Curriculum Vitae
Personal Data
Name: Valeria Ruggiero
Citizenship: Italian
Birth: San Donato Val di Comino (FR), May 30, 1956
Address: University of Ferrara, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, via Machiavelli 30,
44121 Ferrara, Italy
Phone: +39 0532 974031
E-mail: mailto:rgv@unife.it
Academic Career
· 1978 Laurea in Mathematics (cum laude) at the University of Ferrara, Italy
· 1979-1981 Fellowship of the National Research Council (C.N.R.) - Department of Mathematics, University of Ferrara
· 1981-1992 Researcher in Numerical Analysis -Department of Mathematics, University of Ferrara
· 1992-1995 Associate Professor of Numerical Analysis - Department of Mathematics, Engineering Faculty, University of Modena
· 1995-2000 Associate Professor of Numerical Analysis - Department of Mathematics, Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences Faculty, University of Ferrara
· 2000-present Full Professor of Numerical Analysis - Department of Mathematics and Computing Science, University of Ferrara
· 2002-2008 President of the Degree Committee of the Bachelor and of the Master of Science in Computer Science, University of Ferrara
· 2004-2010 Vice Chancellor of University of Ferrara; (institutional articles)
- May 2010-September 2010, temporary Chancellor of University of Ferrara
· 2004-2013; Member of the Board of the PhD program in Mathematics and Computer Science of University of Ferrara;
- 2012-2013, Chair of the Board of the PhD program in Mathematics and Computer Science of University of Ferrara;
- 2015-present Member of the Board PhD program in Mathematics of Universities of Ferrara, Modena-Reggio Emilia, Parma;
- 2022-present Director of The INdAM Unit at the University of Ferrara
- 2023-present Chair of the Board of PhD program in Mathematics - University of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Parma
Other Activities and Services
· 2013-2021 Director of the National Group for Scientific Computation of the Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica (INdAM)
· 2004-present Member of Accademia delle Scienze di Ferrara
· 2018-present Member of Editorial Board of Computational Optimization and Applications.
· 2000-present Member of the Editorial Board of the Annali dell'Università di Ferrara, Sezione VII, Scienze Matematiche
. 2016-2017 Member of the Performance Assessment Committee of the IMT School for Advanced Studies of Lucca
· 2014-2018 Member of the Performance Assessment Committee of the University for Foreigners Perugia.
· 2012-2016 Member of the Performance Assessment Committee of the University of Brescia.
· 2010-2019 Member of Scientific Board of CINECA
· 2009-2012 Member of the Board of Governors of Consortium GARR for Fondazione CRUI
· 2001-2004 Member of the Scientific Board of National Group of Scientific Computing (GNCS)
· 2022 Member of the support commission MAT/08 to CUN advisers for updating SSD declarations and the constitution of the new GSDs
· 2022-present Member of the UMI Research Observatory
· Individual member of Unione Matematica Italiana (UMI), Gruppo nazionale per il Calcolo Scientifico INDAM (GNCS)
. Member of the Italian research group OASIS http://www.oasis.unimore.it/site/home.html
. Member of the UMI group “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning”, https://aiml.unich.it/
· Reviewer for Mathematical Reviews; referee for several scientific journals (Applied Mathematics and Computation, Journal of Numerical Analysis, Industrial and Applied Mathematics, Numerical Linear Algebra with Applications, Annals of Operations Research, Rendiconti di Roma, Inverse Problems, Inverse Problems and Imaging, Signal, Image and Video Processing, Applied Numerical Mathematics, Journal of Mathematical Imaging and Vision, Computers and Mathematics with Applications, Calcolo-A Quaterly on Numerical Analysis and Theory of Computation, Computational Optimization and Applications, Computational and Applied Mathematics, Microporous\& Mesoporous, Advances in Difference Equations, Numerical Functional Analysis and Optimization, Journal of Signal Processing, Numerical Mathematics: Theory, Methods ans Applications, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications )
Scientific Activity
Most of the research activity concerns the development and the analysis of numerical methods for large scale systems, parallel computing, nonlinear optimization and related applications. In particular theoretical and computational results have been obtained about the Inexact Newton interior point method for nonlinear programming problems and nonlinear systems, including the analysis of different iterative solvers for inner linear symmetric indefinite systems. Non monotone strategies are analyzed also for the semi-smooth case, with application to optimal control problems and variational inequalities. Most recent research interests concern variational methods for inverse problems in image reconstruction and stochastic methods for data analysis in machine learning. Contributions are obtained on first-order forward-backward and primal-dual variable metric methods and on step selection rules for stochastic algorithms. The results of her research activity are described in about 60 publications in international scientific journals, proceedings and books, in several software packages and in a number of communications to conferences. As coordinator of research projects, she organized meetings and workshops on mathematical software, parallel computing and numerical optimization.
Research Projects
2024 Advanced MATHematical methods for Artificial Intelligence – MATH4AI, funded by the programma "Future Artificiale Intelligence – FAIR” PE0000013, CUP DJ33C22002830006 – Mission 4 Component 2, Investment 1.3 (MUR Directorial Decree no. 341 of 03/15/2022),
2023 INdAM - GNCS Projects 2023: Data-driven optimization methods: new theoretical and practical perspectives (PI: G.Franchini)
2022 - INdAM - GNCS Projects 2022: Adaptive optimization for machine learning (PI: S. Rebegoldi)
2020 Emilia Romagna Regional project for funding a post-doc position "Stochastic optimization methods for innovative Machine Learning applications" - N. 2088/2019 POR FSE 2014/2020, 2019-13553/RER, coordinator
2013 FIRB Futuro in Ricerca 2012: Learning meets time: A new computational approach for learning in dynamic systems
2011 Regional project SPINNER 2013: High-complexity inverse problems in biomedical applications and social systems, local coordinator, (http://www.ipbioss.unimore.it/site/home.html)
2008-2012 MIUR project (PRIN) Optimization methods and software for inverse problems, national coordinator (http://www.unife.it/prisma).
2006-2007 MIUR project (PRIN) Numerical optimization methods for inverse problems
2004-2005 MIUR project (PRIN) Numerical Methods and Mathematical Software for Applications (http://www.math.unifi.it/~brugnano/Cofin2004)
2001 FIRB project Parallel Algorithms and Numerical Nonlinear Optimization, national coordinator (http://dm.unife.it/pn2o).
2001 G.N.C.S. project Metodi iterativi per sistemi di equazioni non lineari e problemi di ottimizzazione di dimensione finita, coordinator
2000 Agency 2000 project Griglie Computazionali e Applicazioni; coordinator of the subproject: Metodi di calcolo parallelo per il calcolo scientifico di grandi dimensioni
2000 G.N.I.M. project Metodi iterativi per sistemi di equazioni non lineari e problemi di ottimizzazione di dimensione finita, coordinator
1999-2000 MURST project (PRIN) Numerical methods for evolutionary problems, local coordinator
1998-1999 C.N.R. project Sistemi di grandi dimensioni e calcolo parallelo, coordinator
1997-2000 MURST project (PRIN) Numerical Analysis: Methods and Mathematical Software, national coordinator (AnNum97/)
1997 C.N.R. project Metodi di decomposizione per calcolatori paralleli, coordinator
1996 MURST project (PRIN) Analisi Numerica e Matematica Computazionale, local coordinator
1991 C.N.R. finalized project Sistemi informatici e calcolo parallelo; subproject 1 (see Moltedo, Salvetti, Laforenza: Calcolo Parallelo: Metodi, Simulazioni Numeriche, Elaborazione di Immagini)
Organization of workshops
. Member of the Scientific Committee: Numerical Computations: Theory and Algorithms, IV International Conference and Summer School, Pizzo Calabro (Italy),June 14-20, 2023.
. Member of the Technical Program Committee of the 17th Learning and Intelligence Optimization Conference, Nice (France), June 4-8 2023.
. Member of the Scientific Committee of Optimization Techniques for Inverse Problems IV, International Workshop, Modena (Italy), September, 6-7, 2021
. Member of the Scientific Committee: The 14th Learning and Intelligent Optimization Conference, Athens, May 24-28, 2020.
. Member of the Organizing Committee: GNCS2020, INdAM Scientific Computing National Group, Conference 2020, Montecatini (Italy), February 11-13, 2020.
. Member of the Scientific Committee: Numerical Computations: Theory and Algorithms, 3° International Workshop, Isola di Capo Rizzuto, June, 2019.
. Organizer with G. Toraldo of Minisymposium First order methods, 23rd International Symposium on Mathematical Programming (ISMP), Bordeaux, Luglio 1-6, 2018.
. Member of the Organizing Committee: INDAM Intensive Period, Computational Methods for Inverse Problems in Imaging, Como, June, 12, 2018.
. Member of the Technical program committee: LION 12, LION 12, Learning and Intelligence Optimization conference, Kelemata (Greece), June 10-15, 2018
. Member of the Organizing Committee: GNCS2018, INdAM Scientific Computing National Group, Conference 2018, Montecatini (Italy), February 14-16, 2018
. Member of the Technical program committee: LION 11, 11th International Conference, LION 11, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, June 19-21, 2017
. Member of the Scientific Committee of Optimization Techniques for Inverse Problems III, International Workshop, Modena (Italy), September 19-21, 2016
. Organizer with G. Toraldo of Minisymposium Computational Optimization and Applications, SIMAI 2016, Milano, Septemper 13-16, 2016
. Member of the Scientific Committee of Numerical Computations:Theory and Algorithms, International Workshop, Pizzo Calabro, June 19-25, 2016
. Member of the Organizing Committee: GNCS2016, INdAM Scientific Computing National Group, Conference 2016, Montecatini, February 2-4, 2016
. Member of the Scientific Committee of NETNA2015: New Trends in Numerical Analysis, Falerna, June 18-21, 2015
·Member of the Organizing Committee: Convegno 2014 del Gruppo Nazionale per il Calcolo Scientifico dell’INDAM, Montecatini, February 19-20, 2014
· Member of the Scientific Committee of Numerical Computations: Theory and Algorithms, International Workshop, Falerna, June 17-23, 20-21, 2013
· Member of the Scientific Committee of Optimization Techniques for Inverse Problems II, International Workshop, Modena, September 20-21, 2012
· Organizer with L. Zanni of Minisymposium Optimization methods for inverse problems in imaging and machine Learning, SIMAI 2012, Torino, June 2012
· XIX Congresso dell'UMI, Bologna, September, 12-17, 2011, Chairman of the section Numerical Algebra and Optimization
· Member of the Scientific Committee of the workshop Infinite and Infinitesimal in Mathematics, Computing and Natural Sciences, Cetraro, May, 17-21, 2010
· Member of the Organizing Committee of Optimization Techniques for Inverse Problems, International Workshop, Modena (Italy), April 28-29, 2008
· Chair of the Organizing Committee of the workshop Opt2003, Numerical Methods for Local and Global Optimization: Sequential and Parallel Algorithms, INdAM International Workshop, Cortona (Italy), July 14-20, 2003.
· GNCS2002, INdAM Scientific Computing National Group Annual Conference 2002, Ferrara (Italy), February 12-13, 2002
· Chair of the Organizing Committee of the workshop Numerical Analysis: Methods and Mathematical Software, Ferrara, January, 19-21, 2000
Teaching Activity
- Advised post-doc students
- Advised or co-advised PhD students:
- 2015 "Optimization methods for image regularization from Poisson Data", Alessandro Benfenati, Ph.D. in Mathematics and Computer Science, XXVII Ciclo;
- 2019 , "Spectral Properties of Gradient-based Methods for Optimization problems with Special Constraints", Serena Crisci, Ph.D. in Mathematics XXXII Ciclo;
- 2020, "Hyperparameters setting in Stochastic Optimisation Methods", Giorgia Franchini, Ph.D. in Mathematics XXXIII Ciclo.
. In July 2021, lectures on Optimization methods for machine learning at the PhD program in Mathematics of the University of Ferrara-Modena Reggio Emilia-Parma
. In February 2021, lectures on BV functions and applications to variational problems; Mumford-Shah and Blake-Zissermann at the PhD program in Mathematics of the University of Ferrara-Modena Reggio Emilia-Parma
. In February 2020, lectures on Variational methods for imaging and machine learning at the PhD program in Mathematics of the University of Ferrara-Modena Reggio Emilia-Parma
. In January 2016 and September 2018, lectures on Variational methods for imaging at the PhD program in Mathematics of the University of Ferrara-Modena Reggio Emilia-Parma
In July 2019, she held a seminar to the Summer School Mathematical Methods in Data Science (University of Bari).
. In 1990, lectures on "Parallel Methods of Linear Algebra" at the PhD program in Computational Mathematics of the University of Padova.
. From 1993 to 2003 she contributed to the Summer School on Parallel and Vector Computing at CINECA to Summer School on Parallel and Vector Computing at CINECA
· Lectures at School on Algorithms in Parallel Computing, sponsored by SASIAM, Bari, 1987.
· From 1980-81 to 1984-85, ‘’Algorithms and Data Structure’’ at the post-graduate course in Teoria e Applicazione delle Macchine Calcolatrici (TAMC) of the University of Bologna (Faculty of Science).
1991- present: she held courses on Numerical Analysis, Parallel Computing, Computer Science, Discrete Mathematics , Numerical Optimization methods at the Universities of Bologna, Modena and Ferrara, in Degree and Master degree programs of Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics.
· From 1979-80 to 1991-92: exercises and practice for “Calcoli Numerici e Grafici” (full degree in Mathematics, Science Faculty of the University of Ferrara)
List of courses
University of Bologna (site of Cesena)
1991-92: Numerical Analysis, full degree in Computer Science,
University of Modena
1992-93 – 1995-96: Numerical Computation, full degree in Materials Engineering and Computer Engineering
1994/95 Numerical Computation, Scuola a fini speciali di Informatica, Science Faculty
University of Ferrara
1995/96 - 1999/2000: ‘’Laboratorio di Programmazione e Calcolo’’, full degree in Chemistry, Science Faculty
1996/97- 1997/98: Programming languages, Computer Science diploma, Science Faculty
1996/97 - 1997/98: Probability theory, ‘’Diploma di Biotecnologie Agro-Industriali’’, Science Faculty
1997/98 - 2001/02: Computer Science I, Computer Science II, full degree in Economics, Economics Faculty
1999/2000 - 2000/01: Applied Mathematics, full degree in Mathematics, Science Faculty
2000/01: Numerical Computation, Computer Science diploma, Science Faculty
2001/02: Parallel Computing, first level degree in Computer Science, Science Faculty
2002/03-2003/04: Computational Mathematics, second level degree in Computer Science, Science Faculty
2001/02-2003/04: Lab of Numerical Computation, first level degree in Mathematics, Science Faculty
2001/02-2002/03: Data processing systems, first level degree in Economics, Economics Faculty
2002/03: Basics in Computer Science, first level degree in Economics, Economics Faculty
2002/03-2004/05: Numerical Analysis, second level degree in Automation and Computer Engineering
2003/04: Computer Science Education, SSIS, A042;
2004/05-2009/10; 2011/12-2016/17: Numerical Analysis II, fist level degree in Mathematics
2004/05-2009/10: Scientific Computing, second level degree in Computer Science,
2011/12: Numerical Analysis, second level degree in Automation and Computer Engineering and in Telecommunications and Electronic Engineering
2001/02 - 2005/06; 2007/08-2016/17: Numerical Computation and lab, first level degree in Computer Science
2004/05-2008/09; 2010/11; 2012/13; 2017/18-2023-24: Numerical Analysis I, fist level degree in Mathematics,
2014/15-2015/16; 2017/18-2023/24: Discrete Mathematics, fist level degree in Computer Science
2017/18 -2022/23: Numerical Optimization methods, second level degree in Mathematics
List of thesis
96/97 : "Alcuni metodi di regolarizzazione nella tomografia su calcolatore", Lara Marangoni (full degree in Mathematics)
97/98: "Metodi iterativi per la ricostruzione di immagini", Graziella Marchesini (full degree in Mathematics)
97/98: "Un metodo diretto per la risoluzione del problema dell'equilibrio del traffico", Maria Marulli (full degree in Mathematics)
97/98: "Approssimazioni di dati e funzioni mediante spline", Milena Gilli (Mathematics diploma)
97/98: "Il metodo del simplesso", Daniela Giurgola (Mathematics diploma)
97/98: " Ambienti di sviluppo del software su un sistema multiprocessore a memoria distribuita", Mattia Fogli (Computer Science dipoma)
98/99: "Metodi iterativi a due stadi per la risoluzione di sistemi di grandi dimensioni", Annamaria Landriani (full degree in Mathematics)
98/99: "Metodi per la risoluzione numerica di problemi di ottimizzazione di medie dimensioni", Silvia Azzolini (full degree in Mathematics)
99/00: "Strutture informative dinamiche nei linguaggi di programmazione", Patrizia Brandolini (Mathematics diploma)
99/00: "Metodi del punto interno per problemi di programmazione lineare e quadratica", Mariagiovanna Peruzzi (full degree in Mathematics)
01/02: "Metodi di ottimizzazione per la risoluzione di problemi di controllo", Alessia Baricordi (first level degree in Computer Science)
01/02: "Studio dei moti delle maree mediante metodi numerici di decomposizione", Ilaria Argentesi (first level degree in Computer Science)
02/03: "Metodi del punto interno per la risoluzione di problemi di controllo ottimo", Claudia Bergamini (full degree in Mathematics)
08/09: “Metodi numerici di proiezione di tipo Krylov per la risoluzione di sistemi lineari sparsi e relativo software”, Baraldi Elisabetta (first level degree in Mathematics)
09/09: “Metodi del gradiente proiettato per la ricostruzione di immagini”, Sara Grechi (first level degree in Mathematics)
09/10: “Ricostruzione di immagini nel caso di rumore Poissoniano”, Cecilia Pasquini (first level degree in Mathematics)
10/11: “Total Variation image denoising from Poisson data: Split Bregman and Alternating Extragradient methods”, Davide Taviani (first level degree in Mathematics)
11/12: “Mathematical problems in Synthetic Aperture Radar Differential Interferometry”, Cecilia Pasquini (second level degree in Mathematics)
11/12: “Metodi per l’elaborazione di immagini”, Ambra Gnudi (first level degree in Mathematics)
11/12: “Trattamento numerico delle condizioni al contorno nell’elaborazione delle immagini”, Serena Tosoni (first level degree in Mathematics)
12/13: “Parameter estimation in regularization models for image restoration with Poisson data”, Chiara Vaccari (second level degree in Mathematics)
12/13: “ Programmazione lineare con il metodo del simplesso”, Marcella Scaglianti (first level degree in Mathematics)
12-13: "The Blake-Zisserman model for digital surface models segmentation", Massimo Zanetti ((second level degree in Mathematics)
13/14: “Aspetti teorici e numerici del metodo alle direzioni alternate dei moltiplicatori”, Serena Tosoni (second level degree in Mathematics) Co-advisor
13/14: “I metodi ISTA e FISTA per problemi di ricostruzione di immagini”, Elisa Agostini (first level degree in Mathematics)
13/14: “Una tecnica di precondizionamento per metodi primali-duali del primo ordine in ottimizzazione convessa”, Ambra Gnudi (second level degree in Mathematics)
14/15: "Analisi di algoritmi di proiezione su un simplesso generalizzato", Selene Tamagnini (first level degree in Mathematics) Co-advisor
14/15: "Realizzazione di una appicazione web per la gestione delle procedure di iscrizione all'Associazione Donatori di Midollo Osseo", Gabriele Di Ielsi (first level degree in Computer Science) Co-advisor
14/15: "Metodi Quasi-Newton per l'ottimizzazione non vincolata", Marcella Scaglianti (second level degree in Mathematics)
16/17: "Algoritmi forward-backward per dati di Poisson", Elisa Agostini (second level degree in Mathematics)
16/17: "Analisi di metodi prossimali per problemi di tomografia", Rita Fiore (second level degree in Mathematics)
16/17: "Analisi delle scelte del passo nei metodi del gradiente per problemi di programmazione non vincolati e con vincoli box", Selene Tamagnini (second level degree in Mathematics) Co-advisor
17/18: "Tecniche adattive per la scelta del parametro di penalizzazione nel metodo delle direzioni alternate dei moltiplicatori", Valeria Bergami (second level degree in Mathematics)
18/19: "Analisi delle componenti principali", Ambra Catozzi (first level degree in Mathematics)
18/19: "Algoritmi di fattorizzazione di matrici non negative", Ilaria Trombini (first level degree in Mathematics)
19/20: "Analisi di metodi del gradiente a memoria limitata per problemi di minimizzazione non vincolata", Greta Baldinini (first level degree in Mathematics)
19/20: "L'interpolazione lineare con funzioni B-spline e applicazioni", Silvia Baldo (first level degree in Mathematics)
20/21: "Analisi di convergenza e valutazione numerica di un metodo Trust Region per la risoluzione di sistemi non lineari con vincoli box", Soukaina Chaibi (second level degree in Mathematics)
20/21: "Analisi, valutazione e confronto di reti neurali artificiali per la previsione di eventi", Ambra Catozzi (second level degree in Mathematics)
20/21: "Tecniche adattive di selezione della lunghezza del passo nei metodi di gradiente stocastico", Ilaria Trombini (second level degree in Mathematics)
21/22: "Addestramento automatico mediante regressione logistica e SVM", Dario Bignozzi (first level degree in Mathematics)
21/22: "Metodi del residuo spettrale per sistemi non lineari", Jacopo Giordani (first level degree in Mathematics)
21/22: "Analisi di alcuni metodi di campionamento per la sensitività della Proper Orthogonal Decomposition", Sara Demo (first level degree in Mathematics)
22/23: "Analisi spettrale di grafi per la segmentazione di immagini", Cristiano Parenti (first level degree in Mathematics)
22/23: "Metodi numerici per il calcolo di autovalori e autovettori", Anna Fabbri (first level degree in Mathematics)
