Department of
Environmental Sciences,Informatics and Statistics

Welcome message from Salvatore Orlando, Director of the Department

"Our Department addresses the ecological transition alongside digital transformation. Both are essential for sustainable development, and shaping the future requires investment in these changes"

Salvatore Orlando,
Director, Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics

Our research

Research areas

The activities carried out at the Department involve various fields of research, ranging from environmental sciences to informatics and statistics, but also to technologies for the conservation of cultural heritage.

Our research topics intersect the ones related to the ecological transition and to digital transformation, which today are considered essential to the creation of a new, sustainable development of our society and our economy.

Our research — which is often interdisciplinary in its approach — is developed also thanks to collaborations with public institutions and local businesses, and it is financed by public competitions on a regional, national and European level.

Research projects

ANTIPASTI - Adapting to climate risks via landscape-scale solutions: effects of peatland restoration on floods and water browning
Researcher: Enrico Bertuzzo
Length: 01/04/2026 - 31/03/2031

Publications

The research conducted at the Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics involves various areas, including biology, ecology, environmental chemistry, analytical chemistry, chemistry for cultural heritage, environmental engineering, informatics, Earth sciences, and statistics. The bibliographic information regarding the Department’s publications can be accessed through ARCA, Ca’ Foscari’s open-access archive.

News

Ca’ Foscari Software Tool Claims a Spot on the Global Podium

At the SV-COMP 2026 software verification competition, LiSA technology secured third place in the Java programs track, earning a bronze medal. This achievement is especially notable as it is the tool’s first participation in the contest.

The Ice Memory Foundation opens the first-ever sanctuary of mountain ice cores in Antarctica, storing climate archives for centuries

From the Alps to the Antarctic Plateau, precious ice cores carrying the memory of Earth’s past atmosphere are now safely stored at Concordia station in an ice cave designed to preserve mountain ice for future generations of scientists.

RePAIR: Results and Future Prospects of the Project Integrating Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in the Reassembly of Frescoes at Pompeii

Launched in 2021 and coordinated by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and funded through a European grant, the research project has developed an integrated system combining artificial intelligence and robotics to support the reassembly of fragmented frescoes, working closely with archaeologists and conservators.

AVI 2026: Creativity, Agency, Ethics, and an Exceptional Community

The 18th edition of the International Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces (AVI 2026) took place in San Servolo from June 8 to 12, jointly organised by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano.
The conference welcomed a record 237 participants from across the globe and featured four distinguished speakers, among which Hiroshi Ishii (MIT Media Lab) that presented his new vision from tangible interaction to teleabsence, Stefania Serafin (multisensory experiences beyond visual interfaces), Francesco Ricci (trustworthy AI-supported decision making) and Felienne Hermans (societal implications of AI).