Thematic Area 2 - Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society

Andis Cekuls

Andis Cekuls

Enhancing cultural heritage engagement through AI-driven personalized gamification

University of Bologna, PhD in Arts, History, Society

 

I’m a PhD candidate in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bologna, researching multimodal recommendation systems for cultural heritage. I hold dual Master's degrees and have contributed to EU-level digital innovation projects. My research interests include applied machine learning, user modeling, and data-driven personalization.

Erica Rosolani

Erica Rosolani

Unravelling the Evolution of Lithic Tools Morphology: Leveraging Big Data and Geometric Morphometrics in Archaeological Analysis

University of Ferrara, PhD in Human Sciences

 

I’m an PhD student specialized in Prehistoric Archaeology. I studied in Tarragona (Spain) and Paris (France) within the International Master in Quaternary and Prehistory. My research focuses on prehistoric archaeology, integrating computer science and statistics with traditional approaches to the study of lithic industries.

Javad Haditaghi

Javad Haditaghi

Training academic language skills in the age of AI: Creating digital tools to help students write doctoral theses in English

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, PhD in Human Sciences: Linguistic and Literary Studies, History and Philosophy, Communication and Digital Culture

 

As a researcher with a strong foundation in computational linguistics and data science, I bring expertise in Python, machine learning, and NLP. My academic background includes a Master's in English Teaching, with a thesis applying corpus linguistics and discourse theory. I've led AI integration in web development and conducted data analysis in international settings. My interdisciplinary profile makes me a confident problem-solver in data-driven research.

John F. Brüne

John F. Brüne

Data Analytics and AI for supporting legislative assistance at WIPO: a neuro-symbolic approach

University of Bologna, PhD in Law, Science and Technology

 

My research focuses on explainable AI and a usefulness-first approach to working with legal texts, using neuro-symbolic methods. With a background in applied statistics from the University of Göttingen, I work at the intersection of statistics and legal reasoning. My motivation is to make AI systems useful in practice while keeping humans in the loop. I am currently enjoying research life in Bologna, appreciating its academic environment and everyday Italian culture.

Nadine De Claire

Nadine De Claire

Architecture: Critical Theory and Practice in the Age of AI

University of Bologna, PhD in Architecture and Design Cultures

 

I am a Syrian-American architect with a bachelor's in architecture from Syria and a master’s from Germany, with over ten years of experience in the U.S. across Wisconsin, Chicago, and New York City. I am grounded in diverse cultural and academic contexts. I am currently a PhD fellow at the University of Bologna within the FutureData4EU COFUND program, researching Architecture: Critical Theory and Practice in the Age of AI.

 

Shibingfeng Zhang

Shibingfeng Zhang

Large Language Models for a personalised access to large cultural data

University of Bologna, PhD in Cultural Heritage in the Digital Ecosystem

 

My academic path has been anything but linear. With training in data science, natural language processing, Italian literature, and linguistics, I do my research at the crossroads of humanities and computer science. I explore how state-of-the-art methods in artificial intelligence can enrich our understanding of language and culture. Looking forward, I aspire to contribute to the field of digital humanities, where quantitative precision and humanistic insight converge.