Until  recently, Professor Antonio Di Ieva had dubbed himself “the neurosurgeon with a suitcase”, having worked in countries across three continents.

But something about Australia has obviously struck a cord, with the ARC Future Fellow going on four years at Macquarie University and becoming an Australian citizen only a few weeks ago.

1. Something you’d like staff to know about
I have been working in the fields of neurosurgery, clinical and computational neurosciences for the last 20 years. The establishment of the Computational NeuroSurgery (CNS) Lab here at Macquarie is the realisation of a vision that I have had for a long time, and the beginning of a new long and thrilling journey.

2. Something you feel proud of
Receiving a ARC Future Fellowship, which is seldom awarded to surgeons, or medical doctors in general. In the machine vision project, I feel proud to have created a new translational stream of research and a new team of enthusiastic researchers.
Read about Professor Di Ieva’s ARC-funded work in The Lighthouse >>

3. What you need to do your best work
Lack of routine, personal satisfaction and being surrounded by accomplished, curious and enthusiastic people.

4. The coolest bit of equipment you use in your work
The fluorescence filter in the surgical microscope. When a tumour shines up, it’s screaming “I am here, take me out!”. If the tumour glows pink, I perform what I like to call a ‘pinkectomy’.

5. Something people usually ask you when they find out what you do for living
“Do you always find a brain in there?”

6. Something you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you
“Machines will not replace physicians, but physicians using Artificial Intelligence will soon replace those not using it”. I wrote this sentence in The Lancet, but it has been quoted so many times over the last few months, it’s starting to impact me professionally.

7. Your definition of success
A perfect compromise between personal and professional life.

8. A personal quality you value in others
Curiosity and initiative – they are becoming black pearls nowadays.

9. What you like about where you live
I moved from Whale Beach, where we used to see whales and dolphins from our terrace, to St Ives, where every day some wallabies come to visit us in our garden. The most Aussie experiences ever!

10. I’m happiest when…
My patients go home well after surgery, as I did my best to improve their quality of life.