PhD Candidate · Computer Science

Florencia
Zanollo

Researcher at UBA & CONICET working on synthesis algorithms for discrete event systems, blending formal methods with machine learning.

Scroll to explore
About

Researcher,
educator & builder

I am a PhD candidate in Computer Science at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and CONICET, working at the Laboratory on Foundations and Tools for Software Engineering (LaFHIS). My research sits at the intersection of formal methods and machine learning — specifically, I develop generalized synthesis algorithms for discrete event systems, exploring how AI heuristics can improve controller synthesis for adaptive systems.

Before returning to academia, I spent a year and a half as a Software Engineer at Mercado Libre, building AB-testing infrastructure and data analysis tools at scale. Prior to that, I interned at Microsoft on the open-source Windows Package Manager (winget), implementing dependency management from the client side.

Teaching is something I hold close to my heart. Since 2017 I've been a teaching assistant at UBA's Computer Science Department, supporting students across courses from algorithms and data structures to software engineering. Giving back to a community that shaped me is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.

My interests span algorithms, automata and graph theory, AI, and game development — I'm always drawn to projects where rigour meets creativity.

Technical skills

Expert
Python Java Linux Git
Proficient
C++ JavaScript Ruby SQL Bash LaTeX
Familiar with
C# Smalltalk ASM AWS GCP MongoDB Haxe
Languages
SpanishNative
EnglishAdvanced
JapaneseBasic (N5)

Where I've worked
& studied

Academic
Apr 2025 – Present
PhD Candidate
CONICET & Universidad de Buenos Aires
Generalized synthesis algorithms for discrete event systems. Blending software engineering techniques with machine learning to improve controller synthesis heuristics.
Sep 2017 – Present
Teaching Assistant
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Software Engineering II, Algorithms & Data Structures III, Computer Organization II, Introduction to CS, Algebra. Marking exams, preparing lessons, and mentoring students.
May 2019 – Mar 2022
Research Assistant
LaFHIS, UBA
Worked on Modal Transition System Analyzer (MTSA) — analysis, implementation, testing and refactoring of directed controller synthesis algorithms for discrete event systems.
Mar 2018 – Jul 2018
Research Intern
National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan
Supervisor: Prof. Hideaki Takeda. Social Network Analysis using Linked Open Data (RDF, SPARQL) to study relationships between anime voice actors.
Aug 2016 – Jan 2018
Computer Science Popularizer
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Organized and led coding workshops for high school students. Speaker at departmental events and UBA's annual CS week (SDC).
Industry
Mar 2022 – Aug 2023
Software Engineer
Mercado Libre — Melidata
Experiments team: built AB-test infrastructure and data analysis tools. Multi-language SDK support (Java, JS, Go, Python). Data on AWS and GCP.
May 2021 – Jul 2021
Software Engineer Intern
Microsoft
Implemented dependency management on the client side of the open-source Windows Package Manager (winget).
Sep 2018 – Dec 2018
Freelance Backend Developer
Argentinos por la Educación
API development and maintenance with Django. Also mentored participants at APE's hackathon.
Jun 2016 – Dec 2016
Software Engineer Intern
Hexacta
In-house staff management web app with AngularJS front-end and Ruby back-end.
Jan 2015 – Oct 2015
Game Developer
Purple Tree Studio
Developed a multiplatform (desktop, Android, web) game framework using Haxe/Flambe, Java, JavaScript.
Research

Publications

Automatica · Volume 147 · 2023
On-the-fly informed search of non-blocking directed controllers
Daniel Ciolek, Matias Duran, Florencia Zanollo, Nicolas Pazos, Julián Braier, Víctor A. Braberman, Nicolás D'Ippolito, Sebastián Uchitel

For a full list of publications see my Google Scholar profile →

Formal Methods
Discrete Event Systems & Controller Synthesis

Generalized synthesis algorithms for directed controllers, on-the-fly composition, and heuristic-guided exploration of state spaces in parallel automata.

AI + Software Engineering
ML-enhanced Synthesis Heuristics

Integrating machine learning to improve heuristic functions in automated synthesis, applied to requirements engineering and adaptive systems.

Open source &
side projects

Let's connect

Interested in research collaborations, open source projects, or just want to talk about algorithms and automata? I'd love to hear from you.