Francesca Santoro is an Italian materials scientist and biomedical engineer specializing in neuroelectronics. Since January 2022, she has been a professor of Neuroelectronic Interfaces at RWTH Aachen University and a group leader at Forschungszentrum Jülich. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Naples 'Federico II' in Italy, focusing on biomaterials. In 2014, she completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology through a joint program between RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich, supported by the International Helmholtz Research School in Biophysics and Soft Matter (IHRS BioSoft). Following her PhD, Santoro joined Stanford University in the United States, where she received a research fellowship from the Heart Rhythm Society in 2016. In July 2017, she became Principal Investigator of the 'Tissue Electronics' lab at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Naples. Her innovative work has earned her several accolades, including the MIT Technology Review's Under 35 Innovator award for Italy and Europe in 2018, an ERC Starting Grant in 2020, and the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Engineering and Technology in 2021. Santoro's research focuses on developing neurohybrid interfaces that bridge biology, medicine, chemistry, and electrical engineering. She works on microdevices that emulate neuronal behavior and architecture, aiming to advance bioelectronics and neuroengineering. In 2022, she received the Leopoldina Early Career Award from the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, recognizing her significant contributions to the field.