Dr. Giorgio Angelotti is a theoretical physicist and AI researcher, and Project Lead of the Vesuvius Challenge — the global open-science project that uses artificial intelligence to read the carbonized papyri buried by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. In June 2026, under his direction, the Challenge read a sealed Herculaneum papyrus end-to-end for the first time, revealing a previously unknown Stoic treatise on ethics; National Geographic, Forbes, The Washington Post, CBS News and New Scientist quoted Angelotti as project lead on the work. He studied physics at the University of Naples Federico II, Politecnico di Torino and Sorbonne Université, before earning his PhD in Artificial Intelligence at ISAE-SUPAERO. His research spans reinforcement learning and computer vision.
Distilling myself
Theoretical physicist specialized in Artificial Intelligence who does funny things:
- 100% neapolitan, hate pineapple pizza
- Love dogs, and animals in general
- In June 2026, under my direction, the Vesuvius Challenge read a sealed Herculaneum papyrus end-to-end for the first time (National Geographic · the announcement)
- Speak seven languages
- Lived in Napoli, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Toulouse, Trieste and Torino
- My dissertation was on Offline Risk-sensitive Reinforcement Learning for Human-Robot Interaction
- Expertise with Large Language and Computer Vision models
- Play chess for fun
- Love kayaking
- Taught for 3+ years at ISAE-SUPAERO, a leading French aerospace engineering grande école
- Supervised master students' research projects
- Led a 15 people committee in the Cité Universitaire of Paris
- Organized both scientific and recreational events, including the concert of a Japanese pianist
- Did tech consultancies for an international risk advisory firm
- Writing a psychological novel
- Overcame depression
- Survived a possibly lethal mountain accident
- Working out at the gym with a personal trainer
- Enjoy exploring, visited 47 countries as of February 2026
- Fastest physics graduate in Naples in the previous 7 years
In the News
The Vesuvius Challenge reading a sealed Herculaneum scroll end-to-end for the first time — a previously unknown Stoic treatise on ethics (June 2026). The project is also featured in National Geographic’s August 2026 cover issue.
Featured & quoted: National Geographic · Forbes · The Washington Post · New Scientist · CBS News · la Repubblica · National Geographic Italia · RAI News · University of Kentucky · Spektrum der Wissenschaft
Also covered worldwide: Reuters · CNN · NBC News · Scientific American · Smithsonian · Live Science · Il Mattino · Le Journal des Arts
Publications
For the full list and citations, see my Google Scholar profile.
Contact
For business inquiries, consultations, or general questions, you can reach me at giorgio@thegiorgio.org