Researcher at Laboratory of Data Engineering

I am a Researcher at the Research and Innovation Technology Institute (RIT) at Area Science Park in Trieste, where I coordinate the activities of the Laboratory of Data Engineering (LADE) focusing on applications of Artificial Intelligence to material and life sciences.

I study the emergence of meaningful features in deep-learning models trained by self-supervision, and in particular transformers. I believe that understanding computational strategies of these models will help enhancing their performance in applications, and make them more robust and trustworthy. I enjoy looking at neural networks through the lenses of geometry, inspired and influenced by my background in Algebraic Geometry.

I teach Natural Language Processing at the University of Trieste and Generative AI at the Master in high Performance Computing at SISSA and ICTP.

Research Interests 

• Large Transformer Models
• Geometry of Representations

Experience & Education

• Master in High Performance Computing (ICTP & SISSA) 2020
• PhD in Mathematics, University of Oxford 2016
• Masterclass in Moduli Spaces, Utrecht University, 2011