Flavia Vitale, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, holding joint appointments in the Departments of Neurology, Bioengineering, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. As the principal investigator of the Vitale Lab, her research sits at the intersection of materials science and neuroengineering.

Her work primarily focuses on developing high-resolution, minimally invasive bioelectronic interfaces—most notably using a class of 2D nanomaterials known as Menes—to study, diagnose, and treat neurological and neuromuscular disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and musculoskeletal injuries.

Dr. Vitale's academic journey began in Italy, where she earned her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma and her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Università di Roma La Sapienza. She later completed postdoctoral training at Rice University as a Welch Foundation Fellow and at the University of Pennsylvania within the Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics before joining the faculty in 2018. Her multidisciplinary expertise allows her to design tools that can interface with both the electrical and chemical signals of the brain, with the ultimate goal of creating more accessible and effective therapies for patients with degenerative and drug-resistant conditions.

Her contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous prestigious honors, including the 2024 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the NIH K12 Award, and the iCANX Global Young Scientist Award. She is also a recipient of the McCabe Fellow Award and the Taking Flight Award from Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE).