Department Department of ExcellenceProjects of excellence and goals

Projects of excellence and goals

Big data, sometimes resulting from unplanned processes and in near continuous flow is now commonly collected in a variety of fields, ranging from business and industry to public administration, from medical, natural and physical sciences to demographic and social sciences.

Relying on the technical and methodological expertise of its researchers in areas such as data management, computational methods, statistical modelling and causal inference, as well as on their proven experience in a variety of application fields, DiSIA has embarked on a path that will lead it to become a national and international reference for data science, developing innovative methods and analysis tools that complement advanced statistical methodologies, computationally efficient algorithms and sophisticated IT tools, all in order to support substantive disciplines in answering significant research questions.

This path begins with the strengthening of basic research activities that will have decisive repercussions on applied research in strategic sectors, such as public health, demographics and social sciences, economics and finance, industry, providing innovative methodological and data management facilities (for more details, please visit the DiSIA research areas page).

The strengthening of DiSIA's research is part of a broader development framework based on two additional pillars: the strengthening of teaching and instrumental activities:

• the creation of a specific LM curriculum aimed at the analysis of big data and the statistical aspects of Data Science (for further information, visit the Study Courses’ page); the creation of a scholarship on the topic of Data Science within the scope of the current consortium PhD in Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, which is already highly interdisciplinary (for more information, visit the PhD programme page).
• upgrading of the department's hardware, with a High Performance Computing (HPC) cluster and relative adaptation of the premises, improvement of the computer rooms with a videoconferencing system, support for teaching activities with the acquisition of databases.

The transversal scientific goals, their effects in terms of applied research in strategic areas, together with the goals of developing highly qualified teaching activities and infrastructures, will have natural consequences in terms of strengthening international relations by formalising existing contacts and establishing new ones with local organisations and businesses.