PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Nicola Guarino

Nicola Guarino is a retired research associate at ISTC-CNR, known for formal ontology, a field within knowledge representation in artificial intelligence. He graduated in electronic engineering at the University of Padua in 1978, and in 1998 he founded the Formal Ontology in Information Systems conference. In 2003 he moved to ISTC-CNR to found the Laboratory for Applied Ontology in Trento, and with Chris Welty he developed OntoClean, a methodology for formal ontological analysis. With Mark Musen he ran the Applied Ontology journal from its launch in 2005; ECCAI named him a Fellow in 2012, and he received the Peter P. Chen Award in 2023.

Works
216
Citations
13,421
h-index
46

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1978

    An engineering degree in Padua

    He graduates in electronic engineering at the University of Padua in 1978, with a thesis on biomedical engineering. His research interests are in artificial intelligence, mainly knowledge representation.

  2. 1993–1998

    Formal ontology workshops and conferences

    In 1993 he organizes the first International Workshop on Formal Ontology in Conceptual Analysis and Knowledge Representation in Padua. In 1998 he founds the Formal Ontology in Information Systems conference, a recurring academic conference.

  3. 2000

    The ideas behind OntoClean

    In 2000 the ideas behind OntoClean first appear in three published papers. OntoClean is a methodology for formal ontological analysis that he develops with Chris Welty.

  4. 2003

    Founding the Laboratory for Applied Ontology

    He moves to ISTC-CNR in 2003 to found the new Laboratory for Applied Ontology in Trento. The laboratory is part of the Italian National Research Council.

  5. 2005

    The Applied Ontology journal

    Together with Mark Musen, he runs the Applied Ontology journal from its launch in 2005.

  6. 2012

    Named an ECCAI Fellow

    At the ECAI conference in Montpellier in 2012, ECCAI appoints him a Fellow. ECCAI is the European Coordinating Committee for Artificial Intelligence.

  7. 2023

    The Peter P. Chen Award

    In 2023 he receives the Peter P. Chen Award for contributions to conceptual modeling.

  8. As of October 2026

    Retired research associate at ISTC-CNR

    He is a retired research associate at ISTC-CNR. He is a former director of the Laboratory for Applied Ontology, which he founded in 2003.

Sources and credits

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  1. Laboratory for Applied Ontology - People loa.istc.cnr.it. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. Nicola Guarino - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. OntoClean - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. [iaoa-general] New editors-in-chief at Applied Ontology: Message from IOS Press listserv.ovgu.de. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. Nicola Guarino appointed as ECCAI Fellow | Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione istc.cnr.it. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Peter P. Chen Awardees conceptualmodeling.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. NicolaGuarino - Ontolog Forum ontologforum.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  8. People | Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione istc.cnr.it. Checked 15 October 2026.