Skip navigation links
banner
logo ridotto
logo-salomone
Corso di Laurea Triennale in Ingegneria Meccanica
Home page > Degree Program >  Some testimonials from former students

Some testimonials from former students

 

MARCO INNOCENTI
I graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the Department of Energy Engineering with a numerical-experimental thesis on the temperature measurement of exhaust valves on a Ducati twin-cylinder engine. During my university years, I was a member of the Formula SAE team, where I was responsible for engine development in the last year of my stay. After a short work experience as a mechanical designer, I start my PhD in the Department of Industrial Engineering on turbine efficiency measures on a turbocharger for F1 applications. Currently I work at Ferrari F1 and I am a Testing Engineer at the turbocharger flushing bench: my duties, in addition to the activity of test bench, include the analysis of turbo data for all the activity carried out on the engine, both on the test bench and on the track.
The degree course at the University of Florence allowed me to become an engineer ready for work, obviously with many things to learn but with a solid theoretical foundation and an effective approach to the world of work.
LORENZO SASSI
Graduated in Florence in the department of Energetics with a thesis carried out in collaboration with the Fiat Research Centre on CFD simulation of the internal fluid dynamics of a diesel engine. In the same year, the PhD started in collaboration with CRF on experimental and numerical analysis of the dynamic phenomena in the intake and exhaust ducts.
 
In 1998 he moved to Ferrari F1 as head of the "engine fluid dynamics" team. I remained with Ferrari F1 until 2010, where over the years I held various positions such as head of experimentation, reliability and finally responsible for engine design and development. In 2010 he moved to Ferrari GT to follow the development of the first V8 turbo engines, and in June 2014 he returned to F1 as chief designer of the Power Unit, a role he still holds today. 

FERRUCCIO MIGLIORINI                                 

In October 1997 I joined Eli Lilly Italia, affiliate of the Pharmaceutical multinational based in Indianapolis, IN (USA), as Project Engineering associate for the new antibiotics manufacturing project. I spent most part of my career in Engineering department taking care of large capital projects (10-200 MM Euro) since design through construction and operational readiness, as well as routine engineering and maintenance activities for the Manufacturing site located in Sesto Fiorentino, FI, with different growing roles up to Engineering ,Maintenance and Utilities Director. Since 2005 I also assumed the responsibility for HSE operations for all Italian Affiliate (including manufacturing and Demand realization all over the country) and since 2012 I led also Packaging Operations for manufacturing . I am currently HSE Director for the China Affiliate of Eli Lilly and Company, taking care of manufacturing activities in two sites located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, and designing the regional organization supporting all business of Eli Lilly in China. THANK YOU Engineering! 

I think the most important gift after studying and graduating in Florence has been the balance between entrepreneurial mindset and technical professional attitude the faculty is imprinting in all student. In the work environment I have been living for more than 18 years, the wide  technical background Engineering taught to me has granted the opportunity to understand the technical challenges all projects always raised in mechanical, electrical, civil and automation engineering, as well as in many kind of manufacturing as well as utilities operations; but mostly the professional mindset the Faculty is able to develop in all students also gave me the managerial skills required to take growing responsibilities  from a professional standpoint and to become part of an International team facing always more challenging and fascinating experiences

ANDREA GIUSTI                                                                             

I do not know if the science came to me or I was born for the science, but I am sure I love to do science. I come from Reggello, a very lovely town where I learnt the art of doing before moving to the University of Florence where I did all my academic studies, eventually getting the PhD degree in 2014.
At moment I am working as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering. The main topics of my research activity include numerical simulation of spray turbulent combustion, development of advanced combustion models for gas turbine application with focus on ignition, extinction and emissions, thermoacoustics, MILD combustion.My experience at the University of Florence was simply wonderful, a river a knowledge for my thirst of science and undoubtedly a springboard for the current steps of my career. Very good courses and a close interaction with industries make University of Florence an ideal place to study Mechanical and Energy Engineering.

CATHERINE JACQUELINE SILVESTRI      

Senior Engineering Section Manager

GE Oil & Gas – Corporate Technology Staff

Catherine Jacqueline Silvestri is currently working on the Engineering division of the GE Oil & Gas. In her current role she is in the Corporate Technlogy Staff on a assignment in GE Aviation to develop strategies for next generation products. Prior to that she was Productivity Leader for the Engineering division of the GE Oil & Gas, Turbomachinery Solutions business, responsible to develop programs to drive a more competitive product cost structure. She has 19 years of experience with GE Oil & Gas and a solid expertise in oil & gas products and technologies built thanks to a variety of leadership roles in Engineering and Global Supply Chain. Catherine started her career at GE as Aerodesign Engineer. After numerous roles in New Product Introduction and in Quality as Quality Master Black Belt, she led the Auxiliary Systems team, composed by more than 80 engineers globally, within GE Oil & Gas - Gas Turbine Center of Excellence. Most recently Catherine was named Global Engineering Operations Leader, responsible for establishing and executing the operational rhythm for the Engineering division globally. She got the GE Women in Technology Award 2009-2010, an award that each year honors women who succeed in a demanding technology career but also are proven leaders amongst their peers and contribute to develop other women technologists. She holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florence (Italy). Catherine is an active leader of the GE Women’s Network and Vice President of Valore D since 2013.

Why to be a Mechanical Engineer? … You learn the technical depth and also you get the breath on problem solving skills and it provides you the opportunity to access to a wide range of industry segment and job role & responsibility. 

ANDREA CASONI                                

Executive Engineering Manager - GE Oil & Gas – Gas Turbine

Andrea Casoni is currently working in the Engineering division of the GE Oil & Gas. In his current role he is the Executive Engineering Manager for Gas Turbine, leading a global team of Engineers dedicated to Gas Turbine Design and Application. Prior to the current role he led the Project Engineering Organization for Turbo Machinery Solutions responsible for the Engineering execution of requisition projects for the TMS business. Andrea has 20 years of experience with GE Oil & Gas and a wide expertise in Oil & Gas products and technologies built through a variety of roles in Engineering and Quality. Andrea started his career at GE in 1995 as Gas Turbine Mechanical design Engineer. He joined in 1997 the Edison Engineering program where he covered several engineering roles including an assignment to Aviation Engineering in Cincinnati as Gas Turbine Control design Engineer. He then covered the role of Gas Turbine Performance leader and in 2001 he was appointed Manger of the O&G Technology Laboratory responsible for the validation and testing of O&G new products. In 2005 he was appointed Design For Six Sigma Master Black Belt and from there in 2007 he moved to the Project Engineering manager role. Andrea holds several patents in Gas Turbine technologies.

Andrea holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florence (Italy). He graduated in 1995 with a final thesis on non-stationary computational and experimental analysis for two stroke engines exhaust configurations, developed in collaboration with the Cagiva Racing Team in Varese and tested on the Cagiva 500 cc motorbike.

FRANCESCO MONTOMOLI                            

As Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at Imperial College of London I am leading a research lab on aircraft engines, gas turbines and risk that obtained several important recognitions (such as the runner up prize in Science of Risk from Lloyd’s of London). Before moving to Imperial College, among other academic posts, I have spent several years at University of Cambridge, Whittle Laboratory, where, as Senior Fellow and College Lecturer, I have led my research group in gas turbines and heat transfer. Despite my academic excursus my journey started at GE Oil&Gas, Nuovo Pignone, as design engineer. During these years I had the possibility to collaborate with some of the biggest companies in the world of gas turbines such as General Electric, Rolls-Royce and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developing real engines, (RR Trent1000, GE LM2500+G4 etc) and solving real problems.

I believe that my studies at Univ. of Florence had a strong impact on my career. At the Department of Industrial Engineering I had the possibility to work with some of world leading academics in the field of turbomachinery and this gave me the possibility to work before at GE Oil&Gas and after to move to an academic position. My former supervisor and all the department has an international recognition of excellence with some great academics and researchers. I am grateful to my Alma Mater (Univ. of Florence) for these possibilities and for this journey that started in the beautiful college of Santa Marta. 

FRANCESCO BANDINI                                    

I graduated in February 1984 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Manufacturing. Immediately after graduating with honors, my professor (Raffaele Bedini) in collaboration with a Florentine company, E.C.S. (Electronic Control Systems) organized an internship of several months at Cornell University in Ithaca (NY), to continue the work of my thesis, focused on an application software for solid modeling (CAD) and its integration with a mechanical production system (APT).
After this internship, and a brief experience as a mechanical designer, in 1986 I founded together with two of my colleagues a professional technical office, with the aim of providing advice in the field of programming of Numerical Control Machine Tools. From this experience came the idea to develop and market one of our products for the automatic programming of machine tools, and in 1992 we founded AUTON Srl, a company that in 2005 came to have more than 2000 licenses of CAM Auton sold worldwide, and to have 25 employees. That year also saw the acquisition of Auton srl by the DP Technology group, which produced CAM Esprit, our competitor. For more than ten years I stayed at DP Technology as a manager, responsible for the software development of the 5-axis module of Esprit. In 2017 I founded the company VenturaPlus srl, an Innovative Startup with the mission to develop and market software systems for Additive Manufacturing, or 3D printing, both plastic and metal. I have always been in contact with the University of Florence, and in particular with the Department of Mechanics and Industrial Technologies, because I believe that only an academic environment can offer a panoramic view of the frontiers of research worldwide. Since 2008 I have been a contract professor of Manufacturing Studies, which allows me to pass on my work experience to generations of new engineers.

 

 

 

 

 

 
last update: 03-July-2019
UniFI Scuola di Ingegneria Home Page

Back to top