Luca Finelli

Dr. Luca Finelli is a visionary leader in data science and digital innovation, currently serving as the VP and Global Head of Digital Endpoints and Patient Centered Solutions at Roche/Genentech. With over two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, Luca has driven transformative AI and digital initiatives across research, development, commercial, and corporate functions, notably during his long tenure at Novartis.
At Roche for the past 2.5 years, Luca spearheads a dedicated unit focused on developing and deploying digital and AI/ML-based solutions to accelerate R&D, particularly in clinical trial design, execution, and interpretation. His leadership skillfully combines technical expertise with a profound commitment to patient-centered digital health.
Prior to his impactful pharmaceutical career, he was a Research Fellow in Computational Neuroscience at the Salk Institute, working with Prof. Terry Sejnowski. Luca’s journey into computational intelligence began in the early nineties, exploring neural networks during his MSc in Theoretical Physics. He later earned his PhD by integrating Big Data, Imaging, Data Science, and Medicine, both degrees conferred by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich.