I’m an applied mathematician interested in using mathematics and data to understand how complex real-world systems work. I develop methods to uncover higher-order, time-varying interactions in multivariate signals — from the brain to financial markets — and use network science to explore systems as diverse as sperm whales and world cuisines.
I develop computational methods to infer structured, time-varying interactions from high-dimensional multivariate data, combining statistical inference, network theory and computational topology. Neuroscience is my main application area, and the same methods extend to financial and other complex systems; with network science I also study sperm whale behaviour and world cuisines.
Entry · October 2026
Camp is at the ISI Foundation, in Turin. Pairs never told us the whole story, so we keep listening for the triplets: the synergy hidden in brain and market signals.
Part of the expedition sails with Project CETI, charting the social networks of sperm whales, one coda at a time.
Supplies: an MSCA fellowship, temporalHOI. Morale: high. Reviewer 2: still at large.
To whoever finds this, the trail continues in the papers →— A. S.
Complex-network and AI methods for multivariate signals.
Higher-order and topological approaches to neural systems, from micro- to macro-scale.
How emotions emerge from groups of interacting brain regions, using higher-order topology and naturalistic film fMRI.
Structure and dynamics of interconnected systems, through information theory and optimality.
Network science for the communication and behaviour of sperm whales.
How cuisines combine ingredients, through networks and topology.
L. Zaffina, M. Diano, F. Petruso, M. G. Preti, E. Amico, E. Morgenroth, G. Petri, D. Van De Ville, P. Vuilleumier, A. Santoro
L. Zaffina*, C. Monti*, S. Poetto, M. Lucas, H. J. Machado Borges, R. Deshpande, P. Tønnesen, D. F. Gruber, S. Gero, A. Santoro*, G. Petri*
A. Santoro*, M. Neri*, S. Poetto, D. Orsenigo, M. Diano, M. Gatica, G. Petri
I am a mathematician with a strong interest in applied sciences. My research focuses on complex networks, time series analysis, neuroscience, and information theory, with a particular emphasis on higher-order models and their application to large-scale systems. Currently, my work involves developing topological approaches to infer higher-order dependencies in multivariate time series, with applications in brain data and economics. I am also part of Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative), which is an ambitious interdisciplinary endeavor aiming to decode the communication of sperm whales.
I am an MSCA Postdoctoral Researcher at the ISI Foundation in Turin, supported by the Marie Curie project "temporalHOI". I work within the NPLab under the mentorship of Prof. Giovanni Petri, and in collaboration with Dr. Fabrizio De Vico Fallani at INRIA, Paris. I received my PhD in Applied Mathematics from the Complex Systems and Networks Group at Queen Mary University of London, where I worked under the supervision of Vincenzo Nicosia and Lucas Lacasa.
Previously, I held position as a Researcher at CENTAI and worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Neuro-X Institute at EPFL (Geneva), under the guidance of Dr. Enrico Amico within the MIPlab group of Prof. Dimitri Van De Ville. I have also held research positions at The Alan Turing Institute (London) and served as a Research Assistant at Queen Mary University of London.
My interest in complex networks began in 2014 during my visits to the Complex Systems and Networks group at Queen Mary University, under the supervision of Vito Latora and Vincenzo Nicosia. I obtained a degree in Mathematics and Master in Applied Mathematics both from the University of Catania. I was also enrolled at the Scuola Superiore di Catania, an institution that gives talented students from the University of Catania complementary and advanced classes and encourages them to start research projects before graduation. My master's thesis and early research were supervised by Giuseppe Nicosia. You can find more about me here.
