Giovanni Pettorru is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cagliari (DIEE), contributing to the Horizon Europe project "HEAT – Hybrid Extended reAliTy" with a focus on GPS-free localisation for immersive XR environments. His research spans IoT security, trustworthy Location-Based Services, and secure low-latency communications. He holds a Ph.D. in Electronic and Computer Engineering (2026, cum laude) and has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications. A finalist in three IEEE thesis competitions (3MT/4MT), he earned two 3rd place awards. His projects AGROS, LENS, and GreenShield have received national recognition and a Silicon Valley acceleration through the SERICS Lab2Bay programme.

Giovanni Pettorru è Incaricato di Ricerca (PostDoc) presso l'Università di Cagliari (DIEE), impegnato nel progetto Horizon Europe "HEAT – Hybrid Extended reAliTy" con focus sulla localizzazione GPS-free per ambienti XR immersivi. La sua ricerca spazia dalla sicurezza IoT ai Location-Based Services affidabili e alle comunicazioni sicure a bassa latenza. Dottore di Ricerca in Ingegneria Elettronica e Informatica (2026, cum laude), è autore di oltre 20 pubblicazioni peer-reviewed. Finalista in tre competizioni IEEE (3MT/4MT) con due terzi posti, i suoi progetti AGROS, LENS e GreenShield hanno ottenuto riconoscimenti nazionali e un percorso di accelerazione in Silicon Valley con il programma SERICS Lab2Bay.

Giovanni Pettorru est Chercheur Postdoctoral à l'Université de Cagliari (DIEE), contribuant au projet Horizon Europe "HEAT – Hybrid Extended reAliTy" avec un accent sur la localisation sans GPS pour les environnements XR immersifs. Ses recherches couvrent la sécurité IoT, les services de localisation fiables et les communications sécurisées à faible latence. Titulaire d'un doctorat en Génie Électronique et Informatique (2026, cum laude), il a publié plus de 20 articles peer-reviewed. Finaliste de trois concours de thèse IEEE (3MT/4MT) avec deux 3èmes places, ses projets AGROS, LENS et GreenShield ont été récompensés nationalement et par une accélération en Silicon Valley via le programme SERICS Lab2Bay.

Giovanni Pettorru is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (DIEE) of the University of Cagliari, contributing to the Horizon Europe project "HEAT – Hybrid Extended reAliTy" with a focus on GPS-free localisation for immersive XR environments. He earned his Ph.D. in Electronic and Computer Engineering in 2026 with the highest honours (cum laude), with a thesis titled Energy-Efficient and Trustworthy Location-Based Services for Next-Generation IoT, after completing his Master's Degree in Internet Engineering (cum laude, 2022) and his Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering (2020) at the same institution. During his doctorate, he spent a research period as a Visiting Ph.D. Student at the Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

His research interests span GPS-free localisation and trustworthy Location-Based Services, IoT security — including traffic classification and privacy-preserving communications — and secure low-latency protocols (HTTP/3, WebSocket, MQTT). He has authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications in top IEEE/MDPI venues, including IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, and Future Generation Computer Systems. Beyond research, Dr. Pettorru is committed to education, having served as Teaching Assistant and Adjunct Professor for courses including Network Security, Cloud Networking, Digital Media, and Telecommunication Networks.

An active member of IEEE ComSoc, he has demonstrated outstanding science communication skills as a finalist in three prestigious thesis competitions: 3rd place at the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) at IEEE ICC 2023, finalist at the Four-Minute Thesis (4MT) at IEEE GlobeCom 2024, and 3rd place at the 4MT at IEEE GlobeCom 2025. He serves as Web and Social Media Chair for the IEEE ComSoc Italy Chapter, is a member of the Organizing Committee for IEEE MeditCom 2026, and serves as Technical Programme Committee member for IEEE ICC 2027 (SAC—eHealth) and ICCE Berlin 2026. He also acts as peer reviewer for IEEE journals including IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Internet of Things Journal, and IEEE Communications Letters.

Dr. Pettorru's entrepreneurial vision has led to three award-winning projects: GreenShield, selected for the exclusive SERICS Lab2Bay acceleration in Silicon Valley at the INNOVIT hub, addressing resource-aware IoT security; LENS, a top-10 finalist at Start Cup Sardegna 2025 and recipient of the "Climate Change" special mention for its approach to detecting extreme natural events; and AGROS, recognised as one of the top-10 high-tech innovative ideas for the agri-food sector (AgriFuture 2025) and awarded second prize at Start Cup Sardegna 2024.

Giovanni Pettorru è attualmente Incaricato di Ricerca (PostDoc) presso il Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica ed Elettronica (DIEE) dell'Università di Cagliari, dove contribuisce al progetto Horizon Europe "HEAT – Hybrid Extended reAliTy" con focus sulla localizzazione GPS-free per ambienti XR immersivi. Ha conseguito il Dottorato di Ricerca in Ingegneria Elettronica e Informatica nel 2026 con lode, con una tesi intitolata Energy-Efficient and Trustworthy Location-Based Services for Next-Generation IoT, dopo aver completato la Laurea Magistrale in Ingegneria delle Tecnologie per Internet (110/110 cum laude, 2022) e la Laurea Triennale in Ingegneria Informatica (2020) presso la stessa università. Durante il dottorato ha svolto un periodo di ricerca come Visiting Ph.D. Student presso il Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Portogallo.

I suoi interessi di ricerca comprendono la localizzazione GPS-free e i servizi Location-Based affidabili, la sicurezza IoT — inclusi classificazione del traffico e comunicazioni orientate alla privacy — e i protocolli sicuri a bassa latenza (HTTP/3, WebSocket, MQTT). È autore di oltre 20 pubblicazioni peer-reviewed su riviste e conferenze IEEE/MDPI di primo livello, tra cui IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications e Future Generation Computer Systems. Parallelamente alla ricerca, ha ricoperto i ruoli di Tutor e Docente a Contratto per insegnamenti quali Network Security, Cloud Networking, Digital Media e Reti di Telecomunicazioni.

Membro attivo di IEEE ComSoc, ha dimostrato spiccate doti di comunicazione scientifica come finalista in tre prestigiose competizioni internazionali: terzo posto alla Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) a IEEE ICC 2023, finalista alla Four-Minute Thesis (4MT) a IEEE GlobeCom 2024 e terzo posto alla 4MT a IEEE GlobeCom 2025. Ricopre il ruolo di Web and Social Media Chair per l'IEEE ComSoc Italy Chapter, è membro del Comitato Organizzativo di IEEE MeditCom 2026 e del Technical Programme Committee per IEEE ICC 2027 (SAC—eHealth) e ICCE Berlin 2026. Svolge inoltre attività di revisore per riviste IEEE tra cui IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Internet of Things Journal e IEEE Communications Letters.

La sua visione imprenditoriale ha portato a tre progetti premiati: GreenShield, selezionato per il programma di accelerazione SERICS Lab2Bay in Silicon Valley presso l'hub INNOVIT, incentrato sulla sicurezza IoT resource-aware; LENS, finalista top-10 a Start Cup Sardegna 2025 con menzione speciale "Climate Change" per il rilevamento di eventi naturali estremi; e AGROS, riconosciuto tra le 10 migliori idee innovative per il settore agroalimentare (AgriFuture 2025) e premiato con il secondo posto a Start Cup Sardegna 2024.

Giovanni Pettorru est actuellement Chercheur Postdoctoral au Département de Génie Électrique et Électronique (DIEE) de l'Université de Cagliari, où il contribue au projet Horizon Europe "HEAT – Hybrid Extended reAliTy", axé sur la localisation sans GPS pour les environnements XR immersifs. Il a obtenu son doctorat en Génie Électronique et Informatique en 2026 avec les félicitations du jury (cum laude), avec une thèse intitulée Energy-Efficient and Trustworthy Location-Based Services for Next-Generation IoT, après avoir complété son Master en Génie Internet (avec mention, 2022) et sa Licence en Génie Informatique (2020) dans la même institution. Durant son doctorat, il a effectué une période de recherche en tant qu'Étudiant en Doctorat Visiteur à l'Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

Ses intérêts de recherche portent sur la localisation sans GPS et les services de localisation fiables, la sécurité IoT — incluant la classification du trafic et les communications respectueuses de la vie privée — et les protocoles sécurisés à faible latence (HTTP/3, WebSocket, MQTT). Il est l'auteur de plus de 20 publications peer-reviewed dans des revues et conférences IEEE/MDPI de premier rang, notamment IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management, IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications et Future Generation Computer Systems. Parallèlement à la recherche, il a occupé des postes d'Enseignant Assistant et de Professeur Adjoint pour des cours tels que Sécurité des Réseaux, Cloud Networking, Médias Numériques et Réseaux de Télécommunications.

Membre actif de l'IEEE ComSoc, il a démontré d'excellentes aptitudes à la communication scientifique en tant que finaliste de trois compétitions de thèse prestigieuses : 3ème place à la Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) à IEEE ICC 2023, finaliste à la Four-Minute Thesis (4MT) à IEEE GlobeCom 2024, et 3ème place à la 4MT à IEEE GlobeCom 2025. Il occupe le rôle de Web and Social Media Chair pour l'IEEE ComSoc Italy Chapter, est membre du Comité d'Organisation d'IEEE MeditCom 2026 et du Comité du Programme Technique pour IEEE ICC 2027 (SAC—eHealth) et ICCE Berlin 2026. Il est également pair-réviseur pour des revues IEEE dont IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, IEEE Internet of Things Journal et IEEE Communications Letters.

Sa vision entrepreneuriale a conduit à trois projets primés : GreenShield, sélectionné pour le programme d'accélération SERICS Lab2Bay en Silicon Valley au hub INNOVIT, axé sur la sécurité IoT resource-aware ; LENS, finaliste top-10 à Start Cup Sardegna 2025 avec mention spéciale "Climate Change" pour la détection d'événements naturels extrêmes ; et AGROS, reconnu parmi les 10 meilleures idées innovantes pour le secteur agroalimentaire (AgriFuture 2025) et récompensé par le deuxième prix à Start Cup Sardegna 2024.