Experience

PhD Researcher

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna

Research at the intersection of AI, agent-based modeling, and economics, within the National PhD Program in AI (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna & University of Pisa).

  • Differentiable agent-based models and LLM-based generative agents for economic simulation.
  • Statistical model checking of agent-based models - work published at MARS @ ETAPS 2026.
  • Robust and high-dimensional methods for financial, socio-economic, and textual data.

Academic Tutor

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Provided academic support across the Data Processing Center, university library, and Supply Chain Management course activities.

  • Supported students with statistics, study planning, and course selection.
  • Assisted teaching and supervised student project work.

Education

PhD in Artificial Intelligence

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna & University of Pisa

Research focus: “Learning How to Learn: Adaptive Cognitive Architectures for Economic Network Formation”. Methods include differentiable agent-based models, LLM-based generative agents, multi-agent learning, network dynamics, and robust statistics.

Second-Level Master in Customer Experience, Statistics, ML and AI

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Final Grade: 110/110 cum laude. Thesis: “Network Topology Analysis and Machine Learning Techniques for Systemic Risk Prediction in U.S. Equity Markets”. Advanced program in statistics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence with SAS Academic Specialization in Advanced Data Analytics and Machine Learning Engineering. Selected as one of the top 3 best-performing graduates by SAS Global Academic Management for the SAS/DDI Data Lovers talent initiative.

MSc in Financial Markets and Financial Intermediaries

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Final Grade: 108/110. Thesis: “High-dimensional Robust Portfolio Optimization Under Contamination: A Factor-Analytic Approach”. Supervisor: Prof. Alessio Farcomeni. Focus: robust statistics, quantitative finance, and factor-analytic methods.

BSc in Governance & International Relations

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Final Grade: 110/110 cum laude. Thesis: “Consumer Choice Under Uncertainty: From Homo Oeconomicus to Homo Temperatus”. Supervisor: Prof. Gustavo Piga. Erasmus+ Exchange: University of Paris Est-Creteil (Aug 2021 - Feb 2022).

YUFE Student Journey

Young Universities for the Future of Europe (European University Alliance)

Selected for the competitive Tor Vergata cohort (top 30 students university-wide) in the European University Alliance. Completed German coursework (A1/A2, University of Bremen) and cross-institutional academic training across partner universities.

BA in Philosophy (not completed)

University of Rome La Sapienza

Coursework in logic, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, semiotics, theoretical philosophy, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and history of philosophy.
Skills
Programming & Scientific Computing
Python
PyTorch & JAX
R
MATLAB
SQL & SAS
LaTeX & Git
Machine Learning & AI
Agentic Systems & Multi-Agent Orchestration
Deep Learning & Transformers
Graph Neural Networks (GNN)
LLM Fine-Tuning & RAG
Differentiable Programming
Explainable AI (XAI)
Simulation & Agent-Based Modeling
Agent-Based Modeling (ABM)
Statistical Model Checking (SMC)
Differentiable Simulation
Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning
Counterfactual & Scenario Analysis
Statistical Methods & Econometrics
Robust Statistics & Factor Models
High-Dimensional Inference
Time-Series Econometrics
Universal & Causal Inference
Monte Carlo Methods
Complex Systems & Networks
Network Science & Topology
Financial & Economic Networks
Contagion & Cascading Dynamics
Community Detection
NLP & Text Analytics
Text Mining & NLP
Semantic Network Analysis
Topic Modeling & Sentiment Analysis
Multilingual Validation Frameworks
Quantitative Finance & Risk
Portfolio Optimization
Systemic Risk Modeling
Stress Testing & Scenario Analysis
Bloomberg Terminal & LSEG Workspace
HPC & Infrastructure
HPC Clusters & SLURM (CINECA Leonardo)
GPU Computing
MLOps / LLMOps
Awards
VADISTAT Award for Best Scientific Contribution
Associazione VADISTAT - Per Simona Balbi (JADT 2026) ∙ July 2026
Awarded for the paper ‘A Multi-Method Validation Framework for Large-Scale Multilingual Text Analytics’ (developed with Prof. D. Fioredistella Iezzi) at the 18th International Conference JADT 2026 in Palermo.
CINECA ISCRA C Grant
CINECA - Italian National Supercomputing Infrastructure ∙ July 2026
Awarded compute resources on the Leonardo supercomputer for a project on differentiable, tensor-native simulative models.
University of Pisa Doctoral Grant for Student-Led Scientific Events
University of Pisa ∙ April 2026
Funding to co-organize COMPASS, an interdisciplinary workshop on complexity, markets, policy, and AI in social systems.
SAS Top Talent Selection — Master CESMA
SAS Institute & University of Rome Tor Vergata ∙ February 2026
Selected as one of the top 3 best-performing graduates of Master CESMA by SAS Global Academic Management for the SAS/DDI Data Lovers talent initiative.
Alpine Climate Data Challenge Finalist
Alpine Climate Data Challenge ∙ March 2025
2nd Place AI Data Hackathon
Hera Group, BTO Research & Digitiamo ∙ December 2024
Second place in national hackathon on predictive gas network risk modeling under class imbalance and rare events.
1st Place — Huawei DigitALL Night
Huawei Technologies ∙ November 2024
Winner in national competition on digital technology, networking, and ICT innovation.
Bertelsmann Next Generation Tech Booster Selection
Bertelsmann & Udacity ∙ March 2024
Selected from 17,000+ global applicants for advanced training in Generative AI and deep learning.
Academic Tutorship Awards (x2)
University of Rome Tor Vergata ∙ January 2024
Awarded twice for excellence in student support and teaching assistance.
Languages
100%
Italian Native
100%
English Fluent (C1/C2)
60%
French Intermediate (B1)
40%
German Basic (A1/A2)
40%
Spanish Basic (A2)