Daniela Giovanna Anna PANNO
Biography
Daniela Panno is an Associate Professor in the scientific-disciplinary sector IINF-03/A “Telecommunications” at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (DIEEI) of the University of Catania.
She graduated cum laude in Electrical Engineering from the University of Catania in 1989 — receiving the “Catania Order of Engineers Award” for the best academic curriculum — and earned her Ph.D. in Electronic and Computer Engineering from the University of Palermo in 1993. After receiving a one-year research fellowship from the National Research Council (CNR), she began her academic career in 1994 as a university researcher and was appointed Associate Professor in November 1998.
Throughout her career, she has held numerous institutional roles and academic responsibilities. She is currently a member of the Academic Board of the Ph.D. Program in Systems, Energetics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering. By Rectoral appointment, she also represents the University of Catania in the General Assembly of the National Interuniversity Consortium for Telecommunications (CNIT) for the 2026–2028 triennium.
She is the author of numerous publications in prestigious international journals and conference proceedings. She actively collaborates with leading international institutions, including the University of Glasgow, the Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), and the University of Oulu. She also served as Guest Editor for the Special Issue "Computational Intelligence in Telecommunication Networks" (2002) of the international journal Computer Communications and was the Scientific Chair of the 1st Ph.D. Summer School on “Advanced Topics in 5G-6G RAN for Industrial IoT” held in Catania in 2025.
Curriculum Vitae
Academic Career and Roles
- 1998 – Present: Associate Professor (confirmed in 2001) in the S.S.D. IINF-03/A (formerly ING-INF/03) "Telecommunications" – DIEEI, University of Catania.
- 1994 – 1998: University Researcher (confirmed in 1997) in the S.S.D. K03X "Telecommunications" – Faculty of Engineering, University of Catania.
- 1993 – 1994: Recipient of a one-year research fellowship from the National Research Council (CNR) for studies on mobile radio systems – Institute of Computer Science and Telecommunications, Catania.
Education
- 1993: Ph.D. in Electronic and Computer Engineering – University of Palermo.
- 1989: M.Sc. / Degree cum laude in Electrical Engineering – University of Catania.
- Award: Catania Order of Engineers Award 1989 (Best academic curriculum).
Institutional Appointments and University Service
- 2026 – 2028: Representative of the University of Catania in the General Assembly of CNIT (National Interuniversity Consortium for Telecommunications) – Rectoral Appointment.
- 2023 – Present: Member of the Academic Board of the Ph.D. Program in Systems, Energetics, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering.
- 2021 – 2025: Member of the Steering Committee for the Master’s Degree Program in Telecommunications Engineering.
- 2015 – 2024: Chair (2015) and Member (2017-2020 and 2021-2024 terms) of the Departmental Joint Faculty-Student Committee at DIEEI.
- 2015 – 2021: Representative of the University of Catania Research Unit to the GTTI (National Telecommunications and Information Technologies Group) for two consecutive terms.
- 2013 – 2015: Member of the Department Board at DIEEI.
- 1999 – 2007: Member of the Academic Board of the Ph.D. Program in Computer and Telecommunications Engineering.
Teaching Activity
Since 1996, she has held teaching responsibilities and adjunct professorships for numerous Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. courses. She is currently the primary instructor for the following courses:
- Mobile Radio Networks – Master’s Degree in Communications Engineering (LM-27)
- Advanced Mobile Connectivity – Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering (LM-32)
- Architetture e Tecnologie per i Sistemi di Telecomunicazione – Master’s Degree in Computer Engineering (LM-32)
Scientific Activity and Project Coordination
Her research activities have been funded through various national, international, and regional programs. Recent and significant responsibilities include:
- NRRP RESTART Project (2023–2025): Principal Investigator (PI) and coordinator for the University of Catania for the project “Industrial and Digital Transition Network” (Spoke 5 - UniBo), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
- POR FESR Sicily Projects: Scientific Coordinator for DIEEI for the projects “CLOUTER – Tourism Terminal in the Cloud” (2013–2015), “PYTHIA”, and “IATLIP – Improved Testing with Language Interface Pack” (2007–2013).
- MISE M9 Project (CDS 000448): Participant in the project “UE-PON Enterprise and Competitiveness 2014–2020”.
- PON Research and Innovation 2014–2020: Participant in the project “Multiplatform Support for IoT Applications” (SUMMIT).
International Collaborations, Committees, and Recognition
- Scientific Chair: 1st Ph.D. Summer School on “Advanced Topics in 5G-6G RAN for Industrial IoT” (Catania, July 7-10, 2025).
- Scientific Editorial Work: Guest Editor for the Special Issue on "Computational Intelligence in Telecommunication Networks" (2002) in the international journal Computer Communications (Elsevier).
- Internationalization Activities: Established research collaborations with the University of Glasgow (Prof. M. Imran), the CTTC in Barcelona (Dr. L. Giupponi, Dr. A. Pastore), and the University of Oulu (Prof. M. Bennis).
- Invited Speaker & Chair:
- Session Chair at the international conference Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing (Mexico, May 2001).
- Invited Speaker at the 2nd European Workshop on Soft Computing in Telecommunication Networks (Cyprus, June 2000).
- Invited University Seminar titled "Application of Fuzzy Logic for Traffic Control in ATM Networks" at the Research Centre for Open and Distance Learning, Central Queensland University (Australia, November 1998).
Research Interests
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for industrial IoT networks, 5G/6G, and massive radio access scenarios.
- AI-native communication systems.
Last edit: 09/23/2026
- Wireless network management (incl. dynamic spectrum access, radio resource management, power management)
- mmWave D2D communication
- AI based solutions in 6G mobile networks