Leonardo Impett

Leonardo Impett serves as Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of English and Bye-Fellow in Digital Humanities at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He also leads a research group at the Bibliotheca Hertziana. Previously, he was Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Durham University and Digital Humanities Scientist at the Bibliotheca Hertziana - Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome.

His research uniquely bridges artificial intelligence and art history, focusing specifically on bias and visual ideology in AI systems from an art historical perspective. With a background in information engineering and machine learning, he combines technical expertise with deep humanities knowledge to develop novel approaches for analyzing visual culture through computational methods.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward interdisciplinary work connecting computer vision with art historical analysis, particularly examining how AI systems interpret and potentially bias visual cultural heritage. His research spans technical AI development, art historical analysis, and critical examination of digital methodologies in cultural institutions.

• Digital Humanities Fellow at Villa I Tatti – Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies (2018)
• Scientific Assistant/Scientist at Bibliotheca Hertziana (2018-2020)
• PhD in Computer Vision for Art History at EPFL

Impett actively collaborates with major cultural institutions including the Liverpool Biennial, Royal Opera House, and Whitney Museum of American Art, applying machine learning to practical challenges in arts and culture. His work demonstrates how technical AI research can be meaningfully integrated with humanities scholarship to produce insights valuable to both domains.