Dr Domenico Vicinanza

Domenico is a scientist, composer, researcher and public speaker.

[email protected]

Background

Having received his MSc and PhD degrees in physics, Domenico worked as a scientific associate at CERN for seven years. His research there mainly focused on the development of an innovative time-of-flight detector for one of the biggest High-Energy Physics experiments for the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. The detector design was based on Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC), reaching a sensitivity of 70 picoseconds (the highest ever reached) and its use in a large-scale experiment marked an important milestone for particle physics.

As a music composer and researcher in auditory display, Domenico worked with organisations like CERN and NASA, creating music from scientific data. He has been involved in the application of grid technologies for science and the arts since the late 1990s, chairing the ASTRA (Ancient Instrument Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application) project for the reconstruction of musical instruments by means of computer models using the European Grid Infrastructure (EGI.eu).

Domenico's research has been featured in several international peer-reviewed magazines (Physics Letters B, Nuclear Instruments and Methods, European Physics Journal) and in interviews for (among the others): Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times, BBC, CNN, Discovery Channel, Discover magazine, New Scientist and Scientific American.

Domenico is a member of the Computing, Informatics and Applications Research Group.

Research interests

• Data sonification and auditory display
• Data Science
• Nonlinear dynamics and applications in data science
• Analogue and digital electronics
• Audio recording and studio techniques
• Sound synthesis
• Acoustics and psychoacoustics
• Distributed computing and network monitoring

Areas of research supervision

• Data Science
• Human Movement Science
• Creative/Algorithmic Music Writing
• Sound synthesis
• Acoustics
• Mathematical music theory
• Physical modelling

Find out more about our Computing and Information Science PhD and exciting PhD project opportunities.

Teaching

Domenico teaches Data Science and Advanced Time Series Analysis. He previously taught Microprocessor Systems Design, Audio Technology, Sound Synthesis, Acoustics, Psychoacoustics, Architectural Acoustics, Circuits and Algorithm for Sound Processing, Multimedia and Web Technology, and Mathematics of Synthesis of Sound.

Qualifications

• PhD Physics, Ultrarelativistic Heavy-ion Physics with ALICE TOF detector, University of Salerno, Italy, 2002
• MSc Physics (Laurea cum Laude) 100% with distinction, University of Salerno, Italy, 1998
• ITILv3 (License ITIL/022971 January 2009) certified
• Specialist Certificate in Orchestration for Film and Television (GPA 4.0, 100%), Berklee College of Music, 2014

Memberships, editorial boards

• Member, British Science Association
• Member, Association of International Product Marketing & Management
• Member, IET
• Member, Independent Society of Musicians

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Consultancy

• Network Performing Art Production Workhop 2015, Member of the Programme Committee
• International Conference on Auditory Display 2015, Member of the Paper Committee
• Sound and Music Computing 2014 and International Computer Music Conference 2014: Paper Committee member
• XX CIM 2014: Programme Committee member
• 2010 Sound and Music Computing 2010 (SMC2010): Senior Programme Committee member
• 2011 Sound and Music Computing 2011 (SMC2011): Programme Committee member
• 2012 Sound and Music Computing 2012 (SMC2012): Programme Committee member
• 2006 Member of the Program Committee of the International Computer Music Conference 2006 (ICMC 2006), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
• 2006 Member of the Scientific Committee of the Sound and Music Computing International Conference 2006 (SMC 2006), Marseille, France
• 2005 Co-organizer and member of the Scientific Committee of the Sound and Music Computing International Conference 2005 (SMC 2005), Salerno, Italy
• 2003-2004 Co-organizer of the Musiche Inaudite computer music festival
• 2005 Co-organizer of Night of Music and Sounds (Notte della Musica e dei Suoni) at the Istitute Francais de Naples, Ambassade de France en Italie

Awards and prices

• Anglia Ruskin University Faculty Award for the category Individual Award for External Profile Raising “ in recognition of outstanding and distinguished contribution
• University of Exeter Art Fellowship/Artistic Residence (2019/20)
• Anglia Ruskin University Teaching Fellowship (2020)
• TOYP (The Outstanding Young Persons) 2009 for the category Research for combining Science and Art, awarded by the Junior Chamber International Italy and nominated for the world TOYP prize.
• Robert Hofstadter Awards at International School of Particle Physics Erice (2000)
• Best Original Experimental Work at International School of Particle Physics Erice (2001)

• Best Poster and Best demo at EGI Community Forum in Munich, 2012
• The work about using advanced network for music and arts was mentioned during Viviane Reding opening speech (EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media), in Bled, Slovenia, 31 March 2008
• Co-founder of the MusicaInaudita Sound Laboratory  and member of the Sound Synthesis Research Group, University of Salerno
• Member of the Offline Board of the CERN scientific experiment ALICE (as spokesman of the Salerno-Bologna-Moscow Collaboration), 1999-2002
• Co-responsible of the software simulation of the Time Of Flight Detector of the ALICE experiment at CERN, 1999-2002

Research achievements

• R&D of ALICE Time-of-Flight detector at CERN, one of the fastest time-of-flight detectors (using Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers)
• Reconstruction of an ancient musical instrument using archaeological information and physical modeling. Set up in 2006 a multi-disciplinary research team called ASTRA (Ancient instruments Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application) which has recreated the sounds of the harp-like Epigonion, a stringed musical instrument from Ancient Greece and has performed one of the oldest known musical scores dating back to the Middle Ages. The ASTRA team successfully compiled the sound of the Epigonion in 2007. Interviewed by The Times and by BBC Radio 4. The results have been demonstrated to the European Commission at the EU ICT conference in Lyon (25/11/2008), and during the Terena Conference (networking the networker) 2009 in Malaga, where a concert for Epigonion and string quartet was organised
• Creation of new sound synthesis methods based on mathematical modeling. Synthesis by means of elliptic functions, synthesis by means of nowhere continuous functions and synthesis using lacunary functions have been presented in 2004 at the Digital Audio Effects conference in 2004. A synthesis method based on arcs on the unit circle has been presented at Digital Audio Effects conference in 2005
• Scientific and artistic work commissioned by CERN in Geneva for the 60th anniversary of the lab: music piece using data collected by the four biggest experiments at the Large Hadron Collider and create an orchestral piece for a VIP audience which includes the head of states of the 21 CERN member states
• Developed an original scientific data sonification, working on volcano sonifications in 2006 as a technique to help scientists predict volcanic eruptions
• Part of a scientific team working on improving cancer detection using sound analysis and feature extraction on Infrared Spectra of human tissues. The results have been presented at the International Conference on Auditory Display in 2014

Selected recent publications

Domenico is the author of more than 130 published papers (full list on SPIRES database). This is a selection:

Wyatt, H. E., Vicinanza, D., Newell, K.M. et al. (2021) 'Bidirectional causal control in the dynamics of handstand balance', Sci Rep. 11, pp. 405. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79730-z

Guerra, J., Smith, L., Vicinanza, D., Stubbs, B., Veronese, N. and Williams, G. K. R. (2020) 'The use of sonication for physiotherapy in human movement tasks: a scoping review', Science and Sports. ISSN 0765-1597. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2019.12.004

Diss, C., Vicinanza, D., Smith, L., and Williams, G. (2019) 'Lower limb tri- joint synchrony during running gait: A longitudinal age-based study', Human Movement Science. ISSN 1872-7646.

Smith, L., Stubbs, B., Hu, L., Veronese, N., Vancampfort, D., Williams, G., Vicinanza, D., Jackson, S., Ying, L., López Sánchez, G. F. and Yang, L. (2019) 'Is active transport and leisure time physical activity associated with inflammatory markers in US adults: Cross-sectional analyses from NHANES', Journal of Physical Activity and Health. ISSN 1543-5474.

Vicinanza, D., Newell, K. M., Irwin, G., Smith, L. and Williams, G. K. R. (2018) ;Limit cycle dynamics of the gymnastics longswing', Human Movement Science, 57, pp. 217-226. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2017.12.014

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G. K. R. (2018). 'Coordination in gait: Demonstration of a spectral approach', Journal of Sports Sciences, 36(15), pp. 1768- 1775. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2017.1416974

López Sánchez, G., Williams, G. K. R., Aggio, D., Vicinanza, D., Stubbs, B., Kerr, C., Johnstone, J., Roberts, J. and Smith, L. (2017) 'Prospective associations between measures of gross and fine motor coordination in infants and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior in childhood', Medicine, 94(46), e8424-e8424.

Avanzo S., Barbera R., De Mattia F., Rocca G. L., Sorrentino M. and Vicinanza D. (2010) 'The ASTRA (Ancient instruments Sound/Timbre Reconstruction Application) Project brings history to life!' In: Lin S. and Yen E. (Eds) Managed Grids and Cloud Systems in the Asia-Pacific Research Community. Boston, MA: Springer.

Recent presentations and conferences

Wyatt, H.; Vicinanza, D; Newell, K.; Irwin, G.; and Williams, G. (2020) "DYNAMICS OF HANDSTAND BALANCE," Proceedings of ISBS2020, https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol38/iss1/232

Amirpourabasi, A.; Chow, J. Y., Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, (2020) "INFLUENCE OF CALCULATION PARAMETERSON NONLINEAR DYNAMICS MEASURES," Proceedings of ISBS2020, https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol38/iss1/180

Burton, S.; Newell, K.; Vicinanza, D. Dr; Exell, T.; Irwin, G.; and William, G., (2020) "DYNAMICS OF A CYCLIC TASK BEFORE AND AFTER A CHANGE IN TASK CONSTRAINT: HORIZONTAL BAR LONGSWING," Proceedings of ISBS2020, https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol38/iss1/166

Burton, S. and Vicinanza, D. and Exell Timothy and Williams, Genevieve and Newell, Karl and Irwin, Gareth (2019) Limit cycle dynamics across elite male artistic gymnasts. Proceedings of ISBS2019. Accepted for publication on Journal of Sport Science

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, Presentation and live sonication with "Jamming with the Universe" (23/07/2016)

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, "Where data sonication and sports medicine meet", contribution to an EC magazine, CONNECT (Issue number 23), https://www.geant.org/News_and_Events/CONNECT/Pages/Where-data-sonification-and-sports-medicine-meet.aspx

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, "Sonication, remote sensing and research & education networks in sport science and rehabilitations", Proceedings of the TNC2016 Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, https://tnc16.geant.org/core/presentation/729

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, "Data sonication enters the biomedical field", International Journal of High Energy Physics (CERN Courier), Vol 56, Number 2, March 2016, https://cerncourier.com/a/data-sonification-enters-the-biomedical-field/

A. Neely, G.K.R. Williams, D. Vicinanza, Sonification as a method to distinguish the isometric force of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to control participants, Proceedings of the ICTR-PHE Conference 2016, Geneva, Switzerland

Vicinanza, G.K.R. Williams, Sonification to investigate gait transition, Proceedings of the ICTR-PHE 2016 Conference, Geneva, Switzerland

Vicinanza, G.K.R. Williams, Sonification, remote sensing and research & education networks in sport science and rehabilitations, Proceedings of the TNC2016 Conference (2016)

Vicinanza, D., "Creating Interactive Art with Prototype Boards and R&E Networks", Proceedings of TNC2015 Conference, Porto, Portugal, https://tnc15.terena.org/core/presentation/164

Invitation to speak

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, Invited keynote speech at the 26^th IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics in Edinburgh, June 2017.

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, "Music, Moving Bodies and Scientific Data", Transformation: Body, Mind and Society Symposium, ARU, Cambridge (12/05/2017)

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, "Exploring science with sound, sonication and the use of sonograms as data analysis tool", CERN colloquium (26/01/2017), https://indico.cern.ch/event/605965/ 

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, Invited speech and sonication of biomechanical data for live performance (world first flute-flautist duet) at the ICTR-PHE conference in Geneva, Feb 2016 https://cds.cern.ch/record/2132372?ln=en

Invited speaker at the CoDE Conference (Anglia Ruskin University), Cambridge, UK, 13 May 2016

Invited speaker at the Audio Engineering Society, (January 2016), Cambridge UK

Invited speaker at the IEEE UK and Northern Ireland Branch, (December 2015), Cambridge UK

Invited keynote speaker at the annual conference of DeIC (October 2015), the Danish e-Infrastructure Cooperation, part of the Ministry of Education and Research, Middelfart, Denmark.

European Commission, ICT 2015, Lisbon – Demonstration of the first application of auditory display in stem-cell classification for cancer research with potential application to real-time detection of cancerous tissues.

Invited speaker at the EU STARTS (Science, Technology and the Arts) Symposium held in Brussels on 22-23 June 2015,

Invited speaker at the STARTS (Science and Technology for the Arts) symposium in Brussels, 22-23 June 2015, an event aimed at exploring the catalytic role of the Arts for innovation in business, industry and society and how to foster it. The meeting was organised by the European Commission and the audience included ministries from different countries, Carlos Zorrinho (MEP), Zoran Stančič , Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG CONNECT. My intervention included a presentation and a live sonification demonstration based on microcontrollers on stage.

Artistic Work/Commissions

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, Sonification of Mars data to create smartphone ringtones (2020). NASA Ames Research Centre Commission, https://www.nas.nasa.gov/SC20/digitalswag.html#ringtones

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, Sonification of Yellowstone’s Geyser. Music from Yellowstone National Park geysers, fumaroles and mudpots. BBC Documentary (Radio 4). To be aired by BBC in Feb 2021. Some excerpts, audio files and scores available on request.

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, Sonication of Sir Tim Berners-Lee's original Web proposal created by CERN Commission (12/03/2019), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTPDjNqWd90, https://web30.web.cern.ch/sonication  

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, (2018) The Sound of 5000th Mars Sunrise (NASA Commission), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loXhsglsG-w , https://www.nas.nasa.gov/SC18/, https://impact.geant.org/portfolio/mars/

Vicinanza, D. and Williams, G.K.R, (2018) The Longest Day (BBC Commission), https://aru.figshare.com/articles/composition/The_Longest_Day/23777484

Vicinanza, D., Music for CERN Official Video: "Fast Forward to Physics" based on sonication of ATLAS Experiment Data (May 2016), https://cds.cern.ch/record/2018441?ln=en

Vicinanza, D., Composition and live performance based on new LHC Hi-Luminosity data, in celebration of the HL-LHC’s new status as a CERN-“approved” construction project. Pathé Balexert, Geneva (02/11/2015), http://cds.cern.ch/journal/CERNBulletin/2015/45/News%20Articles/2062983

Blatter, A., Cherston, J., Hill, E. and Vicinanza, D., "Physics of music and music of physics", presentation and live performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival using real-time sonication of scientific data coming from CERN (09/07/2015), http://mjf2015.web.cern.ch/mjf2015/

Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft duet – NASA Commission (Nov 2014), https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/22/space-voyager-music-solar-system

Music for CERN 60th Anniversary. CERN Commission, performed by the EU Youth Orchestra and conducted by V.Ashkenazi (Oct 2014), https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26x6e9

LHChamber Music for CERN 60th Anniversary – CERN Commission to promote collaboration and diversity (Sep 2014), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPmQcviT-R4