Professor  Fabio Paternò

Fabio Paternò is a Research Director at C.N.R.-ISTI in Pisa, where he founded and leads the Laboratory on Human Interfaces in Information Systems. He received his Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Pisa (Italy) and his PhD from the University of York (UK).

His research focuses primarily on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), with the aim of introducing computational support to enhance usability, accessibility, and user experience across various contexts. He has contributed significantly to areas such as model-based design of interactive applications, methods and tools for automatic support of usability evaluation, accessibility, cross-device and migratory user interfaces, and end-user development. His research has always aimed to deepen and intertwine both theoretical and practical innovative aspects, with attention to possible social implications.

Fabio is passionate about impactful research that addresses societal needs and is conducted in multidisciplinary environments. He has led numerous interdisciplinary international and national projects, emphasizing the integration of different perspectives for effective solutions. His current research interests include Interactive Smart Spaces, Accessibility, End-User Development, and Human-centred Artificial Intelligence.

Most of his scientific activity has taken place internationally. He has coordinated several EU projects and national initiatives. The results are reported in over three hundred publications in international conferences, books, and journals.

Fabio has served in various leadership roles for conferences, including paper co-chair of ACM CHI 2000, IFIP INTERACT 2003, and IFIP INTERACT 2005. He also chaired ACM EICS 2011 and 2014 conferences, co-chaired Ambient Intelligence 2012, served as general co-chair of Mobile HCI 2016, and program co-chair for IS-EUD 2017. He was also the chair of MUM 2019 and co-chair of IUI 2020 conferences, and will be general co-chair for the ACM Intelligent User Interfaces 2026 conference.

He was appointed ACM Distinguished Scientist (2009), IFIP TC13 Pioneer in Human-Computer Interaction (2014), ACM Distinguished Speaker (2015), and IFIP Fellow (2020). In 2021, he was elected into the SIGCHI Academy. He continues to contribute to the field through participation in committees and ongoing research initiatives.

• End-User Development for Personalizing Applications, Things, and Robots
  The need for allowing end users to obtain digital systems that are not only easy to use but also easy to modify in terms of their user interfaces, behaviour and functionalities emerged very...
• Human Control in Daily Environment Automations

  How people interact with digital technologies is currently caught between the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. Such technological...

• Humanoid Robots for Older Adults
  Every country in the world is experiencing growth in both the size and the proportion of older people  in their population. Thus, an increasing demand for high-quality support for...
• The Role of Automatic Support in Accessibility Validation
  The importance of providing accessible applications for all, including people with cognitive or physical disabilities, has become increasingly recognised, given the rapid growth of online...