The first two graduates in “Biotechnologies and Applied Artificial Intelligence for Health”, the Master’s Degree course created and activated in the 2022/23 academic year to educate graduates with advanced digital skills applied and applicable to the field of biomedicine and medical biotechnologies, received their degrees by defending their theses in the historic Aula Magna of La Sapienza University building. Giacomo Tornabene, 26, from Grosseto, defended the thesis “Development of AI tools guiding phage engineering to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria”, with Prof. Mariagrazia Di Luca and Dr. Giuseppe Maccari as supervisors; Piero Giovannoni, 25, from Lucca, defended the thesis “Development of Machine Learning models for toxicological profile prediction of chemical compounds”, with Prof. Tiziano Tuccinardi and Prof. Giulio Poli as supervisors.
Piero Giovannoni and Giacomo Tornabene.
The Master’s Degree course “Biotechnologies and Applied Artificial Intelligence for Health” is based on an interdisciplinary, international and innovative cultural project. In the context of advanced digital skills, this degree is part of a project funded by the European Commission for the development of innovative teaching in “Advanced Digital Skills”, also through the creation of double degree programmes between different partners (Universitỳ of Pisa, University of Aix-Marseille, University of Stockholm).
“The Department of Biology, with the invaluable collaboration of other University Departments (Information Engineering, Informatics, Pharmacy, Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, Law), is proud to be able to offer such an innovative course with an international scope for the education of highly qualified professionals in the field of medical biotechnology,” said Professor Antonella Del Corso, Head of the Department. “I would like to thank Professor Arianna Tavanti, Chair of the study programme, as well as Professor Roberto Giovannoni and Professor Daria Bottai, members of the Steering Committee of the European project, who have made a fundamental contribution to the success of this initiative”.
“The course in Biotechnologies and Applied Artificial Intelligence for Health has been very interesting and stimulating for me. It has allowed me to face many challenges and grow both personally and professionally,” commented Piero Giovannoni. “It was really enriching to share this experience with students from all over the world, thanks to the international context of the course, which was taught entirely in English. Looking to the future, I believe that Artificial Intelligence is a fundamental resource that is developing at a rapid pace and is becoming an integral part of our lives. Especially in the field of health, these technologies have extraordinary potential, and my goal is to work in areas where they can be integrated into everyday processes and help to improve the quality of life through innovative solutions”.
“After completing this Master’s Degree course, I intend to use the interdisciplinary skills I have acquired to contribute to innovation in the healthcare sector,” commented Giacomo Tornabene. “I believe that Artificial Intelligence can play a major role in revolutionising various aspects of this field and I hope that my multidisciplinary training will contribute to this evolution”.
