Department of Excellence
DiSIA has been selected for the second time as department of excellence; the first project covered the five-year period 2018-2022.
Project of Excellence 2023-2027
Rethinking Data Science (ReDS): advances in causal inference and statistical learning across domains
DiSIA has become a relevant national and international centre for the disciplines involved in knowledge production through the intensive use of data to support decision-making. However, recent developments in Data Science highlight the limits of some analytical tools and algorithmic approaches that learn from large amounts of data primarily for predictive purposes. The limited attention to data quality, difficulties with replicability and generalizability, and the lack of causal interpretation reduce the usefulness of these tools for decision support.
With ReDS, the 2023-2027 project of excellence, the DiSIA aims to overcome these critical issues by giving a further boost to its research and teaching activity; this project will lead the department to become an international hub for the statistical and causal analysis of complex data as well as for the training of a new generation of Data Scientists.
The main research goal is the development of statistical methods for complex data and causal inference that can be used as decision-support tools in specific domains, combining strong forecasting performance with interpretability while clearly quantifying uncertainty. These methods will provide comprehensive support to scientific knowledge in the DiSIA domains of interest, such as demography, social sciences, economic phenomena, medicine and epidemiology.
The main educational goal is to strengthen the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs and to train excellent data science researchers. ReDS aims to facilitate knowledge transfer and professional training by promoting and stimulating interactions between DiSIA researchers and people interested in the project themes, both within and outside academia.
Last update
11.09.2026