Roberto Di Mari

Roberto Di Mari is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics and Business, University of Catania, Italy. His research focuses on advanced statistical methodologies, particularly model-based clustering, finite mixture models, latent variable models, and latent Markov models. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Finance from the University of Rome Tor Vergata (2017) and has conducted research at Tilburg University (Netherlands) as a visiting scholar.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Economics and Finance (2017), University of Rome Tor Vergata
• M.Sc. in Economics (2013), University of Rome Tor Vergata
• Bachelor's Degree in Economics (2011), University of Catania
• Erasmus Exchange, University of Lille 1 (France), 2009–2010

Research Interests: Di Mari specializes in developing and applying statistical models to analyze complex data structures. His work bridges methodological advancements in latent variable modeling (e.g., mixture models, latent Markov approaches) with applications in economics, business, and social sciences. Key themes include robustness in modeling outlier risk, multilevel latent class analysis, and measurement invariance across longitudinal studies.

Publications: His research emphasizes methodological contributions to latent variable modeling, including advancements in bias correction, R package development (e.g., multilevLCA), and applications to high-frequency financial data and SME risk assessment. His work is published in journals like Journal of Econometrics, Structural Equation Modeling, and International Journal of Approximate Reasoning.

Grants & Collaborations: Di Mari’s academic trajectory includes collaborations with Tilburg University and the Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance. His research often integrates computational tools (e.g., LASSO penalization, dynamic mixtures) to address real-world challenges in data analysis.