Andrea Falini is a Full Professor of Neuroradiology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (School of Medicine). He holds leadership roles including Head of the Neuroradiology Department at the Scientific Institute S. Raffaele Hospital and Head of the Advanced Diagnostic in Neuro-oncology Unit. His career spans clinical, academic, and administrative roles since 1991, with extensive experience in neuroradiology, neuro-oncology, and neuroimaging research. Education: MD (1986, University of Milan), PhD in Neurological Sciences (1989), and specialized training in Neurology and Radiology at leading institutions, including a visiting scholar position at UCSF (1996). Research interests focus on advanced MRI techniques, neuro-oncology, neurodegenerative diseases, and cognitive neuroscience. His work emphasizes functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and clinical applications in glioma management and neurodegenerative disorders. Awarded the 1989 'De Visart' Prize and grants supporting his international collaborations. He has authored 218+ peer-reviewed articles, with an H-index of 40+, and actively contributes to academic committees and international conferences. Leadership roles include Vice-Director of the Neuroscience Division (2014–present) and coordination of the BraiMap Research Program. His academic teaching spans neuroradiology, biomedical engineering, and cognitive neuroscience courses.
Giuseppe Bruno Averta is a Fixed-term Researcher at the Department of Control and Computer Science (DAUIN), Polytechnic University of Turin, and a member of the Interdepartmental Center SmartData@PoliTO - Big Data and Data Science Laboratory. He is affiliated with the College of Computer, Film and Mechatronics Engineering and contributes to national and international research in artificial intelligence and robotics. Averta has held a Visiting Researcher position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from January to June 2019. His research interests include Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Robotics, Neural Architecture Search, Egocentric Vision, Embodied Intelligence (Edge/Tiny ML), and Human-Robot Collaboration . His work is aligned with ERC sectors in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Robotics, and contributes to UN SDGs such as Good Health and Well-being, Industry Innovation and Infrastructure, and Responsible Consumption and Production. The recent publication trends highlight his focus on vision-language models (e.g., CLIP), egocentric action recognition, efficient neural architectures (e.g., BiSeNet, MaskFormer), and robust deep learning. His research bridges theoretical advances with practical robotics applications, including grasping and manipulation. Scientific Awards and Recognitions: Georges Giralt PhD Award (euRobotics AISBL, 2021) Wiley Best Reviewer (Wiley, Italy, 2021) Best Paper Award, ICUMT 2015 (2017) Fellow, ELLIS Network of Excellence (2022–) Fellow, DAAD AInet (2022–) DAAD AInet Fellowship Advising and Grants : Averta supervises multiple PhD students in the Artificial Intelligence and Computer and Systems Engineering doctoral programs at Politecnico di Torino. He is involved in teaching at both the master’s and doctoral levels, including courses on Robot Learning and Machine Learning and Deep Learning. He is also a co-inventor on a national and international patent for a method and algorithm for the automatic design of neural networks through machine learning, indicating active research funding and innovation. Labs and Research Groups : He is a member of the SmartData@PoliTO center and contributes to research in the VANDAL PoliTO lab (as indicated by his student Davide Buoso). His work is deeply integrated with teams working on egocentric vision, embodied AI, and neural architecture search.
Diego Calvanese is a Full Professor in Computer Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. He serves as Spokesperson of the Institute of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence and Director of the Smart Data Factory technology transfer lab at NOI Techpark. As Coordinator of the Intelligent Integration and Access to Data (In2Data) research group, part of the Research Centre for Knowledge and Data (KRDB), he leads significant research initiatives in knowledge representation and data management. Calvanese's research focuses on virtual knowledge graphs for data access and integration, ontology-based data access, description logics, semantic web technologies, graph data management, and verification of data-aware processes. His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications through the Ontop framework, which enables SPARQL query answering over OWL 2 QL ontologies connected to external data sources. His research has substantial practical impact, powering the South Tyrol Open Data Hub Knowledge Graph and supporting numerous European and national research projects. With more than 400 refereed publications and over 39,000 citations (h-index 80), Calvanese's recent work demonstrates continued leadership in virtual knowledge graphs, ontology-based data federation, explainable AI through knowledge representation, and integration of complex data types including 3D city models and raster data. His publications show a clear trajectory from theoretical foundations toward increasingly practical and applied research addressing real-world data integration challenges across multiple domains. ACM Fellow (2019) EurAI Fellow (2015) AAIA Fellow Program Chair of PODS 2015 and KR 2020 General Chair of ESSLLI 2016 Calvanese has secured significant research funding through numerous competitive projects including EU H2020 INFRAEOS Project (INODE), Italian PRIN Project (HOPE), FESR Project (IDEE), and EU FP7 IP Project (Optique), totaling close to 6.4M Euro. As an originator and co-founder of Ontopic, the first spin-off of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, he has successfully translated research into commercial applications. He serves as Associate Editor of Artificial Intelligence (AIJ) and has participated in over 200 program committee roles for international conferences. As Director of the Smart Data Factory technology transfer lab and coordinator of the In2Data research group, Calvanese bridges academic research with industry applications, focusing on practical implementations of knowledge graph technologies. His work with the KRDB Research Center has established Bozen-Bolzano as a significant hub for knowledge representation and data management research in Europe.
Giacomo Fiumara is an Associate Professor at the University of Messina, Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Physical Sciences and Earth Sciences. He holds academic rank since October 2021. Previously, he served as a Permanent Researcher (2008–2021) and secondary school teacher (1997–2008). He earned a Doctorate in Physics (1993) and a Degree in Physics (1989), both from the University of Messina. He is an associate member of the Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti and qualified as an associate professor in INF/01 and ING-INF/05 sectors. His research focuses on social network analysis, network science, data science, criminal networks, knowledge representation, bioinformatics, and computational modeling. He has supervised over 170 theses and advised PhD students in Mathematics and Computational Sciences. Key collaborations include work with Prof. Pasquale De Meo on criminal networks and complex systems, and international projects with institutions in the US, UK, China, and Australia. Teaching includes courses on Algorithms, Data Structures, Bioinformatics, and Machine Learning across Computer Science, Engineering, and Medical programs since 2000. He also contributed to international programs at Lviv Polytechnic, Birzeit University, Cluj-Napoca, and Murcia. His editorial roles include Associate Editor of IEEE Access and Academic Editor of Complexity. He holds a patent for predictive analysis of criminal organizations' social structures and has received FFABR research funding. Key awards include FFABR funding (2017) and recognition in the FFABR Unime 2020 II edition. He organized conferences like Crimenet 2014 and participated in high-profile events such as the 2022 Complex Networks conference in Palermo, presenting on quantum walks for criminal network analysis.
Maiko Favaro is a Type B Researcher at Sapienza University of Rome's Department of Modern Literature and Culture, having joined in August 2022 through the 'Rita Levi Montalcini' Young Researcher Program. Previously, she served as Assistant of Italian Literature at Université de Fribourg from 2017 to 2022 and held prestigious fellowships including a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship at Freie Universität Berlin. Her academic journey began with a Perfezionamento in Literary and Philological Disciplines from Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (2014), preceded by a Laurea Specialistica in Italian Language and Literature from Università di Pisa (2007), where she graduated with highest honors. Her educational path also included research periods at Harvard University, École Normale Supérieure in Paris and Lyon, and Université de Fribourg. Favaro's research focuses on Italian Renaissance literature with particular emphasis on heroic virtue in Renaissance literature, Petrarchism, and the reception of Dante. Her work explores the intersections between philosophical thought, literary representation, and cultural context in sixteenth and seventeenth century Italy. She has made significant contributions to understanding the representation of heroes in Renaissance epic, the topos of lovers' separation, and the role of women in Renaissance dialogues. Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly productivity across multiple formats including monographs, edited volumes, and journal articles. Recent work shows increasing focus on Torquato Tasso's prose works, Renaissance philosophical dialogues, and the Friulian literary tradition. Her scholarship often bridges literary analysis with intellectual history and philosophical inquiry. Premio Tasso 2016 for her article on heroic virtue Canadian Society for Italian Studies Award 2011 Premio di laurea from Società Filologica Friulana Favaro has secured significant research funding including the competitive 'Rita Levi Montalcini' fellowship, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (which she declined). She serves on multiple editorial boards including 'Letteratura cavalleresca italiana' and 'Rivista di letteratura tardogotica e quattrocentesca', and has organized international conferences on Renaissance literature. Her current research continues to explore heroic virtue in Italian Renaissance literature while expanding into Friulian literary traditions and Dante reception.
Ida Zilio-Grandi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Asian and North African Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where she specializes in Arabic Language and Literature (SSD L/OR-12). She also holds teaching responsibilities in Islamic Thought and Theology (SSD L/OR-10) and has been actively involved in multiple interdisciplinary programs, including Master’s degrees in Interfaith Dialogue, Islamic Philosophy, and Mediterranean Studies. From 2019 to 2023, she served as Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Abu Dhabi under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reflecting her deep engagement with cultural diplomacy. Education Graduated in Oriental Languages and Literatures (Arabic) from Ca' Foscari University of Venice. PhD in “Studies on the Middle East and the Maghreb from the founding of Islam to the Present day” at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. Research Interests Her scholarly work centers on Quranic studies, Islamic ethics, and Arabic literature. She investigates religious figures in the Quran (e.g., Mary, Cain, Pharaoh, Jonah), Islamic moral concepts such as gratitude (šukr), patience (ṣabr), tolerance, and mercy, and the ethical dimensions of employment, speech, and hospitality. Her research draws on classical exegesis, adab literature, and contemporary Islamic thought, bridging historical analysis with modern applications. She also explores interfaith dialogue, particularly between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and cultural relations between the Islamic world and the West. Publication Trends Her recent publications (2020–2025) reflect a sustained focus on Islamic virtues, ethics, and Quranic interpretation. These include monographs on the moral life of Muslims, studies on Sufism in the UAE, Abraham’s legacy, and environmental ethics in Islam. Her work combines rigorous philological analysis with philosophical insight, often published in high-impact journals and academic volumes. Scientific Service and Recognition Member of the “Committee for Islam in Italy” at the Ministry of Interior (since 2015). Member of the Scientific Committee of the “Dialogue méditerranéen sur la modernité et le religieux” at Collège des Bernardins, Paris. Sits on the editorial boards of Annali di Ca’ Foscari , Islamo-Christiana , and L’opera Comune . Invited Researcher at the Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica (PISAI), Rome (since 2017). Advising, Grants, and Leadership She has coordinated several Master’s programs at Ca' Foscari, including the LM “Languages, Economies and Societies of Asia and Mediterranean Africa (LEISAAM)” and the international LM “MIM – Crossing the Mediterranean.” She is the Erasmus+ Coordinator for partnerships with the University of Jordan and Mohammed V University in Rabat. She led the research project The Languages of the Absolute (2011–2015), funded by Ca' Foscari University. Though no formal students are listed, her mentorship is evident through her academic leadership and editorial roles. Labs and Research Groups She is affiliated with several research centers, including the Ca' Foscari Center for Studies on Human Rights (CESTUDIR), the Center for Contemporary Middle East Studies (CEM), and the Religion, Law and Economy in the Mediterranean Area Center (REDESM). She is also a member of the Arab-Christian Research Group (GRAC) and the Lay Association for Biblical Culture “Biblia.”
Germain Gauthier is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University. His work bridges economics and political science with a focus on political economy, public economics, and machine learning methods. He develops AI tools for social scientists, particularly for analyzing unstructured data like texts and images. Ph.D. in Economics, Ecole Polytechnique (2018–2023) Postdoctoral Researcher, ETH Zürich (2023) M.Sc. in Analysis and Policy in Economics, Paris School of Economics (2017–2018) M.Sc. in Quantitative Economics, HEC Paris (2013–2017) His research spans two main areas: applied studies on digital technologies' societal consequences (e.g., X's algorithms, #MeToo's impact) and methodological innovations in machine learning for social science data. Recent publications include work on protest dynamics, inequality, and narrative extraction from texts. Key trends in his publications include: Machine learning applications to political and economic analysis Text mining for social science narratives Empirical studies on protest movements and digital governance Algorithmic bias in labor markets Economic policy evaluation using big data He has received significant funding: Swiss National Sciences Foundation Grant (300K CHF, 2023–2026) Swiss National Sciences Foundation Grant (100K CHF, 2020) Laboratoire d’Excellence Ph.D. Grant (2018–2023) He teaches courses on Public Finance (Bocconi) and Text as Data for Social Sciences (LMU München), and has developed open-source software packages like relatio and DeepLatent for text analysis and latent variable modeling.
Gias Uddin is an Associate Professor at York University's Lassonde School of Engineering and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary . His research bridges Software Engineering (SE) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) , focusing on AI Trustworthiness Assessment (SE4AI) and AI-Driven Productivity Tools (AI4SE) . PhD in Software Engineering & AI, McGill University (2018) MSc in Software Engineering, Queen’s University (2008) BSc in Computer Science & Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (2004) His research explores: Metamorphic Relations for LLM Hallucination Detection AI-Enhanced Software Documentation Foundational Models for Runtime System Modernization Developer-Centric AI Tooling Recent article trends show expertise in LLM Trustworthiness , Low-Code Platforms , and IoT Developer Communities . Awards include Distinguished Paper at FSE 2025 , multiple IBM Champion recognitions, and York Research Award . He leads the Data Intensive Software Analytics (DISA) Lab and mentors PhD students in SE-AI Intersections .
Marcella Menegale is an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Linguistic and Cultural Studies at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. She is affiliated with the Research Institute for Digital and Cultural Heritage. Her teaching responsibilities include courses on instructional design for language education, theories of language education, and multilingualism, across various degree programs such as Master’s in Languages and Civilizations, and Language Sciences. Her research focuses on multilingual education frameworks (CLIL, intercomprehension), learner autonomy, digital tools in language learning, and well-being in educational contexts. She has contributed to EU-funded projects like DigLit (combating social inequalities via digital tools) and EVAL-IC (evaluating intercomprehension skills). She has also served as an expert evaluator for the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 and ANVUR’s research evaluations. Key research areas include CLIL methodology, learner autonomy development, and the integration of technology in language pedagogy. She collaborates with international teams on projects like Transition from Secondary School CLIL to University EMI (funded by the British Council). Her work bridges theory and practice, addressing challenges in second-language teaching and digital-age curricula.
Alberto Monge Roffarello is an Assistant Professor (RTDb) at the Department of Control and Computer Engineering (DAUIN), Politecnico di Torino, where he is a member of the e-Lite Research Group. He teaches courses including Human-AI Interaction, Digital Wellbeing, and Web Applications across multiple degree programs such as Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Film and Media Engineering. His research centers on Human-Computer Interaction, with a strong focus on Digital Wellbeing and End-User Development in the Internet of Things . He investigates how users can personalize smart environments through trigger-action programming and how design patterns in digital interfaces—such as Infinite Scroll and Never-Ending Autoplay—exploit psychological vulnerabilities to capture attention. His work aims to empower users with tools for self-control, meaningful interaction, and habit mitigation. The recent publications highlight a consistent trajectory in digital self-control tools , attention-aware design , and semantic recommendation systems for IoT. His research bridges theoretical analysis with practical tools, including conversational agents (HeyTAP), debugging platforms (EUDebug, My IoT Puzzle), and ontologies (EUPont) to lower the barrier for non-technical users. Scientific contributions include: Systematic review of digital self-control tools (TOCHI 2022) Typology of Attention-Capture Damaging Patterns (CHI 2023) Design frameworks for meaningful interactions (AVI 2022) Behavioral interventions for smartphone habits (TiiS 2021) He actively supervises PhD students—Francesca Russo, Robert Everett Schwartz, and Luca Scibetta—on topics ranging from AI for education to digital wellbeing in high-schools. His work is supported by competitive research projects such as EMPATHY - Empathetic Mobility Platform . He has contributed to multiple national and international collaborations, notably with Santa Clara University (USA). Alberto leads and participates in research initiatives within the e-Lite - Intelligent and Interactive Systems group, focusing on intelligent interfaces, user empowerment, and ethical design. His lab develops tools that translate high-level user intentions into executable IoT rules, promote digital literacy, and support conscious technology use.
Federica Burini is a Full Professor of Geography at the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the University of Bergamo . She serves as Scientific Coordinator of the Imago Mundi Lab, member of the Center for Territorial Studies, and Scientific Director of OrobieLab. Her academic career spans participatory processes, collaborative mapping, and sustainable territorial regeneration. Full Professor of Geography Imago Mundi Lab Coordinator Center for Territorial Studies member OrobieLab Scientific Director Research Focus : Federica specializes in participatory geography through collaborative mapping techniques for environmental governance in both rural and urban contexts. Her work emphasizes sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa and European mountainous regions, with particular attention to landscape valorization via participatory processes and responsible tourism. Key projects include digital co-mapping initiatives for community engagement and territorial regeneration. Participatory mapping tools Sustainable tourism frameworks Mountainous area development Rural community empowerment Digital geospatial applications Landscape perception studies Publications : Recent works explore digital collaborative mapping tools (2024), industrial heritage interpretation for slow tourism (2024), and water resource-driven community regeneration (2024). Earlier contributions examine pandemic impacts on tourism (2020) and participatory cartography methodologies (2016). Her research consistently bridges geographical theory with practical territorial governance solutions.
Salvatore Ruggieri is a Full Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Pisa, where he teaches in the Master Programme in Data Science and Business Informatics. He is affiliated with the KDD LAB, a joint research group of ISTI-CNR and the University of Pisa, and actively contributes to national and European AI initiatives such as XAI, NoBIAS, TAILOR, and SoBigData.eu. His research focuses on data mining and knowledge discovery, with a strong emphasis on ethical AI. Key areas include discrimination discovery and prevention, fairness, privacy, explainable AI (XAI), causal inference, and classification algorithms. He has led significant projects such as ENFORCE, a national FIRB project on legal and computational enforcement of non-discrimination and privacy rights in ICT systems (2010–2014), and has served as program chair for the XIII Italian Symposium on Artificial Intelligence (2014). The recent publications (2018–2023) highlight a consistent trend in interpretable and fair machine learning, including selective classification, stability of interpretable models, and causal reasoning for fairness. His work often involves collaboration with leading researchers like Dino Pedreschi and Riccardo Guidotti, and appears in top venues such as AAAI, IEEE TKDE, and WIREs. His scientific honors include the award for the best Ph.D. thesis in Theoretical Computer Science from the Italian Chapter of EATCS. Best Ph.D. Thesis in Theoretical Computer Science, Italian Chapter of EATCS He advises and collaborates with numerous researchers in the KDD LAB and has contributed to major grants and research initiatives in AI and data science. He is involved in educational programs, including the National Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence - Society, and promotes interdisciplinary research at the intersection of computer science, law, and ethics. Ruggieri is a member of the KDD LAB, where he leads research in ethical and transparent AI. He is also part of large collaborative networks such as SoBigData.eu and HumanE-AI-Net, which aim to build socially responsible and human-centered AI systems.
Dr. Anh Nguyen Nguyen Duc serves as Full Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), with visiting scholar positions across Norwegian, Finnish, Italian, and Vietnamese institutions. His academic work centers on software engineering with emphasis on human, process, and ecosystem dimensions of development. Education: MS: Technical University of Kaiserslautern and Blekinge Institute of Technology (double degree) PhD: Norwegian University of Science and Technology Research fingerprint analysis reveals dominant focus on software startups (27%), supplemented by software processes (6%) and engineering education (5%). His expertise spans cybersecurity, global software development, business-driven methodologies, and software analytics, consistently addressing human-organizational challenges in dynamic development environments. Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate accelerating integration of AI in software engineering, particularly through large language models for startup assistance, generative AI adoption frameworks, and autonomous agent systems. Concurrently, he investigates risk management in software ventures and fairness in educational ML applications, reflecting interdisciplinary work bridging software engineering with business, AI ethics, and educational technology.
Tommaso Feraco is an Assistant Professor at the University of Padova , focusing on the intersection of education , psychology , and behavioral science . His work examines how social, emotional, and behavioral skills (SEBS) influence academic performance, well-being, and developmental outcomes across diverse populations, including adolescents, adults, and individuals with specific learning disabilities. Research trends highlight his contributions to character strengths , self-regulated learning , and adaptability in educational contexts. He has also developed methodological tools to address clustering analysis limitations in data science. His recent publications investigate SEBS applications in career readiness , pro-environmental behavior , and mental health resilience .
Maria Amalia Barchiesi is an Associate Professor in Spanish Language and Translation (L-LIN/07) at the University of Macerata's Department of Humanistic Studies. She holds a European Doctorate in Information and Communication Theory (2004) and has been a researcher and academic in Hispanic Studies since 1993. Her research focuses on semiotics of Hispanic American literature, cultural imaginaries, translation theory, and political discourse analysis. She has authored monographs like Borges y Cortázar lo fantástico bilingüe (2009) and edited volumes such as Arti in traduzione. Semiotica Linguistica Antropologia (2023). She currently leads research in transmediality in Panhispanic poetry within a PRIN 2022 project. Education: Licentiate in Letters with Linguistics focus from Buenos Aires University (Argentina) European Doctorate in Information and Communication Theory (University of Macerata) Research Interests: Semiotics of narrative and cultural imaginaries in Hispanic America Translation studies (interlinguistic and intersemiotic) Analysis of political, advertising, and museum discourses Landscape aesthetics in literature Postmodern rhetoric in Zapatista discourses Recent Scholarly Contributions: Her 2025 works explore Borges' translation paradoxes and Cortázar's museum imagery. Recent projects analyze transmedial poetic forms and post-dictatorship testimonial theatre. She contributes to editorial boards of Heteroglossia and Lingue e Linguaggi . Awards: National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor (2020) Academic Service: Director of Spanish Language and Civilization courses Member of PhD boards in Information Theory and Humanities Chair of the Language Mediation Program admissions committee
