Research

We are creatures of sensation, with hundreds of millions of photoreceptors, millions more for touch, smell, and taste. Yet, in each ear, only 16000 sensory hair cells allow us to hear from a whisper to a thunderclap, operating at frequencies that make vision seem slow. How do hair cells achieve this? They must be doing something different—and different by orders of magnitude.

🎻 From violins to the ear

I began my career studying physics at the University of Turin, Italy, where, unlike my peers drawn to particle physics, I chose to explore the physics of the violin. Though a mediocre violinist, I had learned violin-making as a hobby since high school under the guidance of master luthier Gianfranco Dindo, who had retired in my hometown. My persistence in persuading him to take me on as a student led to the founding of a non-profit violin-making school, the Associazione Arte Liutaria, which still exists today. Read about it here.

One of the challenges I faced in violin-making was constructing the violin bridge, a wooden structure that transfers string vibrations to the violin body. In physics terms, the bridge matches the impedance between the strings and the body, effectively transferring vibrations. Traditionally, violin makers craft multiple bridges for each instrument, selecting the best one through trial and error, often with the feedback of a violinist.

By measuring the mechanical impedance of the strings, the violin body, and the bridge during its construction, I developed a new method to guide the creation of the optimal violin bridge. This resulted in my Bachelor thesis: The Physics of the Violin: a method for the guided construction of a violin bridge, Gianoli F., supervisor Prof. Roberto Tateo in 2012 and an accessible science book Violin-making from Art to Science, Dindo G., Gianoli F., Ribella D., Saggistica, 2012.

I became interested in the physics of hearing because of the similarity between the violin bridge and the middle-ear ossicles—both optimizing power transfer, one to the violin body, the other from the eardrum to the cochlea. Intriguingly, and likely a coincidence, the violin bridge even shares the shape of the stapes.

Sensory mechanotransduction

Coming soon.

Cochlear mechanics

Coming soon.

🎤 Conferences and Workshops

Throughout my career, I have been honoured with several travel grants to attend international conferences, where I presented my research in various formats including posters and oral talks:

1. Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) – February 2025, Orlando, Florida, USA
2. Mechanics of Hearing Workshop 2024 – Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
3. Naito Conference 2024 – Sapporo, Japan
4. Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) – 2024, Anaheim, California, USA
5. Biophysical Society Meeting 2023 – Dublin, Ireland
6. Mechanics of Hearing Workshop 2022 – Copenhagen, Denmark
7. Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) – 2022, San Jose, California, USA
8. Institut de l’Audition Opening Meeting 2020 – Paris, France
9. Biophysical Society Meeting 2020 – San Diego, California, USA
10. The Royal Society 2019 – London, UK