Francesco Durante received his master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of L'Aquila, Italy, in 1992, and received his Ph.D. in Quality Engineering from the University of Florence in 1997. He worked as an Assistant Professor at the University of L'Aquila (2002–2021). He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. His research topics mainly include robotics, bioengineering, pneumatic actuators, and microsystems.