Andrea Munafo

Andrea Munafo is a Senior Researcher at the University of Pisa with over 15 years of hands-on experience in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Passionate about innovation, he’s made significant contributions to a variety of research projects both in the nation he calls home and abroad.

From 2013 to 2017, Andrea headed up a forward-thinking research team at NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), focusing on robotics and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Under his leadership, the team came up with groundbreaking solutions in robotic localisation, navigation systems, and autonomous sensor networks. He also played a key role in developing a real-time signal processing chain for active sonar.

Andrea’s dedication earned him the NATO Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award not once, but twice—in 2017 and 2021. Between 2017 and 2019, he led the Robotics Software division at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC), steering innovative research on cooperative robotic networks and autonomous control systems for some of the planet’s most extreme environments. One highlight was his contribution to designing an advanced autonomy system for the NOC’s Autosub Long Range (ALR) vehicle, which pulled off a record-breaking, month-long autonomous mission off the coast of England.

In 2019, Andrea took on the role of Senior Visiting Fellow at the NOC, continuing his work in autonomous control and navigation. Later that year, he joined SeeByte, diving into research on Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence. His collaborative efforts with Prof. Helen Hastie and Prof. Yvan Petillot of Heriot-Watt University led to securing a multi-million-pound Prosperity Partnership grant in 2021—a prestigious UK government initiative that supports transformative industry-academic collaborations.

Since November 2021, Andrea has been back at the University of Pisa, exploring new frontiers in quantum navigation, distributed sonar processing and shared autonomy. He’s all about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, driven by a belief in the power of technology to make a positive difference in the world.