Informatics Europe is delighted to announce Giuseppe Spallitta, PhD graduate from the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Trento, Italy, as the winner of the Informatics Europe 2026 Best Dissertation Award (BDA).
His thesis, “Efficient and Effective Model Enumeration in SAT and SMT: Investigating Novel Procedures and Applications,” was formally recognised at the 22nd European Informatics Leaders Summit (ECSS 2026) on 26 October in Porto, Portugal, where Spallitta delivered a presentation about his work.
Spallitta’s doctoral research tackles the computationally challenging problem of model enumeration in SAT and SMT, developing fast and compact enumeration algorithms and exploring their applications in areas including knowledge compilation, probabilistic reasoning, and quantum computing. His PhD advisor, Prof. Roberto Sebastiani, noted that Spallitta’s algorithms and encodings “boosted both efficiency and effectiveness by orders of magnitude and were successfully applied to a remarkably diverse set of problems.”
“I am honoured to receive this Award and to see the importance of foundational research recognised at a time when AI is advancing so rapidly,” said Spallitta. “With all the excitement around recent AI breakthroughs, it is easy to overlook the broader foundations of AI that have contributed to this progress and continue to shape the field.” He sees the recognition as highlighting “the important role that automated reasoning and formal verification play in Informatics” and their potential to help build AI systems “whose behaviour we can understand, verify, and control.”
Strong Competition Across European Informatics
This year’s Award received 29 nominations, each selected by its institution as the most distinguished dissertation defended in the calendar year 2025. Following independent reviews and a consensus evaluation, the Award Committee selected one winner, one runner-up, and two distinguished finalists.
Award Committee members noted the exceptionally high quality of submissions, with remarkably small differences among the highest-ranked candidates. The nominations reflect the excellence and impact of doctoral research in Informatics across Europe.
Winner
- Giuseppe Spallitta, Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento (IT):
“Efficient and Effective Model Enumeration in SAT and SMT: Investigating Novel Procedures and Applications”
Runner-up
- Michal Štefánik, Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University (CZ):
“Axes of Robustness of Neural Language Models”
Distinguished finalists
- Joachim Baumann, Department of Informatics, University of Zurich (CH):
“On the Societal Impact of Machine Learning” - Thibault Dardinier, Department of Computer Science, ETH Zurich (CH):
“Formal Foundations for Automated Deductive Verifiers”
The selected dissertations reflect the breadth of challenges being addressed by the Informatics community today, from the robustness of neural language models to the trustworthiness and societal impact of AI systems. Štefánik’s research introduces an uncertainty-based theory and a principled framework explaining and categorising methods to make large language models more robust and reliable. Baumann’s research examines where unfairness in machine learning systems comes from and how to address it, including through a system designed to help prevent homelessness after eviction. Dardinier’s work focuses on making automated deductive verifiers more trustworthy and more expressive, helping ensure that software behaves as intended in an era when AI makes code generation increasingly easy. Together, these studies showcase the diversity of research in Informatics and its potential to shape the technologies and infrastructure on which society increasingly relies.
Springer Nature: Supporting Emerging Informatics Researchers and Research Excellence
The Informatics Europe Best Dissertation Award annually recognises outstanding PhD dissertations in Informatics from IE member institutions. The winner receives a €3,000 prize, sponsored by Springer Nature, which also offers the opportunity to publish the best unpublished dissertation for further recognition and visibility.
“Springer is proud to provide support to young Informatics researchers at all stages of their careers, starting with the broad distribution of their work in journals, conferences and books,” explains Welmoed Spahr, Vice President Computer Science Books with Springer Nature. “We are deeply impressed by the high-quality nominations received for the Award, which shows its reputation and importance to the community. Our sponsoring of the Award also emphasises our continued partnership with Informatics Europe.”
For more information about the Award and previous editions, please visit IE's Best Dissertation Award webpage.
About Springer
With a portfolio of over 2,700 journals and over 220,000 books, Springer is a global leader in academic and scientific publishing. It empowers authors to share impactful research, enables readers to access trusted content, and collaborates with institutions and communities to advance knowledge worldwide. Whether you're publishing cutting-edge science or foundational texts, Springer provides the reach, credibility, and support to help your work make a lasting difference. To discover more about Springer, visit www.springer.com.
About Informatics Europe
Informatics Europe is the network of Informatics Research and Education institutions across Europe. It brings together 200 university departments, research laboratories, and industry partners in more than 30 countries, encompassing a community of over 50,000 researchers. Through collective action, strategic initiatives, and policy engagement, Informatics Europe unites the community, amplifies its voice, and advances shared priorities in education, research, and the societal impact of Informatics. Explore how IE activities and services turn joint efforts into lasting impact.
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