Emilio Ferrara

Emilio Ferrara received his Bachelor's degree, Master's degree, and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Messina.{{cite web |title=Emilio Ferrara - The Mathematics Genealogy Project |url=https://www.mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=215124 |website=www.mathgenealogy.org}} During his doctoral studies, Ferrara spent one semester at the Technical University of Vienna and two semesters at the Royal Holloway, University of London. While a visiting Ph.D. student at the TU Vienna, Ferrara studied data mining in the research group of Professor Georg Gottlob. At Royal Holloway, University of London, he studied machine learning under the supervision of Professor Alberto Paccanaro.

After completing his doctoral studies, Ferrara held various academic positions{{clarify|date=August 2023}}, first at Indiana University and then at the University of Southern California, where, in 2022, he was promoted to Full Professor.

Ferrara's research focuses on computational social science, network science, and machine learning, with an emphasis on understanding and modeling human behavior in online social networks. He has made significant contributions to the areas of social bot detection,{{Cite web |last=Review |first=MIT Technology |date=2014-07-30 |title=This Algorithm Tells You If A Twitter Account Is a Spam Bot |url=https://mashable.com/archive/twitter-social-bots |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Mashable |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Barack Obama Is Probably a Robot, and Other Lessons from 'Bot Or Not' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgb34v/barack-obama-is-probably-a-robot |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.vice.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2014-07-29 |title=An Algorithm To Identify Social Bot On Twitter Inc |url=https://www.valuewalk.com/algorithm-identify-social-bot-twitter/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.valuewalk.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2015-02-03 |title=For 'Massive' Twitter Followings, A Virtual Reality |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/twitters-bot-problem-katy-perry-taylor-swift-justin-bieber-rihanna-other-musicians-1803878 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=International Business Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Andrews |first=Natalie |title=Pro-Trump Twitter Bots at Center of Nevada Mystery |url=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/02/25/pro-trump-twitter-bots-at-center-of-nevada-mystery/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=AI can distinguish between bots and humans based on Twitter activity |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2241327-ai-can-distinguish-between-bots-and-humans-based-on-twitter-activity/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Whipple |first=Tom |title=Laziness is sure sign it’s not a bot |language=en |work=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/laziness-is-sure-sign-its-not-a-bot-xc5g899r0 |access-date=2023-05-05 |issn=0140-0460}}{{Cite web |title=Twitter: Researchers develop AI-based system to detect Twitter bots |url=https://www.gadgetsnow.com/tech-news/researchers-develop-ai-based-system-to-detect-twitter-bots/articleshow/75302187.cms |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Gadgets Now |language=en}} political manipulation,{{Cite web |last=California |first=University of Southern |title=Fake Tweets, real consequences for the election |url=https://phys.org/news/2016-11-fake-tweets-real-consequences-election.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=phys.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Ghoshal |first=Arkadev |date=2016-11-08 |title=US elections 2016: Researchers show how Twitter bots are trying to influence the poll in favour of Trump |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/us-elections-2016-researchers-show-how-twitter-bots-are-trying-influence-poll-favour-trump-703079 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.ibtimes.co.in |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2016-11-08 |title=US Presidential Elections 2016: Bot-generated fake tweets influencing US election outcome, says new study |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/us-presidential-elections-2016-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-4363761/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2016-11-09 |title=Bots Invade Twitter, Spreads Misinformation On US Election |url=https://www.econotimes.com/Bots-Invade-Twitter-Spreads-Misinformation-On-US-Election-391131 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=EconoTimes |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=20% of All Election Related Tweets Came From Non-Humans |url=https://futurism.com/20-of-all-election-related-tweets-came-from-non-humans |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Futurism}}{{Cite web |title=Study reports that nearly 20% of election-related tweets were ‘algorithmically driven’ |url=http://www.talkingnewmedia.com/2016/11/11/study-reports-that-nearly-20-of-election-related-tweets-were-algorithmically-driven/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Election 2016 Belongs to the Twitter Bots |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/78kmky/election-2016-belongs-to-the-twitter-bots |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.vice.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=How the Bot-y Politic Influenced This Election |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/11/08/69674/how-the-bot-y-politic-influenced-this-election/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=MIT Technology Review |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Bomey |first=Nathan |title=Were voters manipulated by QAnon a force behind Trump's 'red wave' in 2020 election? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/11/06/qanon-2020-election-trump-biden-polls/6167059002/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}} the analysis of misinformation,{{Cite web |date=2014-10-08 |title=Fear, Misinformation, and Social Media Complicate Ebola Fight |url=https://time.com/3479254/ebola-social-media/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Time |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Ball |first=Philip |last2=Maxmen |first2=Amy |date=2020-05-27 |title=The epic battle against coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01452-z |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=581 |issue=7809 |pages=371–374 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-01452-z}}{{Cite web |last=Ouellette |first=Jennifer |date=2018-11-21 |title=Study: It only takes a few seconds for bots to spread misinformation |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/11/study-it-only-takes-a-few-seconds-for-bots-to-spread-misinformation/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}{{Cite news |last=Manjoo |first=Farhad |date=2017-05-31 |title=How Twitter Is Being Gamed to Feed Misinformation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/technology/how-twitter-is-being-gamed-to-feed-misinformation.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |last1=Biggs |first1=John |date=29 September 2017 |title=Researcher Emilio Ferrara talks about the rise of fake news and botnets |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/29/researcher-emilio-ferrara-talks-about-the-rise-of-fake-news-and-botnets/ |website=TechCrunch}} disinformation,{{Cite web |date=2017-07-10 |title=Study: Bots have turned Twitter into a powerful political disinformation platform |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/study-bots-have-turned-twitter-into-a-powerful-political-disinformation-platform/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2020-09-21 |title=Social Media Is Used To Spread Coronavirus Disinformation, And Patient Groups Are Fighting Back |url=https://www.kcur.org/health/2020-09-18/social-media-used-to-spread-coronavirus-disinformation-and-patient-groups-are-fighting-back |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=KCUR - Kansas City news and NPR |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Get ready for more humanlike bots, better deep-fake videos and wall-to-wall disinformation in 2020 race |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/columnists/zurawik/bs-ed-zontv-media-disinformation-20190905-q7jmn5ai2vhq3iiyxyrzowokky-story.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Baltimore Sun}}{{Cite news |last=Metz |first=Cade |date=2020-10-29 |title=Twitter Bots Poised to Spread Disinformation Before Election |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/technology/twitter-bots-poised-to-spread-disinformation-before-election.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |title=Twitter Bots Promote Right-Wing Conspiracies, Paper Shows |url=https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/10/twitter-bots-promote-right-wing-conspiracies-paper-shows/169677/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Defense One |language=en}} and conspiracy theories,{{Cite web |last=Ferrara |first=Emilio |date=2020-10-28 |title=On Twitter, bots spread conspiracy theories and QAnon talking points |url=http://theconversation.com/on-twitter-bots-spread-conspiracy-theories-and-qanon-talking-points-149039 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=scimino |date=2020-10-28 |title=Election 2020 chatter on Twitter busy with bots and conspiracy theorists |url=https://news.usc.edu/177963/election-2020-twitter-social-media-bots-foreign-interference-usc-study/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=USC News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2020-10-28 |title=USC study says bots and conspiracy theorists infest Twitter chatter around upcoming election |url=https://www.audacy.com/knxnews/news/national/bots-conspiracy-theorists-infest-twitter-about-election |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.audacy.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-10-28 |title=Study identifies thousands of Twitter bots amplifying conspiracy theories ahead of the U.S. elections |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/study-identifies-thousands-of-twitter-bots-amplifying-conspiracy-theories-ahead-of-the-u-s-elections/ |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}} the dynamics of emotional contagion on social media platforms,{{Cite web |title=Twitter Emotions Are Contagious, Says New Study, But At Least The Positive Ones Are More So Than The Negative Ones |url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/122918-twitter-emotions-are-contagious-says-new-study-but-at-least-the-positive-ones-are-more-so |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Bustle |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=California |first=University of Southern |title=Positive emotions more contagious than negative ones on Twitter |url=https://phys.org/news/2015-11-positive-emotions-contagious-negative-twitter.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=phys.org |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Emotions in Tweets Are Contagious: Study |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/emotions-in-tweets-are-contagious-study-775218 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=NDTV.com}} and generative AI bias.{{Cite web |last=Ferrara |first=Emilio |date=2023-07-19 |title=Eliminating bias in AI may be impossible -- a computer scientist explains how to tame it instead |url=http://theconversation.com/eliminating-bias-in-ai-may-be-impossible-a-computer-scientist-explains-how-to-tame-it-instead-208611 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}

Emilio Ferrara has received numerous awards and honors for his research, including:

• The 2016 DARPA Young Faculty Award{{cite web |title=DARPA Young Faculty Awardees Class of 2016 |url=https://www.darpa.mil/attachments/YFAClassof2016.pdf}}
• The 2017 Complex Systems Society Junior Scientific Award{{cite web |date=22 September 2016 |title=Emilio Ferrara receives Junior Scientific Award at CSS'16 |url=https://cnets.indiana.edu/blog/2016/09/22/emilio-ferrara-junior-award-css16/ |website=CNetS}}
• The 2019 Viterbi Junior Faculty Research Award{{cite web |title=VSOE Research Award |url=https://viterbischool.usc.edu/awards/university-viterbi-school-honors/vsoe-research-award/ |website=USC Viterbi {{!}} School of Engineering}}
• The 2022 Research.com Rising Stars of Science{{cite web |title=Emilio Ferrara: H-index & Awards - Academic Profile |url=https://research.com/u/emilio-ferrara |website=Research.com |language=en}}
• He was elected AAAI Fellow in the 2025 Class{{Cite web |title=Elected AAAI Fellows |url=https://aaai.org/about-aaai/aaai-awards/the-aaai-fellows-program/elected-aaai-fellows/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=AAAI |language=en-US}}

Ferrara's research contributed to the understanding of the extent and impact of foreign interference in the 2016 US Presidential election.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-28 |title=Musk now gets chance to defeat Twitter's many fake accounts |url=https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-business-12632270af1547933d41ffc50f3012ba |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}} His paper titled "Social bots distort the 2016 US Presidential election online discussion," which was the only peer-reviewed paper published before the November 8, 2016 election, investigated the influence operations carried out by Russia's Internet Research Agency by means of social bots on Twitter.{{cite web |last1=Ferrara |first1=Emilio |title=How Twitter bots affected the US presidential campaign |url=https://theconversation.com/how-twitter-bots-affected-the-us-presidential-campaign-68406 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}

The paper suggested that social bots had a notable impact on the dynamics of the online conversation surrounding the election, potentially manipulating public opinion and shaping the discourse. This work provided insights into how social bots were utilized as a tool for information warfare and highlighted the potential consequences of their unchecked proliferation on social media platforms.

Ferrara's findings attracted the attention of the US Senate, which cited his research during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.{{cite web |title=REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE UNITED STATES SENATE ON RUSSIAN ACTIVE MEASURE'S CAMPAIGNS AND INTERFERENCE IN THE 2016 U.S. ELECTION, VOLUME 2: RUSSIA'S USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA WITH ADDITIONAL VIEWS |url=https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume2.pdf}} His work contributed to the understanding of the scope and tactics used by foreign actors to sway public opinion and played a role in shaping the response to this challenge to the democratic process.

Ferrara served as an expert trial witness for the Delaware Court of Chancery on the subject of false and spam accounts in the context of the litigation between Twitter and Elon Musk.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-17 |title=Musk wars with Twitter over his buyout deal - on Twitter |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20220517/business/305179963 |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Daily Herald |language=en-US}}

== References ==

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Category:American computer scientists

Category:Italian computer scientists

Category:Complex systems scientists

Category:University of Southern California faculty

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)