Advancing AI and Computational Social Science for Social Impact

Dr. Luca Luceri, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California, was awardeed with the 2024 ISSNAF Young Investigator Embassy of Italy Award.

Dr. Luceri has a robust background in computer science, specializing in the application of AI and machine learning for social good. He began his academic career with a Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Bari (2009-2012), followed by a Master's degree from the Polytechnic University of Milan (2012-2014). Dr. Luceri then completed his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Bern, Switzerland (2015-2020), laying the foundation for his future research.

After completing his Ph.D., Luca joined the Information Sciences Institute (ISI) at the University of Southern California (USC), initially as a Postdoctoral Fellow (2022-2023) and later as a Research Scientist (2023-2024). He is currently a Research Assistant Professor at USC and Lead Scientist at ISI, where his work focuses on AI, computational social science, and human-machine interaction.

Dr. Luceri serves as co-Principal Investigator for two key projects: the DARPA-funded INCAS project, which aims to detect and track geopolitical influence campaigns, and the Swiss NSF-funded CARISMA project, which develops computational models to inform policy recommendations aimed at mitigating online harms. Prior to his tenure at USC, he was a Research Scientist at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (2020-2022), where he further advanced his expertise in data and network science.

Below is the jury's statement recognizing Dr. Luceri as this year’s awardee.

"Dr. Luca Luceri is awarded the Embassy of Italy Award for his work on AI-driven approaches for countering online harms on social media. His research tackles issues like online manipulation, misinformation, and supporting vulnerable users. He develops computational tools to detect malicious activities and to enhance the resilience of information ecosystems, contributing to AI for social good."