I work at the interface between mathematics and biology. My main focus is on mathematical modelling of two main model systems: cancer and the developing brain. I use a range of theoretical and computational tools to describe the dynamical interactions occurring at different spatial and temporal scales. I have been studying the interactions between a tumour and its environment using individual-based models coupled to partial differential equations. I am using population dynamics to study the development of the cerebral cortex and to map the divergent evolutionary trajectories that give rise to differences between mammalian species. I am also actively working on ways to integrate experimental data into mathematical models in order to quantitatively describe the processes of interest and make testable prediction.
I enjoy working in close contact with experimentalists and I look forward to new collaborations to study problems in development, evolution and disease. Get in touch!
I received my Dphil in Mathematics from the University of Oxford, partly based at Dr Sandy Anderson’s Integrated Mathematical Oncology group at the Moffitt Cancer Center. My thesis was on tumour-stroma interactions and their role in cancer progression and drug resistance. I have an MSc in Mathematics in Engineering from Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Prior to this post I was working with Prof. Philip Maini and Prof. Zoltán Molnár as a postdoctoral research assistant in St John’s College, University of Oxford.
- Picco, Noemi; Hippenmeyer, Simon; Rodarte, Julio; Streicher, Carmen; Molnár, Zoltán; Maini, Philip K; Woolley, Thomas E. A Mathematical Insight Into Cell Labelling Experiments for Clonal Analysis.
Journal of Anatomy (June 2019) doi: 10.1111/joa.13001 - Picco, Noemi; Woolley, Thomas E. Time to change your mind? Modelling transient properties of cortex formation highlights the importance of evolving cell division strategies.
Journal of Theoretical Biology (August 2018) doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.08.019 - Picco, Noemi; García-Moreno, Fernando; Maini, Philip K; Woolley, Thomas E; Molnár, Zoltán. Mathematical Modeling of Cortical Neurogenesis Reveals that the Founder Population does not Necessarily Scale with Neurogenic Output.
Cerebral Cortex (April 2018) doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhy068 - Picco, Noemi; Sahai, Erik; Maini, Philip K; Anderson, Alexander RA. Integrating Models to Quantify Environment-Mediated Drug Resistance.
Cancer research (October 2017) doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-17-0835 - Picco, Noemi; Gatenby, Robert A; Anderson, Alexander RA; Stem Cell Plasticity and Niche Dynamics in Cancer Progression.
IEEE Transactions on Bio-medical Engineering (March 2017) doi: 10.1109/TBME.2016.2607183
Lineage Tracking
Individual Cell-Based Model
Environmental Niches
