STLab was founded in May 2020, in Catania, Italy, by Dr. Camarda.
Main focus of the company is the development of innovative electronic devices for health applications

DR. MASSIMO CAMARDA received his Master’s degree (cum laude) and his Ph.D. degree in Physics at the University of Catania in 2002 and 2006, respectively. From 2006 to 2014, he worked at CNR-IMM, first as a postdoctoral researcher, later as a senior postdoc. From 2015 to 2019, he continued his scientific work as a Senior Scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. During these years, he developed several novel characterization and fabrication processes for advanced electronic devices, including the world’s first transparent-mode silicon carbide X-ray sensor. This technology, now commercialized by PSI, is widely used in synchrotron facilities across Europe, Japan, and Australia to stabilize X-ray light sources. Dr. Camarda has led and coordinated several international research projects, including major Horizon 2020 initiatives with more than €1.5 million in approved funding, and has established productive collaborations with both academia and industry. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Camarda is the founder of three start-up companies, all active in the health and energy sectors, focused on delivering real-world impact through technological innovation. His primary professional interest lies in technology transfer — bridging the gap between academic research and industrial or clinical application to create measurable benefits for society. Since 2020, he has served as an external consultant for both CNR-IMM (Italy) and PSI (Switzerland). He has co-authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed international journals and is the inventor of more than 10 patent applications. Dr. Camarda is the founder and CEO of STLab

Emeritus Prof. Eng. RONALD PETHIG received his B.Sc. (Eng.) and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southampton, followed by a D.Sc. in Biomolecular Electronics. He later obtained a second Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Nottingham. Over the course of his career, he has held academic positions at the University of Wales, Bangor and the University of Edinburgh, where he served as Professor of Bioelectronics and was named Emeritus Professor. From 2001 to 2003, he was President and CEO of Aura BioSystems Inc., Palo Alto, where he directed business strategy, raised venture capital, and led product development based on his pioneering work in dielectrophoresis. Previously, he was Vice-President for Technology at the same company. His academic leadership includes serving as Director of the Institute of Molecular & Biomolecular Electronics and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Bangor. Dr. Pethig is internationally recognized for his foundational contributions to the theory and applications of dielectrophoresis in biotechnology and medicine. He has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and several seminal books, including Dielectrophoresis: Theory, Methodology and Biological Applications (Wiley, 2017). His scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including the IEEE Innovation Prize, the AES Lifetime Achievement Award (2017), and fellowships from the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Institute of Physics, and the Learned Society of Wales. As of 2025, his work on dielectrophoresis remains the most cited in the field, with multiple former Ph.D. students among the top contributors globally. Dr. Pethig continues to influence the field through writing, mentoring, and scientific advisory roles. From 2025 prof. Pethig is working as Scientific Director for STLab.

PROF. LUIGI FORTUNA received his degree in Electrical Engineering (cum laude) from the University of Catania in 1977. He began his academic career as a researcher in Electronics and became Associate Professor of Automatic Control in 1987. From 1994, he served as Full Professor of System Theory at the University of Catania. Throughout his career, Prof. Fortuna has held several prominent positions, including Director of the Department of Electrical, Electronics, and Systems Engineering, Coordinator of the Ph.D. program in Systems Engineering, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 2005 to 2012. He has also coordinated numerous national and international research projects, collaborating with institutions such as the Joint European Torus (JET), ENEA, and STMicroelectronics. Prof. Fortuna has authored over 700 scientific publications and co-authored 13 books on topics ranging from robust control to nonlinear dynamics and complex systems. His research interests encompass robust control, nonlinear science, chaos theory, cellular neural networks, and soft-computing strategies for control. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and has served in various editorial and organizational roles, including Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems and Chair of international conferences such as CNNA2000 and NDES2000. Currently, Prof. Fortuna is affiliated with STLab.

PROF. GIORGIO IVAN RUSSO received his M.D. degree (cum laude) from the University of Catania in 2011. He completed his residency in Urology at the same institution and obtained a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. Currently, he serves as an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Catania, affiliated with the Department of Surgery. ​ Prof. Russo has enriched his academic and clinical expertise through fellowships at the University of Tartu (Estonia) and the University of Tübingen (Germany). His clinical and research interests encompass urologic oncology, andrology, minimally invasive surgery, and the application of artificial intelligence in urology. He has contributed to over 390 publications and has been cited more than 7,800 times. ​chirmed.unict.itResearchGate. In addition to his academic roles, Prof. Russo is actively involved in various scientific societies. He is a member of the European Association of Urology (EAU), the American Urological Association (AUA), and the Italian Society of Urology (SIU). He has also served on editorial boards for journals such as the International Journal of Impotence Research. Prof. Russo has been recognized with several awards, including the Best Poster Award at the 30th EAU Congress in Madrid (2015) and the Distinguished Lecture Award for contributions to research in urology. Currently, Prof. Russo is acting as external consultant and field-expert for STLab.

DR. SAMUELE MOSCATO received his Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering (University of Catania) in 2020 and his Master’s degree (cum Laude) in Automation Engineering and Control of Complex Systems (University of Catania) in 2022. During various activities, university and not, he dealt with Model Predictive Control System for Two-Phase flow in microfluidics, MEG data Analysis, Central Pattern Generator (CPG) Locomotion control, Smartphone-Based Sensing System, and Chaotic Circuit design and Synchronization. Excellent communication and socialization skills thanks to the voluntary activities carried out at the Italian Red Cross (2017-2021). Attention to detail, ability to work in teams and problem-solving achieved during the different activities. Dr. Moscato is member of the internal R&D team.

 NICCOLÒ LA ROSA received his Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Catania in 2022, followed by a Master’s Degree in Automation Engineering and Control of Complex Systems, graduating cum laude in 2024. His master's thesis focused on the development of a control system for the stabilization of synchrotron X-ray beams, demonstrating early expertise in high-precision mechatronic systems. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Energy Systems, Computer Science, and Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Catania. His research interests include control systems engineering, real-time hardware development, and signal processing, with applications in beam diagnostics and biomedical systems. In 2024, Niccolò collaborated with STLab S.r.l. under a freelance contract, contributing to the development of electronic control systems for X-ray monitoring in synchrotron light microscopy environments. He has also co-authored peer-reviewed publications presented at the Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation Conference (SRI 2024) in Hamburg. Niccolò has gained hands-on experience across a range of digital tools and programming environments, including MATLAB, Simulink, LabVIEW, ROS, and embedded systems with Arduino and PLCs. His work bridges academic innovation and industrial implementation, reflecting his passion for applied research in advanced instrumentation and control. Dr. La Rosa is member of the internal R&D team.

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ANTONINO SALVATORE AMATO is a senior electronics expert, whose main areas of expertise are: low level DC current measurements; field electronics for remote control and beam diagnostics for accelerators and beamlines; low-noise, high-sensitivity electronics for the diagnostics of hadrotherapy beams; high-speed electronics for the diagnostics of laser-driven pulsed beams; electromagnetic compatibility; high voltage and/or high current power supplies; PSPICE simulations of electronic circuits. Mr. Amato has been working at INFN - Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) of Catania since early 1984, he is currently Head of the "Electronics, power converters, diagnostics and automations” department, belonging to the Accelerators Technologies Service. Over the course of his 39 years career at INFN-LNS, he has worked for many projects, among these the most relevant are: the construction and commissioning of the Superconducting Cyclotron K800, which produced the first beam in 1994; the establishment in 2002 of the CATANA protontherapy center, devoted to the treatment of patients suffering ocular tumors; the completion in 2018 of the ELIMED beamline installed at the international laser research center ELI-Beamlines of Prague. Dr. Amato worked for STLab as mentor and tutor of the phD and R&D teams.

DR. CARLA CARUSO got the bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering (University of Catania) in 2022 and is now studying for the master’s degree in Electronic Engineering (University of Catania). During the thesis work she had dealt with the characterization of an ultrasound channel of communication for implantable applications based on the use of piezoelectric transducers working also on the design of feedback amplifiers. Thanks to good high school lessons she has good knowledge of English (B2), German (B1) and Spanish (B1). Proficient in teamwork, thanks to her student representative experience and her volleyball career.  Dr. Caruso worked for STLab as member of the R&D team.

Antonio Barbagallo graduated as an electronics expert from the Archimede Industrial Technical Institute. He developed his work skills with experience as an installer of burglar alarm, photovoltaic and electrical systems. With experience as an operator at ST-microelectronics. Worked on improving his communication skills and teamwork through a series of courses and webinars on sales, communication, marketing and money management. Current student at the Department of Physics and Astronomy in Catania (DFA-UNICT).

DR. ENRICO SANGREGORIO obtained his Master’s Degree in Materials Chemistry in June 2021 with an experimental thesis entitled “Vibrational spectroscopy in molecular ices subjected to irradiation with ionic beams and their application in astrophysics”, a work made in collaboration with the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF). In December 2021 he started the Ph.D course in Materials Science and Nanotechnology at the University of Catania. His research subject involves the development and the characterization of innovative SiC-based X-Ray and neutrons detectors with possible applications in physics, nuclear fusion and nuclear medicine. This project was born from a collaboration between UniCT’s department of Physics and Astronomy, CNR-IMM (Institute of Microelectronics and Microsystem) and STLab (Science and Technology Laboratory). Dr. Sangregorio is member of the phD team.

DR. ANTONINO MANNO got the bachelor’s degree (cum Laude) in Electronic Engineering (University of Catania) in 2022 and is currently a student of the master’s degree in Electronic Engineering (University of Catania). During the thesis work he dealt with the characterization of an AC/DC converter for implantable applications based on the use of ultrasound as a channel of communication, working also on the design of CMOS 350 nm feedback amplifiers. He has had also experience with microcontroller cards such as the arduino and the PIC family microcontrollers, with which he also participated in a national electronics competition in Bergamo. Dr. Mannois member of the R&D team.