• Organised by University of Pisa
• Held in english
• Lasts in 1 year
• Credits 60 ECTS
• Organised into 9 modules
• Lectures from 11 of January to 17 of July
• Hybrid format both in campus (University of Pisa) and online
• Degree awarded: Master’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage (official title)

Nevio Dubbini is a Researcher in Archaeological Research Methods at the Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge of the University of Pisa. With a PhD in Applied Mathematics, he works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data science and archaeology, developing computational methods for the analysis, interpretation and management of complex cultural-heritage data. He is also the founder and CEO of Miningful, a data-science company specialising in predictive modelling and AI-based solutions.

His research focuses on machine learning, deep learning, statistical modelling, natural-language processing and network analysis applied to archaeological questions. His publications include studies of archaeological-potential mapping, predictive archaeology and preventive heritage management; PageRank- and GIS-based spatial models; spatio-temporal networks for tracing the circulation of Roman ceramics; and NLP methods for extracting structured information from archaeological texts.

More recent work investigates human-in-the-loop AI and computer-vision systems for processing archaeological legacy documentation and classifying artefacts. This includes the use of OCR, language models and NLP to extract knowledge from historical reports, as well as convolutional neural networks for the identification of animal bones in zooarchaeological collections. Through projects such as ARCHIVE, AUTOMATA and MAIA, he also contributes to discussions on the transparent, responsible and scientifically rigorous use of AI in archaeology.

His broader interdisciplinary experience includes applications of mathematical modelling and data analysis in robotics, biomedical imaging, rehabilitation, movement disorders and life sciences. Alongside his research, he teaches Artificial Intelligence in Archaeology and contributes to the Digital Archaeology course at the University of Pisa, helping students connect advanced computational techniques with archaeological interpretation and professional practice.

Gabriele Gattiglia is an Associate Professor of Archaeological Research Methodology at the Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge of the University of Pisa. His research lies at the intersection of digital archaeology, archaeological theory and contemporary archaeology, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence, open data, GIS, predictive modelling and the critical use of computational methods.

He works at the MAPPA Lab, which manages MOD, the Italian repository for open archaeological data. His research examines how archaeological information can be collected, integrated, analysed and shared through transparent and reproducible digital workflows. Rather than treating digital technologies as neutral tools, he investigates their methodological, epistemological and ethical implications, including the biases and interpretative limits of AI-based systems. His publications also address archaeological data sharing, algorithmic archaeology and the relationship between technology, materiality and archaeological interpretation.

Gattiglia has coordinated several major national and European research initiatives. He led the ArchAIDE project, which developed an AI-assisted system for the automatic recognition of archaeological pottery, and contributed to MAPPA and MAGOH, devoted respectively to archaeological-potential modelling and sustainable heritage-data management. He currently coordinates the Horizon Europe project AUTOMATA, focused on the enriched digitisation and AI-supported classification of archaeological ceramics and lithics, and chairs the COST Action MAIA, a European network examining the scientific, ethical and operational use of artificial intelligence in archaeology.

A further strand of his work concerns contemporary landscapes, abandonment, marginality and environmental change. Through archaeological fieldwork in the Apuan Alps, Versilia, Lampedusa and other areas, he studies abandoned settlements, mountain communities, migration, local memories and the material traces of social and ecological transformation. Alongside his research, he teaches archaeological theory and methods, digital archaeology, archaeological research methodology and archaeology and new media. He is also active in promoting open science, free software and more participatory and socially engaged approaches to archaeological research.

Giorgio Grioli is a researcher at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Pisa and a Visiting Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the design, modelling and control of compliant and soft robotic systems, with particular emphasis on variable-impedance actuation and human-centred robotics.

His work combines mechanical design, control theory and bio-inspired engineering to develop robots that can interact safely and effectively with people and unstructured environments. His publications cover variable-stiffness actuators, adaptive robotic hands and feet, haptic technologies, human–machine interfaces, collaborative robots and upper-limb prostheses. Recent research includes controllable-stiffness prosthetic wrists and elbows, tactile feedback for prosthetic hands, adaptive feet for legged robots and assistive interfaces for people with motor impairments.

He received his PhD in Robotics, Automation and Bioengineering from the University of Pisa in 2011, with a dissertation on the identification and control of variable-impedance actuators. He has authored or co-authored more than 140 scientific publications in international journals and conference proceedings. He is also a co-inventor of several robotic devices and has contributed to the creation of robotics spin-off companies.

Alongside his research, he is active in university teaching, student and doctoral supervision, and the international robotics community. He has served in editorial roles for major robotics conferences and journals, including ICRA, ICORR, Actuators, Robotica and The International Journal of Robotics Research.

Salvatore Basile is a Research Fellow in Archaeology at the Department of Civilisations and Forms of Knowledge of the University of Pisa. His research focuses on landscape, Roman and environmental archaeology, with particular attention to the long-term relationships between human communities, settlement systems and changing environments.

He specialises in applying digital and quantitative methods to archaeological research, including Geographic Information Systems, spatial analysis, geostatistics, point-pattern analysis, logistic regression and computational modelling. Through these approaches, he investigates the formation and transformation of urban, rural, funerary and mountain landscapes, combining archaeological evidence with geomorphological, environmental and historical data.

A central area of his work is the archaeology of Roman and Late Antique Tuscany. His monograph Lucca Romana e Tardoantica reconstructs the development of Lucca and its territory from the foundation of the Roman colony to the Lombard period. His publications also examine the ancient river systems and settlement patterns of the Lucca plain, the funerary landscape of Late Antique and Early Medieval Lucca, and the Roman suburbs of Pisa. More recent collaborative research explores settlement and abandonment in the Versilia and Garfagnana mountains and the Apuan Alps, integrating archaeological, ethnographic and palaeoecological perspectives.

Alongside his research, he contributes to teaching in Digital Skills for Cultural Heritage at the University of Pisa. He is also interested in archaeological data management, open and reproducible research, and the quality and accessibility of environmental-archaeology datasets.