Systems and Networks
The purpose of our research program is to design, analyze, and implement modern distributed systems and networks, which are increasingly characterized by stringent requirements in terms of high computing and communication performance, quality of service and user experience, large scale, scalability, dynamicity, while protecting users' privacy and security.
The research program tackles the challenges of distributed systems at all levels, from the definition of systems, to distributed algorithms, to middleware and language constructs, and from the implementation of application-level protocols and system services (including those provided by operating system kernel, the drivers, but also user-space system daemons that are critical for the system's reliability and performance, and for the experience perceived by users) to routing and networking problems, including P2P, M2M, D2D paradigms and wireless systems (WSN, mesh networks, ad-hoc systems, and others).
A strong emphasis is placed on validating research outcomes through the implementation of real systems and simulations, as well as modelling and performance evaluation both predictive for the design of systems and measurement-based.
Distributed algorithms
We develop novel techniques for an efficient and effective implementation of distributed computing in all its flavors, including distribution and replication of data objects in a way that is transparent to end users, and applications, localization of communications, computing at the edge (fog computing), and scalability of computation on very large systems. When data is involved, special emphasis is given to a number of properties such as fault-tolerance, reliability, dependability, consistency, and finally the semantic "quality" of the data itself.
Middleware
We design programming models that meet the needs of modern distributed systems and the corresponding distributed runtime, focusing on an efficient implementation in the face of dynamicity and large scale.
Application-level protocols and P2P systems
Modern distributed systems rely more and more on an application-level substrate ensuring efficient communication. Examples are protocols for content-based routing in publish-subscribe, and for building and maintaining overlay networks. Along with traditional deterministic protocols, we also study the applicability of probabilistic, gossip-based algorithms to a large number of functionalities in overlay networks, ranking from aggregation, load balancing, resource assignments, topology construction and maintenance, etc. Privacy protection and security are always considered in our design.
Networking
Networks are at the center of computer science, while today the Internet is a fundamental asset for any activity. We study and develop network protocols and networking systems and architectures at all levels, from MAC protocols, to routing, congestion control, P2P overlay systems, vehicular networks. Performance-oriented design is a key focus in our research, together with cross-layer design where (mobile networks, heterogeneous overlays, etc.) strict black-box layering does not yield optimal performance.
Publications
12 publications for 5 currently enrolled students
Hattie&TimperlAI: an AI-Based feedback coach for math teacher training
Valentini, Marta; Del Zozzo, Agnese; Funghi, Silvia; Montresor, Alberto
in Book of Abstracts (BOA) of HELMeTO 25, Roma: STUDIUM S.r.l. a Socio Unico, In press. Proceedings of: HELMeTO 2025, Napoli, 23rd September-25th September
NeuroWizard: Investigating the Effect of Gamification on BCI Performance Among Adult Users with ADHD
Vrins, Anita; Romani, Michele; Mavromoustakos-Blom, Paris; Alimardani, Maryam
in Intelligent Human Computer Interaction, Twente, The Netherlands: Springer Nature, 2025, p. 181-192. - (LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE). - ISBN: 9783031888809. Proceedings of: IHCI 2024, Enschede, Twente, The Netherlands, 13-16 November 2024. - Publication URL . - DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-88881-6_15
BrainForm: a Serious Game for BCI Training and Data Collection
Romani, Michele; Zanoni, Devis; Farella, Elisabetta; Turchet, Luca
in LNAI Brain Informatics, Bari, Italy: Springer Nature, 2025. Proceedings of: BI 2025, Bari, Italy, 11-13 Novembre 2025. - Publication URL
yProv4ML: Effortless provenance tracking for machine learning systems
Padovani, G.; Anantharaj, V.; Fiore, S.
in SOFTWAREX, v. 31, n. September 2025, 102298 (2025). - Publication URL . - DOI: 10.1016/j.softx.2025.102298
Provenance Tracking in Large-Scale Machine Learning Systems
Padovani, Gabriele; Anantharaj, Valentine; Fiore, Sandro
in ICPP Workshops '25: Workshop Proceedings of the 54th International Conference on Parallel Processing, USA: ACM, 2025, p. 167-174. - ISBN: 979-8-4007-2109-0. Proceedings of: WISDOM, San Diego CA USA, September 8 - 11, 2025. - Publication URL . - DOI: 10.1145/3750720.3757295
Climate Data IT: Towards a National Data Hub for Climate Science
Fiore, Sandro; Nassisi, Paola; Sacco, Ludovica; Padovani, Gabriele; Antonio, Fabrizio; Elia, Donatello; Epicoco, Italo; Marchioro, Nicola Giuseppe; Robol, Marco; Zefkilis, Konstantinos; Vella, Flavio; Sopranzetti, Carolina; Alessandri, Andrea; Cherchi, Annalisa; Catalano, Franco; Sannino, Gianmaria; Scipione, Gabriella; Puccini, Marco; Coppola, Erika; Girotto, Ivan; Reale, Marco; Salon, Stefano; Galizia, Antonella; Iotti, Marcello; Giorgini, Paolo; J Oliver, Hilary; Anantharaj And Silvio Gualdi, Valentine
in Proceedings of the 4th Italian Conference on Big Data and Data Science (ITADATA 2025), Germania: CEUR-WS, 2025. - (CEUR WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS). Proceedings of: ITADATA2025, Turin, Italy, September 9-11, 2025. - Publication URL
[other topics: Data Intelligence
Never have I ever…struggled to explain constructionism (and what to do about it!)
Bissoli, Giorgia; Del Zozzo, Agnese; Fiore, Francesca; Montresor, Alberto; Paludo, Giulia; Valentini, Marta; Zikovitz, David Martin
in Constructionism Conference Proceedings, 8/2025, 589–591, 2025. Proceedings of: Constructionism 2025, Zurigo, 24th June-27th June 2025
[other topics: Social Informatics
Building a Constructionist Community. Expanding an Academic Learning Lab Beyond Institutional Boundaries
Fiore, Francesca; Del Zozzo, Agnese; Bissoli, Giorgia; Paludo, Giulia; Zikovitz, David Martin; Valentini, Marta; Montresor, Alberto
in Constructionism Conference Proceedings. Building Communities, Bridging Ideas, Zürich, Switzerland: ETH Zurich and Zurich University of Teacher Education (PHZH), 2025. Proceedings of: Constructionism 2025, Zürich, Switzerland, 24th June-27th June 2025. - Publication URL . - DOI: 10.21240/constr/2025/73.X
[other topics: Social Informatics
Dialogic AI Scaffolding: A Proof-of-Concept Protocol to Foster Critical Thinking and Metacognition
Valentini, Marta; Montresor, Alberto
in Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Education for Artificial Intelligence (EDU4AI), Germany: CEUR, 2025. Proceedings of: EDU4AI, 2nd Workshop on Education for Artificial Intelligence (EDU4AI), October 26th, 2025
A software ecosystem for multi-level provenance management in large-scale scientific workflows for AI applications
Padovani, Gabriele; Anantharaj, Valentine; Sacco, Ludovica; Kurihana, Takuya; Bunino, Matteo; Tsolaki, Kalliopi; Girone, Maria; Antonio, Fabrizio; Sopranzetti, Carolina; Fronza, Massimiliano; Fiore, Sandro L.
in SC24-W: Workshops of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, Atlanta, Georgia: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2024, p. 2024-2031. - ISBN: 979-8-3503-5554-3. Proceedings of: 2024 Workshops of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis, SC Workshops 2024, Atlanta, Georgia, 17-22 November 2024 (Workshop 18 November 2024). - Publication URL . - DOI: 10.1109/SCW63240.2024.00253
BCHJam: A Brain-Computer Music Interface for Live Music Performance in Shared Mixed Reality Environments
Romani, M.; Giudici, G. A.; Stefani, D.; Zanoni, D.; Boem, A.; Turchet, L.
in IEEE 5th International Symposium on the Internet of Sounds, IS2 2024, 345 E 47TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10017 USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2024, p. 184-192. - ISBN: 9798350366525. Proceedings of: 5th IEEE International Symposium on the Internet of Sounds, IS2 2024, deu, 2024. - DOI: 10.1109/IS262782.2024.10704087
Exploring Vision Transformers on the Frontier Supercomputer for Remote Sensing and Geoscientific Applications
Anantharaj, Valentine; Kurihana, Takuya; Dash, Sajal; Padovani, Gabriele; Fiore, Sandro
in IGARSS 2024 - 2024 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 345 E 47TH ST, NEW YORK, NY 10017 USA: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2024, p. 3085-3088. - (IEEE INTERNATIONAL GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS). - ISBN: 9798350360325. Proceedings of: 2024 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2024, Athens, Greece, 2024. - Publication URL . - DOI: 10.1109/igarss53475.2024.10640929
