2023–present
Assistant Professor (RTDa)
Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering · University of Catania
🔬Marco Grassia
Assistant Professor · Network Science and Machine Learning
Research profile
My research combines Network Science and Machine Learning. I develop methods for analysing, explaining, and intervening in complex systems, with work spanning graph learning, combinatorial optimisation, network robustness, graph generation, and scientific machine learning. Applications include network dismantling, brain connectomics, astrophysics, and food systems.
Selected contributions include a machine-learning framework for network dismantling published in Nature Communications, a review of complex-network robustness in Nature Reviews Physics, and an ICLR 2026 paper. Related work has been cited in official documents by the United Nations, FAO, and OECD.
Current appointments and service
2024–present
CTO & Organiser
NetPlace · Network Science Society
2021–present
Member, External Relations Committee
CSS/Italy · Italian Chapter of the Complex Systems Society
Research
Across different projects and collaborations, my work has followed three recurring threads.
Network systems
Structure, robustness and intervention
How network structure shapes vulnerability, resilience, shock propagation, and the effects of targeted interventions.
Graph methods
Learning on and with graphs
Graph learning for combinatorial problems, interpretable models, and generators that preserve meaningful structure.
Scientific inference
Machine learning for scientific data
Domain-aware inference from brain connectomes, neuroimaging data, astrophysical observations, and other scientific systems.
Selected publications
Latent Geometry-Driven Network Automata for Complex Network Dismantling
ICLR 2026
Robustness and resilience of complex networks
Nature Reviews Physics
Insights into countries’ exposure and vulnerability to food trade shocks from network-based simulations
Sci Rep 12, 4644 (2022)
Machine learning dismantling and early-warning signals of disintegration in complex systems
Nat Commun 12, 5190 (2021)
Selected academic activities
A selection of invited teaching, research visits, and scientific organisation.
MSCx 2025: X Mediterranean School of Complex Networks
Local organiser of the tenth edition of the Mediterranean School of Complex Networks.
MIX-NEXT 2025 · NetSci 2025
Local organiser of a NetSci satellite workshop on multiscale and multilayer networks, robustness, and interconnected systems.
Deep Learning on Graphs · PhD course
Twelve hours of invited teaching for the Computer Science PhD programme on network science, graph neural networks, and graph-learning applications.
Research appointment at Tsinghua University
Research appointment at the Center for Complex Network Intelligence, focused on machine-learning methods for network dismantling.
MIX-NEXT 2024 · CCS 2024
Co-organiser of a CCS satellite workshop on multiscale networks, robustness, and interconnected systems.
Deep Learning on Graphs · MSCx 2024
An invited lecture on graph neural networks, graph-learning tasks, and applications to network dismantling and scientific data.