Viola Schiaffonati

Viola Schiaffonati serves as Associate Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at Politecnico di Milano's Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering. She holds pivotal leadership roles including Director of the CINI National Laboratory on Informatics & Society (IeS) and founding member of Polimi META, the university's social sciences and humanities unit for science and technology. Additionally, she acts as Associate Editor for Science and Engineering Ethics and represented Informatics Europe in the European Commission Expert Group on AI and data in education.

Education:

• PhD in Philosophy of Science, Università di Genova
• Visiting Scholar, Department of Philosophy, University of California, Berkeley
• Visiting Researcher, Suppes Center for Science and Technology Studies, Stanford University

Her research critically examines the philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence and robotics, with specialized focus on experimental epistemology in computer engineering and ethical frameworks for autonomous systems. This interdisciplinary work bridges philosophy, engineering, and social sciences to address societal impacts of emerging technologies, emphasizing methodological rigor in robotics experimentation and ethical governance of intelligent systems.

Scientific Awards: No awards explicitly mentioned in source text.

While specific advisees aren't documented, her laboratory directorship and editorial role indicate active research mentorship. Her European Commission involvement demonstrates policy-level contributions to AI ethics in educational contexts, though grant details remain unspecified in available materials.

She spearheads the CINI National Laboratory on Informatics & Society (IeS), analyzing technology-society interactions, and co-founded Polimi META to integrate humanities perspectives into technical research. These initiatives position her at the forefront of interdisciplinary studies examining how AI and robotics reshape social structures and ethical norms.