Carolina CRESPI
Carolina Crespi is a Research Fellow at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Catania. She earned a PhD in Computer Science from the same Department, defending a dissertation entitled “From Ants to Crowds: Harnessing Competition for Optimization.” She also holds a degree in Physics, specializing in Complex Systems Physics, from the University of Catania.
Her scientific activity lies in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Optimization and focuses on bio-inspired models, Swarm Intelligence, and multi-agent systems. Her main research interests include Ant Colony Optimization, complex adaptive systems, collective behavior, and Agent-Based Modeling, with particular emphasis on distributed decision-making processes, trust, cooperation and competition dynamics, and autonomous navigation in dynamic and unknown environments.
The research activity lies within the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Optimization, with particular emphasis on bio-inspired models, Swarm Intelligence, and multi-agent systems. Within this framework, computational models inspired by natural collective behaviors are studied and developed, with specific focus on Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and its agent-based extensions applied to navigation and path-finding problems in static and dynamic environments.
In parallel, Agent-Based Modeling is employed to analyze collective dynamics, decision-making processes, and trust mechanisms among agents and between agents and their environment, interpreting algorithmic parameters also from a behavioral and social perspective. A significant part of the research is further devoted to autonomous navigation in unknown or partially known environments, where agents integrate memory, local perception, energy constraints, and adaptive strategies in order to balance exploration and efficiency.
The activity includes the development of computational models, implementation in NetLogo and/or Python, statistical analysis of results, and comparative validation of cooperative, competitive, and imitative strategies in complex distributed systems.
Announcements
This section provides updates regarding exams and course materials.
18/02/2026 – Exam project
- The project for the 18/02/2026 exam session of Artificial Intelligence (L-31) and Artificial Intelligence and laboratory (LM-18) is available. The material can be downloaded at the following link by selecting the ZIP file named esame_18022026.zip: https://www.dmi.unict.it/ccrespi/artificial-intelligence/projects/
28/01/2026 – Exam project
- The project for the 28/01/2026 exam session of Artificial Intelligence (L-31) and Artificial Intelligence and laboratory (LM-18). The material can be downloaded at the following link by selecting the ZIP file named [EN]exam_28012026.zip: https://www.dmi.unict.it/ccrespi/artificial-intelligence/projects/