"The Italian Society of Intelligence (SOCINT), Alongside G-Research, has announced that Stefano Mercogliano, a PhD student in the CQB PhD program (XXXVII Cycle) at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology (DIETI) of the University of Naples Federico II, is one of the three winners of the second edition of the SOCINT-G Research Award. This prestigious recognition honors the top three PhD dissertations in Italy in the quantitative fields of Mathematics, Theoretical Physics, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science. With a prize of €10,000 for each recipient, these awards represent the most significant financial recognition ever granted in Italy in these disciplines. The award ceremony took place in Rome at the Senate of the Republic, Sala Caduti di Nassirya on January 23, 2025.
Stefano Mercogliano's thesis focuses on bioinformatics, specifically tackling the challenges of DNA analysis for modern long and noisy DNA sequences, with the goal of enabling large-scale genome analysis. His research makes two major contributions. First, he developed novel algorithmic techniques to significantly reduce the volume of data to be processed while maintaining high accuracy throughout the analysis. Second, he designed a specialized hardware architecture leveraging a modern Solid-State Drive (SSD), introducing modifications to both flash memory circuitry and memory channel accelerators to maximize energy efficiency and computational throughput.
Advancements in DNA analysis, such as those proposed by Mercogliano, are critical for numerous scientific and practical applications. From identifying genetic mutations linked to diseases and tracking the evolution of pathogens in epidemic outbreaks to supporting forensic investigations and deepening our understanding of evolutionary biology, efficient genome analysis is a cornerstone of modern science. Cutting-edge computational and hardware innovations are essential to handling the ever-growing volume of genomic data, paving the way for more accurate diagnoses, faster outbreak response, and groundbreaking discoveries in biology and medicine.
For the article, in italian language, visit the web page https://news.socint.org/socint-g-research-la-ricerca-incontra-il-futuro/