David Palma received his MSc degree (Magna cum Laude) in Electronic Engineering, followed by a PhD and Doctor Europaeus degrees (with honours) in Industrial and Information Engineering from the University of Udine, Italy, in 2017 and 2021, respectively. He is currently a Professor in the field of Information Processing Systems at the Polytechnic Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Udine, where he also conducts research as a Research Scientist within the Distributed and Dynamical Systems Research Group. He is the holder of the Information Security and Python Programming for Engineers courses both of which are integral to the engineering programmes offered by the department. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he supervises undergraduate and postgraduate theses and contributes to academic governance as a member of the Degree Committees. He also serves as Engineering Project Coordinator for the Mechanical Engineering programme, overseeing project-based learning activities and their evaluation. In 2024, he was the Director of the Arts and Technology project, an initiative aimed at advancing STEM and digital skills development within the framework of the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Prior to his current appointment, Professor Palma held the position of Research Associate within the same research group, contributing to several national and international projects. From 2017 to 2018, he worked as an external consultant at the Science and Technology Park in Udine, specialising in ICT systems design and software development. Between 2018 and 2019, he was a Doctoral Researcher in defence and security with the Control and Power Research Group at Imperial College London, United Kingdom. Since 2018, Professor Palma has served as a reviewer for leading international journals and conferences across a broad range of security-related fields, including applied mathematics, artificial intelligence, biometrics, computer networking, cryptography, distributed computing, systems theory, and quantum security. In 2022, he ranked first in the national competition for full professorship in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (competition class A040). In 2023, he was awarded the University of Udine's PhD Award and nominated for the EUROSIM PhD Award, in recognition of his outstanding international contributions to science and technology. Alongside his academic commitments, he has provided consultancy services in ICT and security engineering to judicial authorities, law enforcement agencies, and private-sector organisations.

My research lies at the intersection of dynamical systems theory, multidimensional signal processing, pattern recognition, and cybersecurity, with applications ranging from post-quantum and quantum-resilient cryptography to privacy-enhancing technologies, biometrics, networking, and critical infrastructure protection. Through my work, I aim to advance knowledge in these areas, addressing both theoretical challenges and practical applications. I am also deeply interested in interdisciplinary problems at the interface of engineering and the life sciences, where system modeling and quantitative methods provide a unified framework for understanding complex phenomena. For a selection of related works, please refer to the Publications section.

I actively contribute to the international scientific community through editorial and reviewing activities. I currently serve as Guest Editor for the journal Mathematics, where I lead the special issue Distributed Systems: Algorithms, Methods, and Applications. In addition, I regularly act as a reviewer for a wide range of international journals, spanning both theoretical and applied domains, including:

• Member, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
• Member, IEEE AESS (Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society)
• Member, IEEE CSS (Control Systems Society)
• Member, IEEE SPS (Signal Processing Society)
• Member, IEEE Biometrics Council
• Member, IEEE Systems Council
• Member, IEEE Sensors Council

Beyond his academic activities, Professor Palma was a light-heavyweight boxer, first with the Udine Boxing Association in Italy and later with the Moreno Boxing Club in London, UK. He is also a certified karate and martial arts instructor through the European Federation of Karate and Associated Disciplines (FEKDA), with achievements in several competitions across both disciplines. In addition, he shared his expertise as a karate and self-defence instructor at the Shotokan Karate Sports Centre in Milan, Italy.