Science
Francesca is fascinated by life’s earliest process - her graduate research focused on early embryo patterning and development.
Using the zebrafish embryo, her innovative and elegant experimenta combined classic development and genetics techniques with quantitative imaging and computational modeling.
Blitz! A Dissertation in Three Minutes
May 2020. When her Graduation Ceremony went virtual, Francesca made a video summary of her PhD research. Made with non-scientists in mind, she condensed nine years of work into less than three minutes. Check it out!
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The Article
August 2020. Francesca combines stunning quantitative microscopy, large-scale computational modeling, rigorous mutant analysis, and elegant in vivo experimental design to shift our understanding of morphogen gradient formation from the predominant Counter-Gradient to the Source-Sink model.
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The Method
September 2019. Francesca extends the quantitative blastula imaging approach, developed by Dr.s Joseph Zinski and David Umulis, to more developmental stages and capable of higher throughput, more reliable acquisition quantitation, and streamlined analysis.
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The Review
June 2015. Francesca writes a definitive review on early zebrafish and Xenopus axial patterning. She consolidates 15 years of discoveries that integrate space and time across five morphogens into clear visuals and concrete perspectives for future research.