On November 14th ISSNAF held its Annual Event at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., in the presence of Ambassador Zappia and representatives of Italian institutions. During the event, the foundation celebrated the finalists of the six 2024 Young Investigator Awards and announced the outstanding recipients.
Our warmest congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Young Investigator Awards!
Embassy of Italy Award
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.
Mario Gerla Award Dr. Leonardo Bonati, Associate Research Scientist, 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.
Franco Strazzabosco Award 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.
RnB4Culture Award 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.
Paola Campese Award Dr. Gabriele Casirati, Research 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.
INFN Bruno Touschek Award Dr. Simone 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.
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