Curriculum Vitae

Personal Information

My name is Leonardo and my surname is Lavagna. I was born in Cagliari and I live in Rome. I am a mathematician specialized in data science, with work experience in the fields of bioinformatics, statistics, machine learning and related areas. Currently, I am pursuing a PhD in quantum computing at Sapienza University of Rome in the NESYA multidisciplinary lab in the Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications (DIET).

Working Experience

I have worked as a Data Analyst and Researcher in consulting firms active in biotechnology, chemistry and related areas. I have some experience as a developer (also with cloud technologies) and occasionally I have worked as a consultant in the field of cybersecurity. More recently, I co-founded a startup with my friend and colleague, Giorgio, specializing in the development of innovative IT solutions. We focus on automation, digitization, and process optimization using technologies such as AI and cloud computing. While we primarily serve the pharmaceutical sector, we also work across various industries, offering custom software, data analysis, IT consulting, and IoT solutions.

• 2025-present Co-founder & CEO LittleBulb s.r.l.
• 2023-present PhD candidate at Sapienza University of Rome.
• 2021-2023 Data Scientist Unilab - Italy.

Education

My education started with a degree in Pure Mathematics, then I specialized in Data Science and now I’m doing research in the field of Quantum Computing.

• High School Diploma (Liceo Scientifico PNI) at Liceo Scientifico Statale Farnesina in Rome
  • Stage INFN-LNF: summer stage at Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati working on Planck’s constant measurement apparatus. A summary of my contributions during the internship can be found here
• Degree in Mathematics with a thesis on a mathematical model in fluid dynamics under the supervision of Prof. Paolo Buttà at Sapienza University of Rome. My thesis (in Italian) is available here.
  • Erasmus: one semester at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (Germany) focusing on statistical mechanics, complex geometry and differential equations.
• Master of Science in Data Science With a thesis on a novel variant of the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, under the supervision of Prof. Massimo Panella, at Sapienza University of Rome. My thesis was published here.
  • Leonardo Labs Training camp focusing on Image Classification with Real-World Data Distributions.
  • AWS Training camp focusing on High-performance cloud computing.
• Pursuing a PhD in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at the Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications (DIET) of Sapienza University of Rome in the NESYA multidisciplinary lab, under the supervision of Prof. Massimo Panella.
  • Visiting @CERN (3 months). I have been associated with the ATLAS experiment and worked in the Quantum Technology Initiative to develop quantum-enhanced algorithms for experimental data analysis.

Foreign Languages

My native language is Italian, I am fluent in English, and I have a basic knowledge of German. Currently I’m also trying to remember the Franch I learned in school…

• 🇬🇧 Cambridge English: Proficiency (level C2)
• 🇩🇪 B1 Deutsch Prüfung

Information Technologies

I have a working knowledge of Python, R, C, MATLAB, and affine languages. Moreover, I’m familiar with working in macOS, Unix, and Linux environments, as well as with development tools such as Anaconda and Visual Studio Code. I have both practical and research experience in machine learning applications (from anomaly detection to recommendation systems) and quantum computing. I’ve also worked with databases, automation (Arduino, Raspberry Pi), game and app development, and a touch of web development. My experience with the AWS cloud platform is limited but goode enough to deploy small-sized projects. I also have a good understanding of cryptography and blockchain technologies, as well as protocols such as TCP/IP and Ethernet. More importantly, every time I open Office, I feel like I’m using a tool designed by someone who really doesn’t like me. If you really want to test my patience, just send me Word documents or Excel spreadsheets…

• Selection of Programming Lenguages C, C++, Python, MatLab, Java, R
• Selection of operating systems Mac Os X, Unix, Linux
• Selection of Developing environments and platforms Anaconda, Git, GitHub, Heroku, Streamlit, WordPress
• Cloud platforms AWS
• Databases SQL with MySQL, NoSQL with MongoDB
• Other Cryptography, penetration testing and network analysis, LANs, simple electronic circuits, basic computer architectures, basic web design skills (HTML, CSS).

Other

I’ve studied piano and composition at Santa Cecilia conservatory of Rome. I’ve also played tennis at a semi-professional level, but then I had to choose between my music passion, studying mathematics, and sports… music & math won, and for some time I had the “pleasure” of being piano accompanist for several singers… Nonetheless I became a certified FIT tennis teacher and sports director. I’m also a certified PADI Rescue Diver, and I enjoy the occasional dive. More importantly, I like the occasional sail.

During the years I have done miscellaneous jobs related to these passions of mine: from sailing teacher at the very nice and original Mal di Mare sailing school, to tennis instructor with the ASD D’Innocenzo Tennis Team in Rome. I like excursionism, if bossible with my bike. I’m a good chess player, where good means that I can beat most of my friends, but I lose to $\sim 1800$ Elo players online. Ah, I also have a passion for “ugly” postcards, and I collect them.