Stefano Ghirlanda is a principal scientist and author who brings 25 years of computational modeling and learning-theory expertise to auditing and building rigorous AI and RL systems. A former tenured professor with two Princeton University Press books, 70+ peer-reviewed papers, and ~$6M in competitive grants, he evaluates benchmarks, behavioral claims, and statistical pipelines for investors, product teams, and legal contexts. He personally leads engagements from discovery through delivery, combining deep theoretical grounding (MSc in mathematical physics, PhD work in zoology) with hands-on software delivery—examples include nameclouds.com and the open learningsimulator.org. Stefano’s uncommon blend of animal-learning research and practical RL implementation makes him especially adept at distinguishing true learning from superficial performance. Based in San Diego, he offers advisory calls, fractional chief scientist roles, expert witness work, and scoped analytical projects.
11 years of coding experience
16 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor of Science - BS, Physics, Bachelor of Science - BS, Physics at Sapienza Università di Roma
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Zoology/Animal Biology, Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Zoology/Animal Biology at Stockholm University
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