Marco Cristoforetti appointed Director of FBK’s new Center for Machine Intelligence

Yesterday, the Board of Directors of Fondazione Bruno Kessler appointed Marco Cristoforetti as Director of the new Center for Machine Intelligence, the unit that will be established in 2027 as part of a previously announced internal reorganization. Starting next year, the Center for Digital Industry will give way to two new specializations with distinct and complementary areas of expertise: the Center for Machine Intelligence and the Center for Verifiable, Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, which is dedicated to software engineering, software testing, and automated planning. The new structure aims to strengthen FBK’s international scientific standing and respond more effectively to the growing demand for innovation from the business world.

A physicist and data scientist, Marco Cristoforetti has headed FBK’s Data Science for Industry and Physics (DSIP) unit since 2021, leading research on AI applied to industrial systems and weather and climate.

“I thank the Foundation for its trust. I have been at FBK since 2010, and over these years, my professional career has grown alongside and thanks to the Foundation. That is why I am particularly pleased to lead the Center for Machine Intelligence and represent FBK in this new role,” said Cristoforetti. “The Center brings together expertise developed in the Center for Digital Industry over years of work with companies and public bodies: 2D and 3D perception, complex systems prediction, IoT, and robotics. The goal is to unite these capabilities in a joint program to develop intelligent systems capable of perceiving the physical environment, predicting its evolution, and taking action, always in collaboration with local stakeholders and European partners. My commitment is to help the Center and the people who work there grow through robust research that addresses real-world problems.”

Marco Cristoforetti: From Computational Physics to Artificial Intelligence

Currently head of the Data Science for Industry and Physics (DSIP) Unit at FBK’s Center for Digital Industry, Marco Cristoforetti has led research activities focused on applying artificial intelligence and data science to time series analysis and forecasting.

With a background in theoretical physics and a Ph.D. in computational physics, he has built a scientific career focused on various applications of artificial intelligence: predictive deep learning for time series, AI for industrial systems, weather and climate sciences, and space applications.

Currently, in the context of Industry 4.0, Cristoforetti works on predictive maintenance and condition monitoring for machinery and plants, as well as energy consumption forecasting to support the planning and management of energy production and distribution systems.

In the field of meteorology and climate studies, he develops artificial intelligence methodologies for precipitation forecasting using radar data and for generating regional climate scenarios through AI-based downscaling techniques.

His work also includes applications in space and high-energy physics, ranging from the study of ionospheric anomalies to fundamental physics research conducted at CERN’s large particle accelerators.