Castagnari

    • About Me:

      I love dancing and swimming, and I take salsa and bachata classes. I also enjoy yoga, good food (I’m Italian, after all 😄), and listening to Taylor Swift. 💃🍝🎶

    • Read more

      I live with other postgraduate students, and I love being around people and sharing good food. In my free time, I take salsa and bachata classes, and I go swimming or do yoga to relax. I’m a big fan of dancing, music, and spontaneous fun with friends. I also love exploring new cafés and trying different cuisines.

      I also really enjoy anything creative — from painting to making little DIY projects — it helps me unwind and express myself. I love adding colour to things, whether it’s a canvas or just everyday life.

    • My pronouns are:

      she/her

    • My Work:

      I use AI to turn health data into useful knowledge for doctors and patients.

    • Read more

      I use AI to help different health systems and specialists communicate better. My goal is to make it easier and faster for them to “speak the same language,” so doctors and patients get clearer, more precise information.

      So I work with medical data to improve communication across hospitals and clinics. By using AI, I help make sure that health information is shared quickly and accurately, supporting better decisions for both patients and physicians.

    • My Typical Day:

      I usually start the day with breakfast and some coffee. Then I work with health data, building AI tools to help doctors and hospitals communicate better, or I have some meetings with my colleagues and supervisors. I take a lunch break and in the afternoon I keep working on projects, checking results, and planning next steps. I go home around 5.

      Evenings are for friend and sports or just relaxing and listening to music.

    • Read more

      My schedule changes every day depending on whether I have workshops or meetings. Sometimes I also attend lectures to learn more.

      I usually have lunch with my research group or go out with friends. I take part in many activities at the Informatics Forum, where I work, like OpenArt Space to do some painting, board games, hikes, or trips to the pub with my research group.

      Since I only need a computer to work, I sometimes go to a library or a coffee shop to change my work environment.

      After work, I usually do some sport or go for a long walk. Then I spend time with my friends or flatmates, either cooking together or, if I’m very tired, watching a TV series.

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      If I won the £500 prize, I would use it to run interactive workshops or creative activities that help students and the public explore health data and AI. For example, I could organize sessions where participants try simple AI experiments, create fun hands-on projects linking science and technology. The goal would be to make STEM topics accessible, engaging, and relevant to everyone.

    CV

    • Education:

      I went to school in Italy at a scientific high school with a bilingual program, which included extra lessons in English and Spanish. We also spent a lot of time in the lab, coding or doing chemistry and physics experiments. I really enjoyed the lab work, even when it was challenging.

      Then I did the Bachelor in Italy at the University of Bologna Alma Mater Studiorum in Computer Science Engineering.

      Regarding the master, it was in Artificial Intelligence, the first here I was in Bologna, while the second here I was in Paris at the École normale supérieure. I achieved the highest distinction in my Master’s degree.

    • Qualifications:

      • Esame di Stato, Italy: Completed scientific high school with bilingual program (English and Spanish), with the highest grade.

      • Winner of a summer school at Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.

    • Work History:

      I did an internship in Ducati, I was programming the dashboard interface of a moto, then I was involved in a project dealing AI in a research group at the university of Bologna, then I did an internship in Paris for AI in healthcare, in particular I was trying to find the best pathway to diagnose Anemia.

    • Current Job:

      I am a PhD Student at the University of Edinburgh, I am part of the AI for Biomedical Innovation CDT.

    • Employer:

      The University of Edinburgh

    • My Interview

      • What did you want to be after you left school?

        I was not sure about this, I just knew I liked science and that probably I would've ended up in an industry

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        I was very shy and chill, so not really. Maybe sometimes it was hard to socialize.

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Maybe I’d have been a physician or a neuroscientist, because the human brain is so fascinating

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, but my favourite band is The Beatles

        What's your favourite food?

        Pasta of course, lasagna.

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        travel more around the world, spend more time with my family, find a good job after the phd.

        Tell us a joke.

        Why don’t programmers like nature? Too many bugs.

Questions answered by Elisa

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