Lina Avancini Colucci is the co-founder of Infinity AI, an automated synthetic data company. She previously founded and is currently on the board of EDGE Analytics, a premiere data science and machine learning consulting company. She received her Ph.D. in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics at the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Program. In her PhD, Lina developed algorithms for a novel portable, non-invasive hydration sensor that was published as the cover story of Science Translational Medicine.
Lina graduated from Duke University in Mechanical Engineering with Departmental Distinction. She was one of 30 Robertson Scholars selected every year to receive a full, merit-based scholarship and dual student privileges at both Duke and the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill.
Previously, Lina worked on developing novel ballet pointe shoes in the effort of bringing the 200-year-old piece of equipment into the 21st century. She collaborated with Nike and, when she was 17, Lina was first-author on a peer-reviewed paper about her ballet shoes that was featured on the cover of Ergonomics in Design.
Lina has been a featured speaker on health innovation at various TEDx and SXSW events. She was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, moved extensively between Brazil, Canada and the United States, and has done research in India and Sweden. Lina is also a ballerina, an avid classical and jazz clarinetist, and a lover of art in all forms.
Twitter | YouTube | lina [at] infinity [dot] ai
Featured in the News
“Fluid Dynamics: A Young Virtuoso is a Study in Versatility,” – ASEE Prism
“Working Life: En Pointe,” – Science (shorter version)
“En Pointe,” – Science Careers (longer version)
“How to (seriously) read a scientific paper,” – Science Careers
“How do you hack health care?” MIT News
“Podcast: Exploring the Mindset Behind Big Ideas,” Slice of MIT Podcast by MIT.
“Hacking Medicine to Fix Healthcare.” Real Business (video series). Part 1: https://youtu.be/0c9p3UmZok Part 2: https://youtu.be/zJdwwwXqjS4
“Designing Cool Stuff,” – Distinction: The Scholars Magazine (Inaugural Issue)
Duke Admissions Homepage: Alumni Feature – Duke University Homepage
“The Next Big Thing,” – DMIX Magazine
Talks and Presentations
Colucci, L.A. Pine Health. MIT Delta V Demo Day. Cambridge, MA. ~1000 live audience members. Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjVRVNh2uk4
Colucci, L.A. Magnetic Resonance Methods for Quantifying Fluid Overload Using Portable MR Sensors. Poster presentation at HST Forum. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (2017). Winner of Medical Devices track.
Colucci, L.A. (invited moderator). Women in Healthcare: Why Boston, Why Now, and What Does the Future Look Like? Duke Boston Women’s Forum. Loews Hotel, Boston, MA (2016). ~100 live audience members. One of the largest events the Duke Alumni Women’s group has ever held.
Colucci, L.A., Li, M. Team Poseidon: Novel Non-Invasive Hydration Sensor. Soldier Design Competition, MIT, Cambridge, MA (2016). 3rd place team. Competition for students at MIT and West Point Academy to build better tools for soldiers.
Colucci, L.A. (invited panelist). Career Panel for High School Girls. Summer Pathways in Science and Engineering Program, Boston University, Boston, MA (2016). 25 high school girls interested in exploring science and engineering.
Colucci, L.A. Why I Chose Duke. Blue Devil Days Closing Ceremony, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke, Durham, NC (2016). Invited by Duke Admissions to speak to accepted high school students and their parents. ~800 live audience members.
Graboyes, R., Colucci, L.A., Martin, C. Policies to Promote Health Care Innovation: A Walk on the Supply Side. 32nd NABE Economic Policy Conference. Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C., 2016. Around 50 live audience members. Video: www.linacolucci.com/2016/04/nabe-panel-policies-to-promote-health-care-innovation/
Colucci, L.A. Hacking Medicine: Break it down. Build it up. Make it better. Institute for Health Innovation, Duke University, 2015. Around 50 live audience members. Inspired Duke to run their own health hackathon. See video recording and slides here.
Colucci, L.A. Why We Should All Hack Medicine. TEDxBrussels, December 2014. Brussels, Belgium. Live audience of 2,000 at Bozar Theatre. Over 6,000 views on YouTube. See video here.
Publications and Patents
Colucci, L.A., Li, M., Corapi, K., Allegretti, A., Ahmed, R., Lin, H.Y., Cima, M.J. Development of Relaxometry Methods and Hardware for Routine Determination of Volume Status: Dialysis Pilot Study. Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag Reson. Med., 2016 (24): 2692.
Rowland, C.R., Colucci, L.A., Guilak, F. Fabrication of anatomically-shaped cartilage constructs using decellularized cartilage-derived matrix scaffolds. J. Biomaterials. Advanced online publication as of 9 March 2016. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.03.012. Link
Majmudar M.D., Colucci L.A., Landman A.B. The quantified patient of the future: Opportunities and challenges. Healthcare. 2015;3(3):153–156. pdf
Colucci L.A., Li, M., Cima, M.J. Quantification of Fluid Accumulation in IP Space of Mice using Whole-Body NMR. Proc. Intl. Soc. Mag. Reson. Med., 2015 (23): 3262. pdf
Li, M., Vassiliou, C.C., Colucci, L.A., Cima, M.J. 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a tool to measure dehydration in mice. NMR Biomed. 2015;28(8):1031–1039. pdf
Cima, M.J., Li, M., Colucci, L.A., Vassiliou, C., Tavassolian, N. NMR sensor and methods for rapid, non-invasive determination of hydration state or vascular volume of a subject. U.S. Patent Pending, 2013.
Colucci, L.A. The effects of freeze rate and slurry concentration on stiffness of cartilate-derived matrix scaffolds. Senior Thesis, Mechanial Engineering Department, Duke University. Faculty Advisor: Farshid Guilak. PhD Mentor: Chris Rowland. 2012.
Colucci L.A., Klein, D.E. Development of an Innovative Pointe Shoe. Ergonomics in Design. 2008;16(3):6–12. (Cover story) pdf
EDUCATION
Harvard-MIT Health, Sciences and Technology (HST), Cambridge, MA. PhD candidate in Medical Engineering. | Expected 2018 |
Duke University, Pratt School of Engineering, Durham, NC. BSE Mechanical Engineering. | May 2012 |
Robertson Scholars Program, Joint full-ride merit scholarship and leadership development program at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 30 students are selected each year from the more than 60,000 applications to the schools. Robertson Scholars receive a unique “dual citizenship” at both universities, including coverage of all college costs (tuition, room and board, a laptop, plus a living stipend) and full funding for three summers of global travel, research, and internships. | 2008-2012 |
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden. Semester abroad with coursework in Biomechanics, Product Design and Bionanotechnology. | Spring 2011 |
