Research

My research is focused on the design and development of metaheuristics and nature inspired methodologies for combinatorial optimization problems and in the research area of computational & systems biology.

In particular, in these years my research works have been mainly focused on community detection in social and biological networks; combinatorial optimization problems; dynamic interactions detection in social behaviours; parameters extraction in biological networks (Gene Regulatory Network in the S-system model); protein structure prediction in the HP model; and functions optimization.

Research keywords: Metaheuristics; Optimization; Network Sciences; Computational Biology; Complex Systems; Evolutionary Computation; Operations Research; Reverse Engineering.

○ Google Scholar Citations: 1212  —  h-index: 16  —  i10-index: 21     (last updated: Sept. 1, 2020)
○ Scopus Citations: 740    —    h-index: 12     (last updated: Sept. 1, 2020)

Research Positions

Nov. 1, 2018 - Today: Associate Professor in Computer Science, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, University of Catania, Italy

Oct. 1, 2007 - Oct 31, 2018: Assistant Professor in Computer Science, Department of Mathematics & Computer Science, University of Catania, Italy

Feb. 24-28, 2020: Visiting Professor (Erasmus Staff Mobility for teaching) at the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, University of Plymouth, UK (postponed due COVID-19)

July, 2016: Visiting Professor with fellowship at the Faculty of Science, University of Angers, France

May 1, 2018 - Today: Vice-Chair of IEEE Task Force on Artificial Immune Systems for the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

Aug. 2017 - Today: member of IEEE Task Force on Ethical and Social Implications of Computational Intelligence for the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

Feb. 2015 - Today: Vice-Chair of IEEE Task Force on Interdisciplinary Emergent Technologies for Emergent Technologies Technical Committee for IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

Oct. 27, 2014 - Oct. 30, 2014: Visiting Professor, School of Computing, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK

May 1, 2014 - April 30, 2018: Chair of IEEE Task Force on Artificial Immune Systems for the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society

Jan. 29, 2014: winner of National Scientific Qualification for Associate Professor

Nov. 2009: Visiting Professor at the School of Computer Science, University of Nottingham, UK

March 2006 - Aug 2006: Visiting Researcher at IBM-KAIST Bio-Computing Research Center, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering Systems, KAIST, Republic of KOREA