Francesco Marini
Quantitative Researcher at WhatsApp- Claim this Profile
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English Full professional proficiency
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Italian Native or bilingual proficiency
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French Elementary proficiency
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Spanish Elementary proficiency
Topline Score
Bio
Dawn Finzi
I work closely with Francesco as a research associate in the same lab at UCSD. I’m constantly impressed with his diligence and work ethic. He is a careful and meticulous researcher, yet he also manages to keep track of the big picture, and provide insights into any larger questions the lab is working on. I’ve found him to be a kind and generous coworker, always willing to help troubleshoot and share code, or brainstorm about study design. He’d be an asset to any lab.
Angelo Maravita
Francesco is an outstanding scholar in the domain of Cognitive Neuroscience. He was within my top 5% doctoral students. Francesco is a highly talented and creative researcher, with excellent expertise in experimental design and data processing, as demonstrated by the several publications he achieved under my direct supervision. Francesco possesses a set of highly transferable skills such as developing projects and ideas, delivering outcomes on-time, and writing scientific papers. He is also a responsible, collaborative and friendly person with whom working is productive and pleasant.
Dawn Finzi
I work closely with Francesco as a research associate in the same lab at UCSD. I’m constantly impressed with his diligence and work ethic. He is a careful and meticulous researcher, yet he also manages to keep track of the big picture, and provide insights into any larger questions the lab is working on. I’ve found him to be a kind and generous coworker, always willing to help troubleshoot and share code, or brainstorm about study design. He’d be an asset to any lab.
Angelo Maravita
Francesco is an outstanding scholar in the domain of Cognitive Neuroscience. He was within my top 5% doctoral students. Francesco is a highly talented and creative researcher, with excellent expertise in experimental design and data processing, as demonstrated by the several publications he achieved under my direct supervision. Francesco possesses a set of highly transferable skills such as developing projects and ideas, delivering outcomes on-time, and writing scientific papers. He is also a responsible, collaborative and friendly person with whom working is productive and pleasant.
Dawn Finzi
I work closely with Francesco as a research associate in the same lab at UCSD. I’m constantly impressed with his diligence and work ethic. He is a careful and meticulous researcher, yet he also manages to keep track of the big picture, and provide insights into any larger questions the lab is working on. I’ve found him to be a kind and generous coworker, always willing to help troubleshoot and share code, or brainstorm about study design. He’d be an asset to any lab.
Angelo Maravita
Francesco is an outstanding scholar in the domain of Cognitive Neuroscience. He was within my top 5% doctoral students. Francesco is a highly talented and creative researcher, with excellent expertise in experimental design and data processing, as demonstrated by the several publications he achieved under my direct supervision. Francesco possesses a set of highly transferable skills such as developing projects and ideas, delivering outcomes on-time, and writing scientific papers. He is also a responsible, collaborative and friendly person with whom working is productive and pleasant.
Dawn Finzi
I work closely with Francesco as a research associate in the same lab at UCSD. I’m constantly impressed with his diligence and work ethic. He is a careful and meticulous researcher, yet he also manages to keep track of the big picture, and provide insights into any larger questions the lab is working on. I’ve found him to be a kind and generous coworker, always willing to help troubleshoot and share code, or brainstorm about study design. He’d be an asset to any lab.
Angelo Maravita
Francesco is an outstanding scholar in the domain of Cognitive Neuroscience. He was within my top 5% doctoral students. Francesco is a highly talented and creative researcher, with excellent expertise in experimental design and data processing, as demonstrated by the several publications he achieved under my direct supervision. Francesco possesses a set of highly transferable skills such as developing projects and ideas, delivering outcomes on-time, and writing scientific papers. He is also a responsible, collaborative and friendly person with whom working is productive and pleasant.
Credentials
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R Programming
CourseraJun, 2019- Nov, 2024 -
The Data Scientist’s Toolbox
CourseraJun, 2019- Nov, 2024 -
Advanced SQL for Data Scientists
Lynda.comJun, 2017- Nov, 2024 -
Managing Big Data with MySQL
CourseraJun, 2017- Nov, 2024 -
Machine Learning
CourseraMay, 2017- Nov, 2024
Experience
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WhatsApp
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United States
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Software Development
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700 & Above Employee
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Quantitative Researcher
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Nov 2019 - Present
[WhatsApp Growth & Privacy] What can we do to best serve our next billion users? How do we ensure that our users' conversations and personal information are kept safe, private and secure? Those are just two of the challenging, stimulating questions that I face in my everyday work. I am responsible to conduct research such as surveys or interviews to gather strategic insights on how to build a more inclusive, private and delightful product. Ultimately, my goal is to remove barriers and develop new opportunities so that WhatsApp users can do what matters the most: staying close to friends and family. [Facebook Strategy & Product Foundation] What new services should Facebook offer next year? I am responsible to create and execute research plans that deliver data-driven insights to shape the Facebook of the future. Through a cross-functional partnership between researchers, foresight strategists, designers and market analysts, my team drives innovation at Facebook by making strategic recommendations for the next products and services directly to the Facebook App leads. Show less
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UC San Diego
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Postdoctoral Research Associate
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Nov 2017 - Oct 2019
At the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, I use Matlab and EEGLAB to conduct univariate and multivariate analyses of EEG data, including time-frequency decomposition, independent component analysis, clustering, and hypothesis testing using parametric and non-parametric statistics. At the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, I use Matlab and EEGLAB to conduct univariate and multivariate analyses of EEG data, including time-frequency decomposition, independent component analysis, clustering, and hypothesis testing using parametric and non-parametric statistics.
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University of Nevada, Reno
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Postdoctoral Research Associate
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Oct 2016 - Jun 2019
My work responsibilities include designing, programming and conducting experiments using behavioral methods (visual presentation of stimuli, questionnaires, rating scales) and electroencephalography (EEG) on the visual perception of real-world objects including in augmented-reality environments. I am also responsible for supervising research assistants, conducting data analysis, and disseminating research results through the presentation at international conferences and the publication of scientific articles. Show less
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UC San Diego
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Postdoctoral Research Associate
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Apr 2015 - Oct 2016
Implemented and conducted 30+ studies on visual attention, working memory, and decision-making. • Executed study on working memory interference and published article in international journal. • Applied linear mixed models to study effects of neuro-stimulation on eye-movements. • Mentored 3 younger colleagues and brought them to meaningful achievements as co-authors. • Streamlined data analysis by adopting standardized computational pipelines. • Enhanced participants’ compliance by adopting standardized protocols and de-briefing interviews. Show less
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University of Verona
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Italy
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Research Associate
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Jan 2014 - Jan 2015
Led a project that investigated attention for visually-presented shapes of different nature using EEG. • Created, conducted and analyzed a study that was successfully published in a neuroscience journal. • Identified funding opportunities, then prepared and submitted proposals for three fellowships several days ahead of deadlines • Served as an expert reviewer for 7 international journals in Psychology and in Neuroscience • Designed and implemented presentation of research at 2 international conferences (FENS Forum in Milan-Italy, Neuroscience 2014 in Washington DC-USA) Show less
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Independent Consultant
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Italy
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User Experience Researcher
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Feb 2007 - Jan 2015
Performed evaluation of user experience to help companies improve their services. • Conducted 50+ evaluations in retail, food, fitness and automotive industries. • Interviewed local managers to assess satisfaction with general management and availability of resources. • Delivered detailed written reports used to improve business performance and customer satisfaction. Performed evaluation of user experience to help companies improve their services. • Conducted 50+ evaluations in retail, food, fitness and automotive industries. • Interviewed local managers to assess satisfaction with general management and availability of resources. • Delivered detailed written reports used to improve business performance and customer satisfaction.
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Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
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Italy
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Research Services
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700 & Above Employee
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PhD Researcher
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Jan 2010 - Jan 2014
Designed, programmed (in MATLAB & Psychotoolbox), and analyzed 20+ studies on cross-modal perception and attention, distraction-filtering, and body representation. • Wrote and published research findings in 4 prestigious psychology and neuroscience journals. • Mentored 3 Master’s students into 9 successful publication or conference presentation co-authors. • Delivered 30+ PowerPoint presentations to diverse audiences on study concepts and findings. • Communicated with public media for 10 articles and 2 interviews covering research findings. • Invented, tested and developed an original experimental approach to the investigationhuman distraction-filtering that is now applied by 3 independent labs (Marini et al., 2013, J Exp Psychol: Gen) • Established that healthy humans can be successfully trained to use a robotic prosthetic hand device (Marini et al., 2014, Neuropsychologia) Show less
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Duke University
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Visiting Research Scholar
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Aug 2012 - Aug 2013
Led a project that investigated behavioral and neural correlates of human distraction. • Wrote and published research findings in 2 first-author publications in high-end journals. • Discovered neuro-cognitive mechanisms in the human brain for sustaining attention and preventing distractions (Marini et al., 2016, J Neurosci) • Investigated the effectiveness of monetary incentives at preventing human distraction (Marini et al., 2015, Vis Cog) • Built MATLAB and shell-scripting analysis pipelines for large-scale behavioral and fMRI datasets. Show less
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Middlebury College
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Psychology Tutor
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Nov 2008 - Feb 2009
Tutored an American college student who successfully graduated in the Cognitive Psychology course. • Prepared class materials and delivered individual lectures. Tutored an American college student who successfully graduated in the Cognitive Psychology course. • Prepared class materials and delivered individual lectures.
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CEPU srl
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Florence Area, Italy
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Academic Success Consultant
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Sep 2001 - Dec 2008
Supported instructors with the delivery of study materials, course syllabi, and exam questions. • Completed 100+ job assignments and became the lead consultant for the psychology department. Supported instructors with the delivery of study materials, course syllabi, and exam questions. • Completed 100+ job assignments and became the lead consultant for the psychology department.
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Education
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2016 - 2016
University of California, San Diego - The Rady School of Management
Summer Program, Micro-MBA -
2010 - 2014
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Experimental Psychology, Linguistics and Cognitive Neuroscience -
2001 - 2007
Università degli Studi di Firenze
Master of Science (MSc), Psychology
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