David Palma, PhD, DE

I received the MSc degree (magna cum laude) in Electronic Engineering and the PhD degree (Hons. with "Doctor Europaeus" mention for international academic achievements) in Industrial and Information Engineering from the University of Udine, Italy, in 2017 and 2021, respectively. From 2015 to 2019, I was a Research Assistant with the Distributed and Dynamical Systems Research Group and an Assistant Lecturer in information security at the University of Udine, Italy. From 2017 to 2018, I worked within the Friuli Innovazione Research and Technology Transfer Centre gaining industry experience in the areas of ICT systems design and software development. From 2018 to 2019, I visited the Control and Power Research Group, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, as a Research Scientist in the defence & security field. Since 2018, I have served as a reviewer for the main international journals and conferences in different security-related areas, in particular biometrics, computer networking, cyber-physical security, distributed computing, neural networks and machine learning. Since 2019, I have been a tenured Professor of ICT systems design, software engineering, computer networks and security as well as a member of the committee for the State exam in the technical and scientific high schools. From 2021 to 2022, I was a Research Asociate with the Polytechnic Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Udine. Since 2021, I have been an Adjunct Professor of information security and computer programming at the University of Udine. In 2022, I won the first place in the competition for full professorship in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (A040 competition class). In 2023, I was the recipient of the PhD Award issued by the University of Udine to the most talented PhD researcher for distinguished contributions to the fields of science and technology. Related to my research interests, I have been an ICT & cybersecurity consultant on behalf of judicial authorities and law enforcement agencies as well as private companies.

Research interests

My main research interests focus on the area of digital signal & image processing, computer vision & artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, and dynamical systems & control theory, from both a theoretical and practical perspective and with main application to biometrics, information security, pervasive computing, cyber-physical systems, critical infrastructure security, and security & risk analysis.

  • A branch of my research focuses on the theory, design, and application of biometric characterisation of human beings, based on physiological and/or behavioural traits, in particular for authentication, identification, or surveillance purposes in both cooperative and non-cooperative scenarios, encryption, and medical diagnosis.
  • A second branch of my work revolves around the study of novel and smart methods to improve the detection and prevention of cyber-threats and attacks for core underlying technologies used in cyber-physical systems and critical infrastructures.
  • The last branch of my research aims to explore innovative technological solutions necessary for the development of next-generation pervasive computing systems allowing ubiquitous networks of devices to intelligently cooperate towards common goals in context-aware applications.

Professional membership

Since 2018, I have served as a reviewer for the main international journals and conferences in different security-related areas, in particular biometrics, computer networking, cyber-physical security, distributed computing, neural networks, pattern recognition, and machine learning.

Additional info

Working life aside, I was a boxer affiliated first with the Udine Boxing Association, Udine, Italy, then with the Moreno Boxing Club, London, UK. Also, I am a certified karate and martial arts instructor graduated at the European Federation of Karate and Associated Disciplines (FEKDA) and former instructor of karate and self-defence at the Shotokan Karate Sports Centre in Milan, Italy.

You can find a more detailed Curriculum Vitae on my LinkedIn profile. You can also visit my Google Scholar, Academia, and GitHub profiles.