Fabio Massimo Zennaro

Fabio Massimo Zennaro is an Associate Professor in Machine Learning at the Department of Informatics, University of Bergen, and holds an honorary position at the University of Warwick. His research centers on causal abstraction, structural causal models, and the systematization of machine learning, with applications in reinforcement learning, computer security, and societal AI.

His educational background includes a PhD from the University of Manchester, postdoctoral work at the University of Oslo and University of Warwick, and MSc degrees from the University of Oxford and Politecnico di Milano.

His research interests span causal machine learning, fairness, uncertainty modeling, reinforcement learning, and AI ethics. He explores how causal models at different levels of abstraction can be related and exploited in real-world systems.

The recent publications (2023–2025) demonstrate a strong focus on causal abstraction, interventional consistency, and surrogate modeling, published in top venues like NeurIPS, UAI, and CLeaR. His work combines theoretical rigor with practical applications in cybersecurity and decision systems.

Scientific awards include:

• Best paper at UAI 2022 Workshop on Causal Representation Learning
• Turing Post-doctoral Award (PDEA), 2022
• Kilburn Scholarship (2013–2016)
• Isabella Sassi-Bonadonna Scholarship (2012)
• Vulcanus Scholarship (2009)

He advises students and collaborates on interdisciplinary research, though no formal list of advisees is provided. He has secured postdoctoral funding and contributes to the academic community through program committees (UAI, NeurIPS, ICLR, IJCAI) and journal reviewing (JMLR, Neural Networks, Computers & Security). He is involved in organizing the Causal Abstractions and Representations Workshop at UAI 2025.

His research is conducted within the Machine Learning Group at the University of Bergen, focusing on foundational and applied aspects of AI with societal impact.