Cristina Balagna is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Technology at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Technology (2011) and her Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering (2007), both from Politecnico di Torino.

Her main research focuses on the development of antimicrobial and virucidal composite coatings for applications in filtration, high-traffic surfaces, textile and biomedical devices. She has extensive expertise in the characterization and testing of materials such as glass, ceramics, and composites, in the form of films, coatings, and bulk structures.

Prof. Balagna has participated in numerous national and European research projects in collaboration with leading international universities, research centres, and companies. She was Principal Investigator of a European transnational MANUNET project and currently coordinates the EU-funded project NANOBLOC (2023–2026), aimed at designing antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal nanocoatings.

She is the co-author of more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and holds an international patent on antiviral composite coatings, licensed to SMEs.