From October 6 to 10, the 35th IRIXYS Young Scientists’ workshop took place at the University of Milan, gathering professors, researchers and PhD students from Milan, Lyon and Passau.
After a warm welcome to all participants who arrived in Milan on Monday, Dr. Davide Chicco (University of Milano-Bicocca) opened the workshop.
The week was rich in inspiring keynotes. Professor Ernesto Damiani (University of Milan) first introduced the MUSA-S2 approach, which focuses on developing technologies and processes for handling large amounts of health and life sciences data for the well-being and health of citizens. Five panelists then led a discussion on IRIXYS’s achievements so far and the next steps for future collaboration. Following this, Dr. Monica Vitali (Politecnico di Milano) presented on “Designing Sustainable Applications for lower carbon IT”, highlighting the intersection of environmental responsibility and software development.
Another highlight was a talk by Professor Gabriella Pasi (University of Milano-Bicocca) on “Context Knowledge and Large Language Models”, exploring how contextual understanding influences the behavior and outcomes of AI systems.
Dr. Nicola Bena (Assistant Professor, University of Milan) also addressed the challenges of assurance, certification and security for AI to measure its trustworthiness. A panel discussion on “Cyber-Security Perspectives in the Post-Globalization Era” followed, hosted by Prof. Ernesto Damiani (University of Milan), Claudio Impenna (Bank of Italy), Antonio Pisano (Leonardo: aerospace, defense and security) and Ahmed Alhammadi (CEO, CyberShield). The panelists engaged in a lively dialogue on current cybersecurity perspectives and answered questions from the audience.
Finally, Dr. Lara Mauri (University of Milan) shared insights on “Facing Emerging AI Threats: From Risks to Resilience with STRIDE-AI”. Closing remarks concluded the workshop, reflecting on the week’s discussions and announcing the next workshop which will take place in June 2026 in Lyon.
In addition to these keynote and expert talks, the workshop also provided a platform for young researchers from Milan, Lyon and Passau to present their ongoing work and get constructive feedback from the trinational team of IRIXYS.
As always, the IRIXYS workshop proved to be a dynamic forum for interdisciplinary exchange, innovation and academic networking, solidifying the long-standing partnership between the three universities and highlighting the importance of cross-border collaboration in addressing global cybersecurity challenges.
Thank you to all participants for their contributions. We look forward to seeing you again at the next summer workshop 2026 in Lyon.
