Stefano Zoia

PhD Student · Computer Science Department, University of Turin, Italy

I have a background in Computer Science, and my research focuses on the intersection of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence. My current project investigates the development of an integrated system for metaphor interpretation and generation, bringing together the interpretability of cognitively inspired logics and the generative capabilities of Large Language Models.

Experience

Contract Lecturer

Scuola Universitaria Interdipartimentale in Scienze Strategiche (SUISS), University of Turin

Supplementary teaching activities for the following courses:

  • Programming (Programmazione);
  • Intelligent systems (Sistemi intelligenti);
  • Computer networks (Reti di calcolatori).

October 2024 - March 2025

Computer Science teacher

Secondary school “C. Grassi”, Turin
October 2022 - June 2023

Research Fellowship (Borsa di studio di ricerca)

Computer Science Department, University of Turin

Participation in the “Visualizzazioni Interattive per il Settecentenario Dantesco” project.

July - October 2021

Part time collaboration

Computer Science Department, University of Turin

Providing support for the students of the Algorithms and Data Structures laboratory.

March - May 2021

Research Fellowship (Borsa di studio di ricerca)

Computer Science Department, University of Turin

Participation in the “Ragionamento automatico per la raccomandazione di opere d’arte basato su ontologie” project:

  • Study, project and test an automatic reasoning module based on the DENOTER system and on the TCL logic, able to generate novel conceptual categories in cultural heritage domain;
  • Study a potential automatic translation between RDF representations and TCL-based expressions.

December 2020 - February 2021

Other activities and working experiences

  • 2018-2022: organization of the annual academic event named “Forum Interdisciplinare Ferdinando Rossi” (FFR), two-day interdisciplinary conference;
  • Organization of large events;
  • Animation for children and babysitting.

Education

Computer Science Department, University of Turin

PhD program in Computer Science

Research topics:

  • Commonsense reasoning for Automatic Knowledge Generation in Computational Creativity Applications;
  • Analysis of human behavior in the aerospace context.

November 2023 - Present

Scuola di Studi Superiori “Ferdinando Rossi”, University of Turin

Advanced Qualification Certificate

An interdisciplinary program that integrates students' primary academic studies with advanced coursework and seminars addressing complex contemporary challenges. The curriculum emphasizes collaborative problem-solving across diverse fields, fostering a comprehensive understanding of socio-political issues, sustainable development, and the interplay between human and natural sciences.

December 2017 – December 2024

Computer Science Department, University of Turin

Master Degree in Computer Science

Artificial Intelligence and Computer Systems course.

November 2020 – October 2023

Computer Science Department, University of Turin

Bachelor Degree in Computer Science

Information and Knowledge course.

September 2017 – November 2020

Publications

  • A. Lieto, G. L. Pozzato, M. Striani, S. Zoia, and R. Damiano, “DEGARI 2.0: A diversity-seeking, explainable, and affective art recommender for social inclusion”, Cogn. Syst. Res., vol. 77, pp. 1–17, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.cogsys.2022.10.001.
  • A. Lieto, G. L. Pozzato, M. Striani, S. Zoia, and R. Damiano, “Formal Methods Meet XAI: the Tool DEGARI 2.0 for Social Inclusion”, in Short Paper Proceedings of the 4th Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Formal Verification, Logic, Automata, and Synthesis hosted by the 21st International Conference of the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA 2022), Udine, Italy, November 28, 2022, L. Geatti, G. Sciavicco, and A. Umbrico, Eds., in CEUR Workshop Proceedings, vol. 3311. CEUR-WS.org, 2022, pp. 45–50. [Online]. Available: https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3311/paper8.pdf.
  • A. Lieto, G. L. Pozzato, S. Zoia, V. Patti, and R. Damiano, “A commonsense reasoning framework for explanatory emotion attribution, generation and re-classification”, Knowl. Based Syst., vol. 227, p. 107166, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.knosys.2021.107166.

Conferences, Workshops & Academic Events