Emanuele Laurenzi

Ph.D., Principal Business & AI Strategist @Axians | Lecturer and Researcher @FHNW | Visiting Professor @Unicam | Research on applied Neuro-symbolic AI | Director CAS Design Thinking for AI | co-founder KI-Zentrum.ch

Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

About

I have more than 15 years of experience on applying conceptual modelling, AI and innovative methods to resolve company challenges in EU and Swiss research projects. I help and lead the development of truly intelligent information systems leveraging Ontologies and Knowledge Graph technologies. I like to challenge the status quo and create impact. I practice my genuine passion for knowledge transfer at Universities where I teach and coordinate exciting modules.

Experience

  • University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW (10 yrs 11 mos)
    • Senior Lecturer & Senior Researcher
      Apr 2025 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos

      - Head of the new CAS Design Thinking for Artificial Intelligence: https://www.fhnw.ch/de/weiterbildung/wirtschaft/cas-design-thinking-for-artificial-intelligence - Module coordinator, lecturer, and mentor in various modules in the Master's and Bachelor's study programs at FHNW School of Business. - Research activities on Intelligent and Innovative Information Systems, including Enterprise Knowledge Graphs, Hybrid AI, Enterprise Modelling & Automation, and Digital Innovation for the competitive advantage of enterprises. My list of publications can be found at: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9142-7488

    • Head of ImpactLab
      Sep 2020 - Present · 5 yrs 11 mos

      ImpactLab is the first FHNW incubator, initiated in the School of Business. We support students to develop an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset, by doing. We offer 3 modules for it and give continuous support to students who want to create startups.

    • Lecturer and Senior Researcher
      Sep 2021 - Apr 2025 · 3 yrs 8 mos

      Lecturer in and coordinator of various master modules at the School of Business FHNW: Innovation in the Digital Age, Emerging Topics for Business Information Systems, Model-based Design of Cyber-Physical Systems, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, and AI for Business Processes, MAKEathon, ImpactLab. R&D activities with a focus on: - the application of (Hybrid) AI in various sectors. The most recent domain focus is smart building and energy management systems. - fostering the adoption of AI in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

  • Principal Business & AI Strategist at Axians in Switzerland
    Apr 2025 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Module Coordinator and Senior Lecturer at HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich
    Apr 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 4 mos

    2026-) Creator, coordinator and lecturer of the master module "AI-powered Digital Transformation" in the MSc Business Administration with major in Digital Strategy. In this module, students learn AI and Digital Transformation methods to help companies thrive in a digital world. 2024-2025) Coordinator and main lecturer of the module Innovation and Emerging Technologies in the MSc Business Administration with major in Digital Strategy. Students in this course learn about the most impactful emerging technologies and how to incorporate them into innovative digital solutions by following the Design Thinking methodology. The considered Emerging technologies are: Digital Twins of organizations, Low/No-Code/Model-based approaches, Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Machine Reasoning through Knowledge Graphs, Machine Learning and Generative Artificial Intelligence.

  • Visiting Professor at University of Camerino
    Mar 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    Lecture on Knowledge Engineering at MSc Computer Science. PhD supervisor in collaboration with Empa NEST https://www.empa.ch/web/nest/

  • Scientific Researcher in Medical Informatics at FHS St.Gallen University of Applied Sciences
    Aug 2012 - Dec 2018 · 6 yrs 5 mos

    R&D in several Innosuisse research projects in the Medical Informatics field.