professor at University of Perugia, Italy
Dr. Valentina Franzoni is a tenure-track professor at the University of Perugia, specializing in Artificial Intelligence, Affective Computing, and Human-Computer Interaction. With a PhD in Computer Engineering from La Sapienza University of Rome, she leads research in Affective Computing and Ethics for AI, contributing to multidisciplinary projects and initiatives such as the EmoRe team and KITlab. She also teaches at Hong Kong Baptist University and collaborates with Gumilyov Eurasian University. An accomplished researcher with 72 publications and over 979 citations, Dr. Franzoni is a keynote speaker, organizer of international conferences, and a senior IEEE member with a strong interdisciplinary background in psychology, philosophy, and ethics.
Education and Specializations
Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) Thesis: “A Unifying Approach to Semantic and Topological Similarity in Information Networks” Supervisors: Marco Schaerf, Daniele Nardi. Master’s Degree in Computer Science (University of Perugia, Italy, with honors, 110/110 cum laude) Thesis: “Semantic Proximity Measures for the Web”. Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science (University of Perugia, Italy) Thesis: “Web Usability on the Nintendo Wii Platform”. Liberal Studies Diploma (Liceo Classico “Annibale Mariotti”, Perugia, Italy)
Professional Experience
Tenure-Track Professor (University of Perugia, Italy) Courses: Artificial Intelligence, Affective Computing, Human-Computer Interaction. Responsibilities: Leads research on Affective Computing and Ethics for AI (EmoRe), coordinates data analysis in multidisciplinary projects, involved in communication and outreach, and setting up a university spin-off in AI and Affective Computing.. Lecturer (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong) Courses: E-Business Technology, Electronic Transformation in Business Agreement Duration: 2021-2024 External Teacher and Consultant (Gumilyov Eurasian University, Kazakhstan) Roles: Advisor to Ph.D. candidates Coordinator and Senior Visiting Research Assistant (Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong) Roles: Coordinator of HKBU-Unipg summer exchange programme (2012-2017), Senior Visiting Research Assistant (2012, 2016)
Research and Grants
Current Projects: Work Package Coordinator for the “1.1 Organoids” project on data analysis and bioinformatics.. Leader of Affective Computing and Emotion Recognition research group at University of Perugia.. Past Grants:. Funding for e-learning research (PRIN “PHRAME” project) Scholarships for various international conferences and summer schools. Research grants for projects on e-learning and semantic annotation
Academic and Professional Activities
Conferences and Workshops: Organizer and keynote speaker at various events related to AI, affective computing, and ethics. Publications: Articles: 72 indexed in international journals and conference proceedings Book Chapters: 2 scientific, 1 educational Citations: Over 979; H-index: 20 (Scopus, July 2024) Editorial and Review Roles: Guest editor, reviewer for scientific journals, senior IEEE member
Educational and Training Activities
Courses: Attended various summer schools and training in Open Science, Reasoning Web, Mathematics, and more.. Additional Education: Courses in theology, philosophy, and psychology from Theological Institute of Assisi and University of Perugia.
Graduate and PhD Thesis Supervision 🎓
Zhanerke Musekenova: Intelligent document management system (2020). Gaukhar Baltabayeva: Intelligent video surveillance system (2020). Giulio Biondi: Meta-Correlations for Link Prediction (2021). Andrea Migni: Intelligent search on didactic-scientific repositories (May 2019). Giulio Biondi: Semantic and topological proximity in link prediction (April 2017). Gianluca Curto: Randomized Walk Generation Strategies for Recommendation Systems (July 2016). Paolo Mengoni: Semantic Proximity Measures in Collaborative Networks (February 2014). Marco Mencacci: Randomized Paths in Collaborative Networks (February 2014). Fabrizio Piccinato: Visual Interfaces for E-learning Platforms (May 2014). Fabiana Zollo: Automated Classification on the book social network Zazie (May 2013). Sabrina Manni: Information Security in Cloud Computing (May 2013)
Awards and Acknowledgements 🏆
- Best Paper Award
- Title: “Semantic Similarity Measures for Topological Link Prediction”
- Event: International Conference of Computer Science and Its Applications (ICCSA)
- Date: July 1-4, 2020
- Location: Cagliari, Italy
- Leadership Certificate
- Event: 19th International Conference on Computational Science and Applications (ICCSA) and associated workshops (ACER-EMORE and IWCES)
- Date: July 1-5, 2019
- Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Recognition: Outstanding contribution
- Certificate for Workshop Organizers
- Event: Affective Computing and Emotion Recognition (ACER)
- Affiliation: IEEE/WIC/ACM WI 2017
- Date: 2017
- Location: Leipzig University
- Leadership Certificate
- Event: 17th International Conference on Computational Science and Applications (ICCSA) and associated workshops (EMORE and IWCES)
- Date: July 3-6, 2017
- Location: Trieste, Italy
- Recognition: Outstanding contribution
- Award for Excellent Contribution
- Recognition: 5-years coordination of the HKBU-UNIPG International Exchange Programme
- Date: 2016
- Affiliation: University of Perugia and Hong Kong Baptist University
- FSE Awards 2014, III Prize
- Category: Young researchers and mobility
- Project: Por Umbria FSE “iLearn: usability metrics and developing protocols for e-learning on innovative mobile devices”
- Region: Umbria
- Award for Outstanding Coordination
- Event: HKBU-UNIPG International Exchange Programme
- Date: 2014
- Affiliation: University of Perugia and Hong Kong Baptist University
- Award for Outstanding Coordination
- Event: HKBU-UNIPG International Exchange Programme
- Date: 2013
- Affiliation: University of Perugia and Hong Kong Baptist University
Publication
- Semantic context extraction from collaborative networks
Conference: Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD), 2015 IEEE 19th
Year: 2015
Citations: 31
Contributors: V Franzoni, A Milani
- Multi-path traces in semantic graphs for latent knowledge elicitation
Conference: Natural Computation (ICNC), 2015 11th International Conference
Year: 2015
Citations: 28
Contributors: V Franzoni, A Milani, S Pallottelli
- Semantic Heuristic Search in Collaborative Networks: Measures and Contexts
Conference: 2014 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Joint Conferences on Web Intelligence (WI)
Year: 2014
Citations: 28
Contributors: Franzoni V., Mencacci M., Mengoni P., Milani A.
- Heuristics for semantic path search in Wikipedia
Conference: International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications
Year: 2014
Citations: 27
Contributors: V Franzoni, M Mencacci, P Mengoni, A Milani
Conclusion 📝
The candidate demonstrates outstanding qualifications for the Best Researcher Award, with a distinguished educational background, extensive professional experience, and a significant record of research achievements. Their leadership in research and contributions to the academic community are commendable. To further strengthen their profile, focusing on expanding their research scope, increasing collaborations, and enhancing public outreach would be beneficial. Overall, their accomplishments and ongoing contributions position them as a leading candidate for the award.