Dr Davide Filingeri Joins Southampton’s Skin Health Group

Davide is internationally recognised as the leading expert in the neurophysiology of human skin wetness sensing with over 10 years of experience in conducting human research in healthy and clinical groups such as multiple sclerosis patients.

Previously at Loughborough University, Davide joins Southampton as an Associate Professor, where he will continue to investigate how the skin detects and reacts to the thermal challenges posed by our surrounding environments.

In 2017, Davide founded the THERMOSENSELAB in Loughborough University, a laboratory that specialises in skin sensing research in health and neurodegeneration, which now forms part of the Skin Health Research Group at the University of Southampton.

Davide’s research has a strong enterprise ethos and he believes that major advances in skin and health care can arise from bridging the gap between academia and industry. For example, he has collaborated with leading sport clothing manufacturers to map regional differences in skin sensing across the body, to inform the design of sport clothing that improve thermal comfort for female athletes. He has also co-operated with global goods manufacturers to model the biophysics and physiology of wetness on the skin, to improve the design of absorbency products for babies and adults.

Dr Davide Filingeri comments, “ I’m delighted to join the Skin Health Group at Southampton, and looking forward to develop an innovative research program with this outstanding group of academic and clinical researchers."

After completing a BSc and MSc in exercise physiology (University of Palermo, Italy), Davide obtained a PhD in thermal physiology (Loughborough University, UK)

Following on his doctorate, Davide received an Endeavour Research Fellowship to investigate thermoregulation in multiple sclerosis at the University of Sydney (awarded by the Australian Government). He then held a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley, where he researched patterns of skin thermosensing across the body in healthy individuals (funded by the US Dept. of Energy).