ITALIAN SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS IN NORTH AMERICA FOUNDATION
Connecting, Empowering, Celebrating the Italian Intellectual Diaspora
ISSNAF annually grants the Young Investigator Awards in various disciplines to outstanding, early-career Italian researchers and scholars working in the United States or Canada. These awards recognize their significant and innovative contributions to their respective field of research. ISSNAF is very pleased to announce the six 2024 Young Investigator Awards and extends its gratitude to their sponsors for their generosity.
During the Award Symposium, the three award finalists will present their research to a distinguished Jury, who will then select the award winner.
EMBASSY OF ITALY AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Established in 2020, this year’s edition recognizes Italian researchers in the USA providing fundamental contributions to all aspects of artificial intelligence, including technological and engineering advancements, transformative applications across disciplines, education, economic impact, ethical development to support societal needs, and solutions to mitigate harmful use of AI.
WINNER
Dr. Luca Luceri, Research Assistant Professor, University of Southern California
“AI-driven approaches for countering online harms on social media”
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.
FINALISTS
Dr. Marco Romanelli, Research Associate, Rutgers University
“Trustworthy Machine Learning: An information theoretic perspective”
Dr. Carmelo Sferrazza, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Berkeley
“Bridging the gap between embodied AI and human intelligence”
Chair
Prof. Fil Menczer, Indiana University
Jury
Prof. Elisa Bertino, Purdue University
Prof. Leila De Floriani, University of Maryland
Prof. Fil Menczer, Indiana University
FRANCO STRAZZABOSCO AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING WITH FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY
Established in 2013 by the Strazzabosco family in memory of Dott. Ing. Franco Strazzabosco, this award is a tribute to the entrepreneurial courage of Italian engineers who strive to apply scientific discoveries to the public advantage.
WINNER
Dr. Michele Cotrufo, Assistant Professor, University of Rochester
“Engineered Metamaterials for energy-efficient optical computing and signal processing”
Dr. Michele Cotrufo is awarded the Franco Strazzabosco Award for his research on light-based analog image processing and computing. His research holds the promise for a more sustainable future in terms of energy-efficient data processing, with implications for a wide range of technologies, from self-driving cars to neuromorphic computing and efficient data centers.
FINALISTS
Dr. Claudia Cea, Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Conformable organic bioelectronic devices for health monitoring”
Dr. Giulia Guidetti, Deputy Director, Research Assistant Professor, Silklab, Tufts University
“Orchid-inspired solar skins for next-generation photovoltaics”
Chair
Prof. Andrea Alù, City University of New York
Jury
Prof. Andrea Alù, City University of New York
Prof. Matteo Rinaldi, Northeastern University
Prof. Alberto Salleo, Stanford University
INFN BRUNO TOUSCHEK AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS
Established in 2022 by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, this award honors the memory of Prof. Bruno Touschek for his pioneering work in the fields of elementary particle physics and particle accelerators. It recognizes contributions in the fields of fundamental interactions of matter, such as elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, cosmology and the physics of particle beams.
WINNER
Dr. Simone Michele Mazza, Assistant Project Scientist, University of California Santa Cruz
“Critical detector development for high energy and nuclear physics”
Dr. Simone Mazza is awarded the INFN Bruno Toushek Award for his significant contributions to the development and applications of Low-Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) for detector instrumentation, from the High Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) for the ATLAS experiment, to leading key elements of the PIONEER experiment at PSI. His contributions have been recognized with a US Patent and are reaching across several important areas of particle physics such as the LHC and the EIC and could stretch to medical and industrial applications.
FINALISTS
Dr. Luigi Marchese, Junior Distinguished Researcher, Fermilab
“Seeing the invisible with creativity in high-energy collisions”
Dr. Antonella Palmese, Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
“Gravitational waves as a new cosmological probe”
Chair
Prof. Patrizia Rossi, Jefferson Lab
Jury
Prof. Elena Orlando, University of Trieste
Dr. Alessandro Ratti, Berkeley Lab
Prof. Patrizia Rossi, Jefferson Lab
MARIO GERLA AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Established by the Gerla family in 2019, this award is in memory of Dr. Mario Gerla, pioneer in computer networking, professor of Computer Science at UCLA and ISSNAF founding member.
WINNER
Dr. Leonardo Bonati, Associate Researcher, Northeastern University
“Next-generation wireless networks with open and intelligent automated systems”
Dr. Leonardo Bonati is awarded the Mario Gerla Award for his significant contributions to advancing wireless network technologies by addressing critical challenges in deploying and operating next-generation mobile networks, such as 5G and 6G. By focusing on comprehensive solutions and utilizing cutting-edge techniques, like machine learning, network orchestration, and automation, Dr.Bonati's research aims to create more efficient and reliable wireless networks that can support the growing connectivity needs of our world.
FINALISTS
Dr. Mario De Florio, Postdoctoral Researcher, Brown University
“Scientific machine learning for dynamical systems identification”
Dr. Federico Rossi, Robotics Technologist, JPL and California Institute of Technology
“Making teams of autonomous robots work effectively together in space”
Chair
Prof. Leila De Floriani, University of Maryland
Jury
Dr. Elisa Bertino, Purdue University
Prof. Leila De Floriani, University of Maryland
Prof. Fil Menczer, Indiana University
PAOLA CAMPESE AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES
Established by Stefania and Vito Campese in 2011, this award is in memory of their young, talented and generous daughter Paola.
WINNER
Dr. Gabriele Casirati, Researcher Fellow, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children's Hospital
“Epitope editing to enable targeted immunotherapy of Acute Myeloid Leukemia”
Dr. Gabriele Casirati is awarded the ISSNAF Paola Campese Award for his exceptional achievements as a young physician-scientist and the clinical potential of his innovative research. He developed a gene-editing approach to introduce precise amino acid changes in healthy hematopoietic stem cells, improving their use in transplantation. His work addresses the challenges of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a resistant hematological malignancy, by focusing on epitope editing of stem cells. This approach enhances chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy against leukemic cells while protecting normal precursors essential for blood production, reducing treatment toxicity.
FINALISTS
Dr. Clarissa Corinaldesi, Associate Research Scientist, Columbia University
“Intra-tumor heterogeneity and markers of resistance in pediatric Burkitt Lymphoma”
Dr. Carmelo Gurnari, Associate Researcher, Cleveland Clinic
“Trajectories of malignant evolution of bone marrow failure syndromes”
Chair
Prof. Alessandra Ferrajoli, University of Texas
Jury
Dr. Simona Colla, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Prof. Alessandra Ferrajoli, University of Texas
RnB4CULTURE AWARD
FOR INNOVATION IN THE STUDY OF ITALIAN CULTURE
Established in 2021 by RnB4Culture, this award recognizes the vibrancy of research in Italian culture and its evolving nature expressed in a variety of ways such as innovative uses of technology, or originality of approach, or contribution to wider questions and trends in the Humanities at large.
WINNER
Dr. Laura Ingallinella, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
“The Fraudulent Muse: Gender and forgery in early modern Italy”
Dr. Laura Ingallinella is awarded the RnB4Culture Award for her highly engaging project that bridges between early modern and contemporary gender studies. Her methodological awareness is striking for such a junior scholar and her delivery was brilliant. Dr. Ingallinella clearly shows commitment to research and to further studies on gender forgery. Her competence during the presentation has been outstanding and very deserving of a recognition.
FINALISTS
Dr. Pantalea Mazzitello, Assistant Professor, University of California Irvine
“Cursing and Laughing: Blasphemy in Renaissance Italian literature”
Dr. Giancarlo Tursi, Assistant Professor, University of California Santa Barbara
“Italian dialects as world literature”
Chair
Prof. Franco Pierno, University of Toronto
Jury
Prof. Gianni Cicali, Georgetown University
Prof. Stefania Lucamante, Università di Cagliari and Catholic University of Washington
Prof. Stefano Jossa, Royal Holloway University of London, Università degli Studi di Palermo