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Biographical Details

Gianluca graduated in Statistics and Economics from the University of Florence (Italy). He then completed a PhD programme in Applied Statistics again at the University of Florence, after a period at the Program on the Pharmaceutical Industry at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge (USA); he then worked as a Research Fellow and then Temporary Lecturer in the Department of Statistical Sciences at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº (UK).

Research Interests

Gianluca's main interests are in Bayesian statistical modelling for cost effectiveness analysis and decision-making problems in the health systems, hierarchical/multilevel models and causal inference using the decision-theoretic approach. Gianluca leads the  research group within the department of Statistical Science.

Current research students

• Chengyang Gao (Population adjusted methods in health economic evaluations)
• Luke Hardcastle (Bayesian inference in survival analysis: new approaches to modelling and computation) - joint supervision with Sam Livingstone
• Zhaojing Che (Health economic evaluation based on survival data subject to non proportional hazards)
• Xiaoxiao Ling (Item-level missing data in trial-based health economic evaluation)
• Zejing Shao (Statistical methods for the analysis of the effect of policies based on observational longitudinal data)
• Alberto Caron (Bayesian Tree-Based Learners for Individualized Treatment Effects Estimation) - secondary supervision with Ioanna Manolopoulou

Past students

• (currently at University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Kids, Canada)
• Christina Ding
• (currently at University of Maastricht, Netherlands)
• Anthony Hatswell (currently at Delta Hat)
• Antonio Remiro Azocar (currently at Bayer)
• Katrin Haussler (currently at ICON Plc)
• Mariam Adeleke (currently at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº)
• Spyros Poulimenos
• Javier Alejandro Espinosa Brito
• William Barcella

Selected research grants

• Bayesian modelling to assess the cost-effectiveness of a vaccination strategy to prevent Human Papilloma Virus-related disease: the BEST2 study. Principal investigator, Sanofi Pasteur Research Grant, 2012-2013
• Novel multimodality imaging techniques for neurosurgical planning and stereotactic navigation in epilepsy surgery. Co-investigator (PI Prof John Duncan, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Neurology), Wellcome Trust/NIHR, 2012-2015
• Evaluating the benefits of community based aerobic training on the physical health and well-being of people with neuromuscular diseases: a pilot study. Co-investigator (PI: Dr Gita Ramdharry, ¹û¶³Ó°ÔºH), NIHR Research for Patients Benefit, 2013-2016
• The regression discontinuity design: a novel approach to evaluating the effects of drugs and treatments in primary care. Principal investigator, MRC Methodology Panel, 2013-2015
• Cannabidiol: a novel treatment for cannabis dependence? Co-investigator (PI: Prof Valerie Curran, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Clinical Education & Health Psychology). MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme/Developmental Clinical Studies Panel, 2013-2016
• A feasibility study of a psychological intervention to address alcohol misuse for people with mild to moderate learning disabilities living in the community. Co-investigator (PI: Dr Christos Koumtsidis, Hertfordshire NHS Trust), NIHR, Research for Patients Benefit 2013-2016
• Comparative evaluation of the stepped wedge design efficiency. NIHR Research Methods fellowship (collaboration with Rumana Omar, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Statistical Science and Michael King, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Mental Health Sciences), 2014-2015
• Can albumin infusion reverse immune suppression in patients with acute on chronic liver failure via dampening Prostaglandin E2 bioavailability? Co-investigator (PI Alastair O'Brien, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Medicine). Wellcome Trust, 2014-2016
• Investigating the feasibility of a group self-management programme after stroke. Co-applicant (PI: Prof Nick Ward, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Institute of Neurology), NIHR Research for Patients Benefit, 2014-2017.
• Health economic evaluation of Pembrolizumab in Melanoma. Principal investigator. Merck, Sharpe & Dohme. 2017-2018
• Advancing Psychiatric Mapping Translated into Innovations for Care: PsyMaptic-A. Co-applicant (PI: Dr James Kirkbride, ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Psychiatry), Wellcome Trust. 2017-2018
• Risk Assessment and Increasing Safety in Dementia - the RAISe-Dementia study. Co-applicant (PI: Dr Juanita Hoe, City University London), The Dunhill Medical Trust. 2018-2021
• Evaluating Policy Implementations TO Predict MEntal health [EPITOME]: a Bayesian hierarchical framework for quasi-experimental designs in longitudinal settings. Principal Investigator, Wellcome Trust. 2021-2025