Prof Maura Malpetti is a Research Professor in Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and an affiliated principal investigator at the UK Dementia Research Institute. She trained at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (BSc, MSc) before completing her PhD in Clinical Neurosciences at Cambridge, and subsequently held visiting research positions at the University of California San Francisco, and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

Her research focuses on multimodal biomarkers to investigate neuroinflammation, tau pathology, and neurodegeneration in people with frontotemporal dementia and related disorders. Her lab integrates imaging (PET, MRI), fluid biomarkers, and clinical data with neuropathological validation to identify early diagnostic and prognostic markers, and therapeutic targets, as well as to enable patient stratification and support the development of targeted disease-modifying therapies, with a strong emphasis on translational impact.

She is the founder and lead of the Open Network for Frontotemporal Dementia Innovation Research (ON-FIRE), a UK nationwide initiative connecting over 40 UK centres to characterise biomarkers and accelerate clinical research and trial readiness in sporadic frontotemporal dementia.