Flavia Mancini is Professor of Computational Neuroscience in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. She leads NOX Lab within Computational and Biological Learning (CBL) and is a Fellow of Pembroke College. She holds an MRC Career Development Award fellowship through December 2026. Her research brings together machine learning, neural computation and computational neurotechnology to understand and influence nervous-system function. Her group develops computational models and methods for analysing multimodal neural and behavioural data, connecting biological mechanisms with learning, adaptation and control. This work combines human experiments with animal-model data generated through external collaborations, linking neural dynamics across biological scales to perception and behaviour. A central focus is developing computational approaches that support adaptive neurotechnologies: interpreting neural signals, identifying computational biomarkers and informing closed-loop interventions.
Flavia is the theory lead for EPIONE (Effective Pain Interventions with Neural Engineering), an interdisciplinary EPSRC–MRC-funded programme developing adaptive neurotechnologies for chronic pain. The programme combines neural sensing, brain stimulation and computational models to develop closed-loop interventions that adjust to an individual’s changing state. Her contribution provides the theoretical and computational framework linking neural mechanisms to the design of these technologies. Pain provides an important setting for this work within a broader programme spanning sensory processing, sensorimotor control and homeostatic regulation.
Flavia trained at the University of Milan, University College London and the University of Cambridge. She co-directs the Biological Learning track of the MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence. She has secured over £14 million in research funding as lead or co-lead, primarily from EPSRC and MRC. Her research has featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, Financial Times, The Washington Post, New Scientist and the BBC.