Research Staff

Cristian Sestito is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Electronics Frontiers, University of Edinburgh, UK. Specifically, Cristian is part of the AI Hub for Productive Research and Innovation in eLectronics (APRIL). He earned his BSc (2016) and MSc (2019) in Electronic Engineering, followed by a PhD in Information and Communication Technologies (2023), from the University of Calabria, Italy. His PhD focused on the design and FPGA implementation of convolutional neural networks, with particular emphasis on dilated and transposed convolutions. During 2021–2022, he was a Visiting Scholar at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK where he worked on neural network compression techniques. His current research interests include digital AI accelerator design, software simulators for neuromorphic AI, and AI-assisted electronic design automation frameworks.

• PhD in Information and Communication Technologies, University of Calabria, Italy.
• MSc In Electronic Engineering, University of Calabria, Italy.
• BSc in Electronic Engineering, University of Calabria, Italy.

• IEEE Member.

• Hardware acceleration of Convolutional Neural Networks.
• Hardware acceleration of systolic arrays.
• AI-assisted electronic design automation.
• Software modelling of neuromorphic AI accelerators.

• FPGA design.
• Hardware/software co-design methodologies.
• Digital ASIC design.
• LLM-assisted electronic design automation frameworks.

• During his time in the APRIL AI Hub, Cristian is leading R&D activities within Pillar 3: Circuits and Systems Design Automation. His current focus is LaMDA (Language Model-Assisted Electronic Design Automation Framework).

Spyros has a background in semiconductor physics and currently works on the realisation, fabrication and characterisation ofnovel devices based on semiconductors and thin films. His main research interest is around heterogeneous integration of thin filmsand semiconductors to enable applications in novel memories and beyond-CMOS electronics. He is also responsible for developingnew fabrication and testing processes that cut across the different CEF areas of research.

• MSc Applied Physics - Nat. University of Athens - 2009
• PhD Applied Physics - Nat. University of Athens - 2015