International recognition: Paolo Ferragina named new Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world's leading association in the field of computer science
Recognized for his contribution to data structures and algorithms for efficient search and data compression, Ferragina is the only new ACM Fellow from an Italian institution. “It is an immense honour for me; this title is held by many researchers who have inspired my career.”
Paolo Ferragina, professor of computer science at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, has been named a new Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world's most important association in the field of computer science. Founded in 1947, ACM is based in New York and brings together researchers, professionals, and educators to advance science, engineering, and computing applications. Each year, ACM awards the prestigious Turing Award, considered the Nobel Prize of computer science. The title of Fellow is awarded to less than 1% of its members worldwide. This recognition is reserved for researchers whose work demonstrates exceptional scientific excellence and has had a lasting, global impact on the field.
“Being named an ACM Fellow is an immense honour for me, especially considering that this title is held by many of the researchers who have inspired my career,” says Ferragina.
Ferragina is one of 71 new Fellows selected from among the association's fellows for their innovative achievements in the field of computer science (the only new Fellow from an Italian university). In particular, Ferragina was named as a new Fellow of the ACM for his contribution to data structures and algorithms for efficient search and data compression. With a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Pisa and a post-doc at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Ferragina has been a full professor of Computer Science since 2007, first at the University of Pisa and since 2025 at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.
“I would like to dedicate this award to those who made my scientific career possible: my mentor Fabrizio Luccio and the Algorithms group at the University of Pisa, with whom I have shared over 25 years of research. I also wish to share this award with my colleagues and students at the Sant’Anna School, where I am currently conducting my research and exploring new interdisciplinary frontiers. This award also recognizes a collective journey, fostered by the exchange of ideas and contributions from students, doctoral candidates, and colleagues. To all of them, I offer my heartfelt gratitude”concludes Ferragina.
