Distinguished Research Professor at University of California, United States.
Distinguished Research Professor of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), since July 2017. Previously held the position of Distinguished Professor at UCSB (1989-2017) and served as the Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professor (2020-2023). He is an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland (2021-2027) and has significant experience in various administrative roles at UCSB, including Chair of the Department of Communication and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education.
B.A. (Hons.) in Psychology – Bangor University, UK (1968). Ph.D. in Social Psychology – University of Bristol, UK (1971). D.Sc. – Awarded in 1996 for “Accommodating and evaluating language varieties.”
šResearch Interests
Intergenerational communication, aging and social identity, elder abuse, and health communication. Interpersonal and intergroup communication, including social prejudice and language use. Applied communication, focusing on bilingualism, community policing, and communication for the disabled. Intercultural communication and ethnolinguistic identity.
š ļø Career History
Held various roles at UCSB, including Chair of the Communication Department and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education. Founding Director of the Center on Police Practices & Community (2002-2011). Previously a Reader and Professor at the University of Bristol.
šAwards & Honors
Giles has received numerous prestigious awards, including the British Psychological Society’s “Spearman Medalist” (1978), the National Communication Associationās Distinguished Scholar Award (2007), and the Outstanding Book Award for his contributions to the field of communication and aging. He has been recognized for his mentorship and influence on students and the discipline.
Publications Top Notes
Elder abuse and neglect: A communication framework
Language, Culture and the Dynamics of Age, 2011
Cited by: 17
Introduction: The ubiquity and social meaningfulness of nonverbal communication
The Sage Handbook of Nonverbal Communication, 2006
Cited by: 12
Speech style and social evaluation
Academic Press, 1975
Cited by: 11
Accommodation Theory
1991
Cited by: 10
Contexts of Accommodation: Developments in Applied Sociolinguistics
Cambridge University Press, 1991
Cited by: 10
The dark side of family relationships: A communication model of elder abuse
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.
Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy) Thesis: āA Unifying Approach to Semantic and Topological Similarity in Information Networksā Supervisors: Marco Schaerf, Daniele Nardi. Masterās Degree in Computer Science (University of Perugia, Italy, with honors, 110/110 cum laude) Thesis: āSemantic Proximity Measures for the Webā. Bachelorās Degree in Computer Science (University of Perugia, Italy) Thesis: āWeb Usability on the Nintendo Wii Platformā. Liberal Studies Diploma (Liceo Classico āAnnibale Mariottiā, 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 ā1.1 Organoidsā 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 āPHRAMEā 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 š
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 š
Best Paper Award
Title: āSemantic Similarity Measures for Topological Link Predictionā
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
A deep learning semantic approach to emotion recognition using the IBM Watson Bluemix Alchemy language Journal: Computational Science and Its Applications ā ICCSA 2017: 17th International Year: 2017 Citations: 51 Contributors: G Biondi, V Franzoni, V Poggioni
Context-based image semantic similarity Conference: 2015 12th International Conference on Fuzzy Systems and Knowledge Discovery Year: 2015 Citations: 48 Contributors: V Franzoni, A Milani, S Pallottelli, CHC Leung, Y Li
Web-based similarity for emotion recognition in web objects Conference: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Utility and Cloud Year: 2016 Citations: 47 Contributors: G Biondi, V Franzoni, Y Li, A Milani
PMING distance: a collaborative semantic proximity measure Conference: 2012 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conferences on Web Intelligence and Year: 2012 Citations: 47 Contributors: V Franzoni, A Milani
Artificial Intelligence Visual Metaphors in E-Learning Interfaces for Learning Analytics Journal: Applied Sciences Year: 2020 Citations: 44 Contributors: V Franzoni, A Milani, P Mengoni, F Piccinato
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 š
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.