Stefano Sarao Mannelli

Stefano Sarao Mannelli is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg. He also holds a Visiting Lecturer position at the University of the Witwatersrand. His research group focuses on fundamental aspects of learning in biological and artificial systems, with emphasis on bias generation, optimization dynamics, and comparative neuroscience.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, Université Paris-Saclay (2020)
• M.Sc. in Electronic Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (2017)
• M.Sc. in Physics of Complex Systems, Politecnico di Torino/SISSA (2016)
• M2 in Physique Théorique, Paris Diderot/UPMC/ENS Cachan (2016)
• B.Sc. in Mathematics for Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (2014)

Research: Dr. Mannelli develops model-based approaches to reduce complex machine learning problems into analytically tractable frameworks. His core interests include: 1) Bias amplification mechanisms in AI systems, 2) Learning differences between biological and artificial neural networks (continual/transfer/curriculum learning), and 3) Optimization in high-dimensional landscapes. His work bridges statistical physics, neuroscience, and deep learning theory.

Publication Trends: Recent articles (2024-2025) predominantly analyze curriculum learning dynamics, bias propagation in optimization, and theoretical comparisons between biological and artificial learning systems. Methodologically, they combine statistical physics frameworks with control theory and high-dimensional analysis.

Awards:

• Academic Grant (CM Lerici Foundation, 2025)
• Travel Grants (Guarantor of Brains, G-Research 2024)
• UK–IT Trustworthy AI Exchange Programme (Alan Turing Institute, 2023)
• SCGB Conference Award (Simons Foundation, 2023)
• Ph.D. Scholarship (CEA, 2017-2020)

Team & Funding: Leads a research group with 2 PhD students and 1 postdoc. Secured significant funding for international workshops including Analytical Connectionism (£42K, 2023; $152K, 2024) and High-Dimensional Methods (135,500 SEK, 2025).