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About

Dr. Rebecca Napolitano is a leading researcher at the intersection of structural engineering, computer vision, and heritage science. Her work focuses on advancing structural health monitoring (SHM) and non-destructive evaluation, particularly for aging and historic infrastructure. She is best known for her contributions to next-generation SHM systems, as evidenced by her highly cited 2023 roadmap paper (73 citations), which outlines critical measurement technologies for automating condition assessments of large-scale civil and aerospace structures. Dr. Napolitano also pioneers the integration of human expertise into autonomous inspection systems. Her innovative study using eye-tracking technology to analyze inspector gaze patterns during facade inspections (9 citations) provides a data-driven framework for teaching robots how experts visually assess structural damage. This work bridges cognitive science and engineering, enabling more intuitive and situationally-aware robotic inspections. Beyond her technical contributions, Dr. Napolitano is a recognized advocate for preserving cultural heritage through engineering, applying her methods to historic masonry and monuments. Her research has significant implications for making infrastructure monitoring safer, more efficient, and more intelligent.