Curriculum Vitae
Academic Position
I am Full Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Constructions Engineering (DESTEC), University of Pisa.
My research activity is focused on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Computational Intelligence for engineering applications, with particular emphasis on energy systems, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, computational electromagnetics, surrogate modelling, physics-informed machine learning and engineering optimization.
I lead the Artificial Intelligence and Computational Intelligence for Engineering Research Group, involving PhD students, research fellows, postdoctoral researchers and academic collaborators.
Education and Academic Career
I received the M.Sc. degree in Automation Engineering from the University of Pisa in 2004 and the Ph.D. degree in Applied Electromagnetism from the University of Pisa in 2008.
During my doctoral studies, my research focused on Machine Learning and Computational Intelligence methods applied to electromagnetic systems and Power Line Communications, including neural-network methods, Self-Organizing Maps, signal analysis and transmission-line modelling.
In 2010, I joined the University of Pisa as a researcher. I subsequently continued my academic career at the Department of Energy, Systems, Territory and Constructions Engineering (DESTEC), where I am currently Full Professor of Electrical Engineering.
Research Activity
My research lies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and engineering.
My earlier research activity included neural networks, Computational Intelligence, Power Line Communications, signal analysis, electromagnetic modelling and evolutionary optimization.
My current research focuses mainly on:
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for engineering applications;
- photovoltaic, wind and hydroelectric power forecasting;
- electrical load and energy-system forecasting;
- condition monitoring, diagnostics and predictive maintenance;
- Deep Learning and surrogate modelling;
- Physics-Informed Neural Networks and hybrid physics/data-driven models;
- computational electromagnetics;
- inverse problems and source identification;
- model-order reduction;
- optimization of electrical and electromagnetic systems.
Recent research also includes applications of Artificial Intelligence to biomedical electromagnetic problems, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation, and to signal-based localization and estimation problems.
A common theme of my research is the integration of data-driven methods, physical models and engineering knowledge in order to develop accurate, computationally efficient and practically applicable methods for complex engineering problems.
For further details, see the Research Group page.
Research Leadership and Collaborations
I supervise and coordinate the research activities of PhD students, research fellows, postdoctoral researchers and research collaborators.
I have acted as scientific coordinator and research leader in academic and industrial research projects and collaborations.
My research has included collaborations with companies and organizations in the energy, infrastructure and railway sectors, particularly on renewable-energy forecasting, monitoring of energy systems, condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and railway diagnostics.
I am interested in academic and industrial collaborations in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Computational Intelligence and data-driven engineering.
Teaching
My teaching activities at the University of Pisa include courses in:
- Circuit Theory / Electrical Engineering
- Artificial Intelligence for Diagnostics in Electrical Engineering
- diagnostics and monitoring of electrical systems and devices
I also teach Circuit Theory / Electrical Engineering at the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno.
I supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s theses, PhD students and research activities in Artificial Intelligence, electrical engineering, energy systems and computational modelling.
Scientific Publications
I am author or co-author of more than 150 scientific papers published in international peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings.
My publications cover topics including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, energy forecasting, condition monitoring, computational electromagnetics, Power Line Communications, optimization and engineering applications of Computational Intelligence.
I am also co-author of the chapter “Channel Characterization” in the book Power Line Communications: Principles, Standards and Applications from Multimedia to Smart Grid, 2nd Edition, Wiley.
An updated list of publications is available on the Publications page and on Google Scholar.
Professional and Editorial Activities
I am an IEEE Senior Member.
I serve as an Associate Editor of IEEE Access and have participated in the Technical Program Committees and organization of international scientific conferences.
Awards
I received the University of Pisa Young Researcher Award in 2011 and 2013.
Research Opportunities
Students and researchers interested in the following topics are welcome to contact me regarding Master’s theses, PhD research, visiting activities and research collaborations:
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for engineering;
- renewable-energy and power forecasting;
- condition monitoring and predictive maintenance;
- physics-informed and hybrid AI models;
- surrogate modelling and scientific Machine Learning;
- computational electromagnetics;
- inverse problems;
- engineering optimization.