Prof Nicola Bragazzi, a Senior Researcher at the University of Parma in Italy, recently concluded a one-month visit to SPU’s Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences where he served as a Visiting Professor.
Prof Bragazzi is a globally recognised academic with expertise in digital health, computational modelling, data science and biostatistics. During his time at SPU, he made significant contributions that advanced collaborative research and knowledge-sharing within the faculty.
A seminar he delivered on Large Language Models sparked interest among staff, postgraduate students and senior undergraduates in the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology. His ongoing work with Prof Colin Chibaya, Head of Department in Computer Science and Information Technology, in evolutionary computation and his mentorship of Dr Shalene Bothma, Postdoctoral Fellow in Physical and Earth Sciences, on research in perovskite solar cells reflect his interdisciplinary approach.
Prof Bragazzi has authored over 900 scientific publications and holds a Scopus h-index of 74. He is recognised as a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher and ranks among the top 2% of the most-cited scientists globally. While at SPU he completed two research articles as first author and contributed to two additional drafts as co-author.
“It was a great pleasure to host such a renowned scholar in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences and it is clear that his visiting professorship is going to benefit SPU in many ways,” said Prof Martin Ntwaeaborwa, Dean of the Faculty.
