Role Description

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Q: What is your current position, and what field or space do you work in? If you'd like, you can also talk more about your AI coaching work.

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A: Sure. I'm currently wearing several hats. I teach and research AI, machine learning, and large language models. I have an average of about 150 students each year, and I teach courses on data exploration using Python and AI machine learning for systems. My approach is to analyze and use AI and machine learning not as a black box, but as part of a broader process.

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On the research side, I manage between half a million and a million dollars in research projects annually, all focused on AI and machine learning. Right now, I have a contract with Accenture, where we're developing a career coach and another smaller project.

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I’m also the Associate Chair at the Department of Systems and Enterprises, where I manage the corporate education business of the department. We primarily serve the defense industry, which has been one of the major sponsors of my research. Over the years, I’ve managed between five and six million dollars in research for them.

Additionally, I am part of the College of Professional Education, which extends beyond my department to serve a larger university community. I also direct the Center for Complex Systems and Enterprises, which serves as a common denominator for my various research activities.

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Typical Daily Tasks

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Q: What does a typical day look like for you, if you have one?

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A: Well, I worked in industry for more than 25 years before making a career change at 50. I leveraged my math degree from the University of Rome, Italy, and moved into a field at the intersection of math, computer science, and emerging social media technologies. I pursued a PhD while continuing consulting work, which delayed the process, but once I finished, I was offered a full-time academic position. I’ve now been teaching for about seven years.

A typical day? There is no such thing. I juggle teaching, research, and management. My top priority is my students. They pay roughly $6,000 per course, some take student loans, and they have high expectations. If you do your job properly as a professor, you change lives. That’s a responsibility I take seriously. I check for student issues, prepare for classes, and update my courses since AI and machine learning evolve constantly—I update at least 30% of the course material every year.

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Managing comes next. I have meetings, like today’s, where I presented on how we can leverage technology at the College of Professional Education. I spent a couple of days preparing a meaningful presentation on technology adoption, its limitations, and how we can integrate it.

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Research is the last piece, but in a way, it’s my favorite. Research is my safe harbor. It’s where I can develop ideas and provide students with hands-on experience. Many of my students have told me that the projects they worked on with me helped them land jobs. That’s incredibly rewarding.

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At the end of the day, priorities shift based on who is yelling the loudest—the squeaky wheel gets the grease, as they say.

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Consulting Influence on Teaching

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Q: You have a background in business consulting. How has that experience influenced your teaching?

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A: I spent over 25 years in industry, particularly in IT, telecommunications, and management consulting. I held different responsibilities in different companies and countries—Italy, Brazil, Cyprus, and both U.S. coasts. This exposure to different business environments and cultures shaped my approach to teaching.

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Most of my students are graduate students, many of them international, who come to the U.S. to get a job. They want relevant skills that will help them in the job market. Having instructors who can bridge theory with practical experience makes a difference. My research is always applied research, sponsored by organizations that want results—not just theoretical insights, but working prototypes. Universities don’t develop products, but we create prototypes that are essentially products in all but name.

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My industry experience helps me provide students with real-world perspectives, making their education more valuable in their job searches.

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Comparing Academia vs. Industry

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Q: Throughout your career, you've worked in different industries and roles. What has been your most fulfilling experience so far?

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A: Nothing is perfect, and every field has its pros and cons. In academia, I sometimes miss the structure and pace of industry. Administrative processes in academia can be inefficient, which can be frustrating.

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That said, academia offers a kind of intellectual freedom that industry doesn’t. In industry, you have deadlines, quarterly targets, and constant pressure. In academia, you still work hard—often harder—but you have more control over your schedule. And if you bring value, you don’t really have a “boss” in the traditional sense.

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Sometimes, I miss the adrenaline of industry—the urgency of delivering something by tomorrow. I’ve thought about starting a company again. I almost launched a joint venture with Siemens, but a management change altered their strategy, so it didn’t happen. It still could in the future.

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Overall, I enjoy both academia and industry. Consulting was exciting because I got to solve problems in different contexts, but the downside was that you never saw the long-term impact of your solutions. You’d fix one problem and move on to the next—just another town along the road. Academia, on the other hand, allows me to see the impact of my work on students and research projects, which is deeply fulfilling.

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AI Inspiration

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Q:I know you were born in Italy and were interested in math from a young age. What initially sparked your interest in math and artificial intelligence, and how did you get into the work you do today?

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A: Life can change your plans for many reasons. As a kid, I wanted to be a medical doctor, specifically a neurosurgeon. I liked the idea of helping people, solving complex things, and working hands-on. But in Italy, becoming a medical doctor means you won’t be financially independent until around age 30, and my family didn’t have enough money to support that path. Education in Italy isn’t as expensive as in the U.S., but you still don’t earn much until later in life.

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At a certain point, I started tutoring math because I was good at it. I had many students, even from my own high school class, and I was even asked to teach the class when our math professor would nap. That made me realize I could pursue math instead of medicine. At that time, there wasn’t much in computer science, so I studied applied math. My dissertation involved writing a program in Fortran to solve a mathematical problem, which led to my first job in coding.

 

Later, I transitioned into consulting, focusing on designing information systems and using technology to provide competitive advantages. One of my projects in 1986 was a joint program with MIT on artificial intelligence. That sparked my interest in AI and machine learning, though it remained dormant for a while. Eventually, life brought me back to it, and now I’m fully engaged with AI-related work.

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Short and Long Term Goals

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Q: You mentioned wanting to create a startup. What are your short- and long-term goals?

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A: I’m 67 now, and many people my age are thinking about retiring. I’m not—I’ll retire when my body tells me I can’t continue. My perspective is different from someone in their 20s. At that age, people focus on building a career, starting a family, and gaining skills. At my age, it’s more about leveraging what I already have to do something I enjoy.

I think a lot about what life means. Ultimately, the only certainty is that we will die, so what matters is what we do between birth and death—the people we impact, the lives we change, and the things we leave behind. I want to help people, especially students and those who are disadvantaged.

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Education is a major issue in the U.S. Many people in jail have low education levels and were forced by circumstances to take shortcuts. Once someone enters the prison system, it’s hard to escape its stigma. I’d like to work with community colleges to give people better opportunities through education. We often see wealth in places like Manhattan, but many people live in poverty. My long-term goal is to help students and disadvantaged individuals access more opportunities for a better life.

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Specific Advice​

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Q: Do you have any specific advice for young people interested in your field? Are there any companies or internships you’d recommend?

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A:  First, you need to find the balance between what you want to do and where opportunities exist. It’s not always easy to know what you truly want, but you must understand yourself. At the same time, be realistic about opportunities. If you want to be a fashion designer but live in a remote, disadvantaged area, it will be challenging—possible, but complicated. You must find your “sweet spot.”

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My own career path is a good example. I wanted to be a medical doctor but became a mathematician. Am I unhappy? Not at all. In fact, I now work in healthcare-related fields in a different way.

So, my advice is:

• Ask yourself what you truly want to do—not what others expect of you.

• Research job trends. Read deeply, not just headlines. Check job boards and industry reports.

• Align your passions with emerging opportunities.​

Fields evolve. Right now, computer science has the highest enrollment in universities. But will this trend continue? With AI automating basic development tasks, there may be less need for an army of programmers and more demand for high-level software engineers and systems designers. Always critically analyze job trends.

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Importance of Transition from Italy to the US

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Q: How has living in Italy influenced your transition to the U.S.? When did you move, and what were the biggest differences?

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A: There are many differences. The education system is a big one. In Europe, education is structured to develop critical thinking and intellectual breadth. I studied philosophy for three years, Latin for seven, plus geography and history—all before college. It may seem like a waste of time, but it builds cognitive flexibility that you can apply to many fields.

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That’s why I often tell students: do your bachelor’s degree in Europe and your master’s in the U.S. Master’s programs here are more industry-focused, which is beneficial.

 

Another key difference is career flexibility. I changed careers at 50. In Italy, that wouldn’t have been possible due to labor laws. In the U.S., the economy and financial systems support risk-taking and career changes.

Oh, and of course—food and soccer are better in Italy!

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Importance of Contributing to the Community

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Q: I saw on your LinkedIn that you were a sergeant in a search and rescue team in Hoboken. What inspired you to do that?

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A: That was several years ago during Superstorm Sandy. Hoboken was isolated—we had no power, and many people couldn’t get meals. I joined the Citizen Emergency Response Team to help the community. My role involved serving meals to the homeless and assisting elderly residents in assisted living communities who were stranded in high-rise buildings. We’d bring them food and medication. The search and rescue aspect was meant to prepare for emergencies, but thankfully, we never had to perform rescues.​​​