Alessandro Navacchia

Staff Modeling and Simulation Engineer at Smith & Nephew

Alessandro Navacchia is a highly skilled Staff Modeling and Simulation Engineer at Smith+Nephew, a position he has held since March 2022. His career at the company began as a Senior Programmer Analyst in April 2019, where he focused on multi-body and finite element simulations for knee and hip replacement designs, as well as verification and validation of computational simulations for medical devices.1

Educational Background

Navacchia holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Denver, along with a Master's Degree and Bachelor's Degree in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering from the University of Bologna. His academic achievements include top honors in both his Master's and Bachelor's programs, as well as high scores in his High School studies at Liceo Scientifico.1

Professional Experience

Smith+Nephew:
- Staff Modeling and Simulation Engineer (March 2022 - Present)
- Senior Modeling and Simulation Engineer (Nov 2021 - March 2022)
- Senior Programmer Analyst (April 2019 - Nov 2021)
Mayo Clinic: Research Fellow (Jan 2018 - March 2019)
University of Denver:
- Postdoctoral Fellow (Nov 2016 - Dec 2017)
- Graduate Research Assistant (Sept 2013 - Nov 2016)
Stanford University: OpenSim Visiting Scholar (Aug 2017 - Sept 2017)
Internships: Smith & Nephew and Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli (IOR) focusing on finite element analysis and movement analysis.1

Contributions to the Field

Navacchia has made significant contributions to orthopedic research, particularly in computational modeling to inform medical device design. His work includes developing automated optimization pipelines for finite element models and conducting experimental testing to validate dynamic simulations. He has also been involved in various academic roles, including serving as a member of the Academic Senate at the University of Bologna.1