• Education

  • PhD in Computer Engineering, Department of Enginerring, University of Ferrara, 2022

    • Thesis title: Extensions and Applications of Probabilistic Logic Programming. Supervisors: Prof. Fabrizio Riguzzi and Prof. Evelina Lamma

  • MSc in Computer Science and Automation Engineering, University of Ferrara, 2018 (110/100 cum laude)

    • Thesis title: Blockchain Technologies for e-Voting Systems. Supervisors: Prof. Fabrizio Riguzzi and Prof. Evelina Lamma

  • BSc in Electronics and Computer Science Engineering, University of Ferrara, 2016 

    • Thesis title: Sviluppo di un'Applicazione di Visione Artificiale per Guida Robot con Libreria Open-source (in italian). Supervisor: Prof. Marcello Bonfè

• Scientific expertise

  • Logic Programming and Probabilistic Logic Programming

  • Statistical Relational Artificial Intelligence

  • Machine Learning

• Awards

  • 2023: co-author of the best student paper ”Regularization in Probabilistic Inductive Logic Programming” by Elisabetta Gentili, Alice Bizzarri, Damiano Azzolini, Riccardo Zese and Fabrizio Riguzzi at ILP2023

  • 2023: member of the winning team of the LP/CP Programming Contest 2023 at ICLP2023

  • 2022: winner of the Technological Contest at CILC2022 with the software PASTA

  • 2022: special mention at “Premio per la migliore tesi di dottorato su argomenti di Logica Computazionale” (best PhD thesis on computational logic) awarded by Associazione Italiana per la Programmazione Logica GULP at 37th Italian Conference on Computational Logic CILC2022 for my PhD thesis: “Extensions and Applications of Probabilistic Logic Programming“

  • 2021: recipient of “Prima Edizione Premio Nazionale Ricerca Big Data e AI” from International Foundation Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Human Development (IFAB)

• Teching and Seminars

  • Module “Informatica e seminario” (Informatics) of the course “Basi molecolari e funzionali della vita” (Molecular and Functional Bases of Life), Corso di Laurea in Infermieristica abilitante alla professione sanitaria di infermiere (Classe: L/SNT1) (Bachelor degree in Nursing), both in Ferrara (20h) and Adria (20h) and the same course for Corso di Laurea in Ostetricia abilitante alla professione sanitaria di ostetrica/o (Classe: L/SNT1) (Bachelor degree in Midwifery), 12h, and Corso di Laurea in Fisioterapia (Classe: L/SNT2) (Bachelor degree in Physiotherapy), 12h, A.A. 2022/2023, 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026 and Corso di laurea in Tecniche della Riabilitazione Psichiatrica (Classe: L/SNT2) (Bachelor degree in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Techniques), 8h, A.Y. 2023/2024, 2024/2025, 2025/2026

  • Course Probablistic Learning and Reasoning (8 h), since A.Y. 2024/2025, Master Degree, University of Ferrara 

  • Course Advanced Software Engineering (30 h) since A.Y. 2023/2024 (every 2 years) for the Master Degree in Computer and Automation Engineering, University of Ferrara

  • Course "Machine Learning”, 27 h, A.Y. 2024/2025, graduate-level course in inglese a Ecole Superieure d’Informatique Electronique Automatique (ESIEA), Paris, France

  • Module “Introduction to containers: best practices and technologies” for the course “Services and Innovation for Industry 4.0” (3 h), 2023

  • Module of Machine Learning at Advanced School on Artificial Intelligence (ASAI), 2025

  • PhD course: “Advanced Computer Science and R Language” – Basic Module. 14 h November 2022, 12 h November 2024, 12 h November 2025

  • PhD course: "AI in Scientific Research" - February 5, 2026

  • Co-teaching Fondamenti di Informatica e Laboratorio Modulo B (Basics of Computer Science and Laboratory) (30 h) A.Y. 2021/2022 for the Bachelor Degree in Electronics and Computer Engineering

  • “Linguaggio C” for the regional course IFTS for the years 2019 (28 h), 2020 (28 h), 2021 (20 h), 2022 (16 h), 2023 (16h), 2024 (16h), 2025 (16h)

• Activities

  • Program chair: PLP2024, PLP2025, CILC2026

  • Co PhD supervisor of Atefeh Ghanbari

  • Program committee of many international conferences such as IJCAI, AAAI, ECAI, and KR

  • Review Editor for Frontiers in Machine Learning

  • Co-EiC of the journal Intelligenza Artificiale

2026

• Probabilistic Reasoning within Answer Set Programming with Quantifiers. Damiano Azzolini, Giuseppe Mazzotta, and Francesco Ricca. In 23rd International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR), 2026

2025

• Reasoning with Restricted Statistical Statements in Probabilistic Answer Set Programming: Complexity and Algorithms. Damiano Azzolini and Markus Hecher. In 22nd International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR), 2025.

• A novel Framework for Reasoning over Optimization Problems in Probabilistic Answer Set Programming. Damiano Azzolini, Giuseppe Mazzotta, Francesco Ricca, and Fabrizio Riguzzi. In 22nd International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR), 2025

• An algebraic View of MAP Inference in Probabilistic Answer Set Programs. Damiano Azzolini, Giuseppe Mazzotta, Francesco Ricca, and Fabrizio Riguzzi. In 28th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI), 2025

• Application Placement with Constraint Relaxation. Damiano Azzolini, Marco Duca, Stefano Forti, Francesco Gallo, Antonio Ielo. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming, 2025

• Integrating Belief Domains into Probabilistic Logic Programming. Damiano Azzolini, Fabrizio Riguzzi, and Theresa Swift. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming, 2025

• Most Probable Explanation in Probabilistic Answer Set Programming. Damiano Azzolini, Giuseppe Mazzotta, Francesco Ricca, and Fabrizio Riguzzi. In International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (JCAI), 2025

• Learning Answer Set Programs with Aggregates via Sampling and Genetic Programming. Damiano Azzolini. Machine Learning, 114 (7), 148, 2025.

• Evolutionary Learning of Probabilistic Logic Programs. Damiano Azzolini. Knowledge-Based Systems 324, 113906, 2025.

• Mixtures of Probabilistic Logic Programs. Damiano Azzolini. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 186, 109497, 2025.

• Probabilistic Answer Set Programming with Discrete and Continuous Random Variables. Damiano Azzolini and Fabrizio Riguzzi. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming 25 (1), 1-32, 2025.

• Solving Decision Theory Problems with Probabilistic Answer Set Programming. Damiano Azzolini, Elena Bellodi, Rafael Kiesel, and Fabrizio Riguzzi. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming 25 (1), 33-63, 2025

2024

• Symbolic Parameter Learning in Probabilistic Answer Set Programming. Damiano Azzolini, Elisabetta Gentili, and Fabrizio Riguzzi. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming 24 (4), 698-715, 2024

• Fast Inference for Probabilistic Answer Set Programs Via the Residual Program. Damiano Azzolini and Fabrizio Riguzzi. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming 24 (4), 682-697. 2024

• Inference in Probabilistic Answer Set Programs with Imprecise Probabilities via Optimization. Damiano Azzolini and Fabrizio Riguzzi. The 40th Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence. 2024

2023

• Lifted inference for statistical statements in probabilistic answer set programming. Damiano Azzolini and Fabrizio Riguzzi. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 163, 109040. 2023

2022

• Statistical statements in probabilistic logic programming. Damiano Azzolini, Elena Bellodi, and Fabrizio Riguzzi. International Conference on Logic Programming and Nonmonotonic Reasoning, 43-55. 2022

• Abduction with probabilistic logic programming under the distribution semantics. Damiano Azzolini, Elena Bellodi, Stefano Ferilli, Fabrizio Riguzzi, and Riccardo Zese. International Journal of Approximate Reasoning 142, 41-63. 2022

2021

• Optimizing probabilities in probabilistic logic programs. Damiano Azzolini and Fabrizio Riguzzi. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming 21 (5), 543-556. 2021

• A semantics for hybrid probabilistic logic programs with function symbols. Damiano Azzolini, Fabrizio Riguzzi, Evelina Lamma. Artificial Intelligence 294, 103452. 2021