Francesco Leotta

Francesco Leotta is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, specializing in ubiquitous computing, human-computer interaction, and digital humanities with applications in smart spaces, smart manufacturing, and cultural heritage.

His educational background includes a PhD in Engineering in Computer Science (2014), Master Degree in Computer Science Engineering (2010), and Bachelor Degree in Computer Science Engineering (2006), all with honors from Sapienza University of Rome. He has been qualified to practice as a Computer Science Engineer since 2010.

Leotta's research pioneers 'habit mining' for learning human behaviors from unlabeled sensor data, focusing on usability for technicians through readable process models and for end users via accessible interfaces including chatbots and solutions for people with disabilities. His recent work centers on Industry 4.0, developing AI-driven digital twin architectures for industrial automation. Key projects include privately funded Rotalaser Fustella 4.0 and publicly funded initiatives FIRST and ElectroSpindle 4.0.

Analysis of his 2024-2025 publications reveals strong interdisciplinary trends bridging business process management with IoT and AI, particularly in smart manufacturing maturity models, digital twin composition, and multimodal human-robot interaction. His work consistently integrates theoretical frameworks with practical industrial applications.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Best Paper Award at IEEE International Conference on Web Services (ICWS 2019)

Leotta actively contributes to research groups in Human-Computer Interaction, Data Management, and Semantic Technologies, with current projects focusing on adaptive smart manufacturing systems. His grant portfolio demonstrates successful collaboration between academic research and industrial applications in the manufacturing sector.

He maintains active involvement in the computing continuum ecosystem through projects like DataCloud, addressing big data pipelines and dark data utilization in industrial contexts.