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, The Washington Post, CBS News and New Scientist quoted Angelotti as project lead on the work. He earned his PhD in Artificial Intelligence at ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, and 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):
Featured & quoted: National Geographic · 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