cv
Basics
| Name | Matteo Merler |
| matteo.merler@gmail.com | |
| Phone | +39 342 3646961 |
| Url | https://merlerm.github.io/ |
| Summary | I am a pre-doctoral researcher at FBK NLP in Trento, Italy, with an MSc in Machine Learning, Data Science, and AI from Aalto University in Helsinki. My research focuses on bridging large-scale models (such as LLMs and VLMs) with methods like Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Symbolic Planning. I aim to explore how RL's ability to learn from experience can complement the strengths of LLMs, which currently lack this capacity. I'm particularly interested in model-based RL and world models, investigating how large-scale models can be trained to plan ahead and imagine future states, helping them to adapt to complex reasoning and long-horizon planning beyond pattern matching. |
Work
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2025.01 - present Trento, Italy
Researcher
Fondazione Bruno Kessler
Working as a pre-doctoral researcher ("Researcher 4 contract") in the Natural Language Processing Lab under the supervision of Bernardo Magnini.
- Lead researcher on FBK's side of a joint project on planning with Vision-Language Models (with Aalto University), under resubmission.
- Led a second project on selectively integrating VLM guidance with model-free Reinforcement Learning based on the agent's own uncertainty, with a preliminary version accepted at the CAIPI workshop at ECAI 2025 and a full paper in preparation.
- Participating on private research for collaborations with companies.
- Contributing to the draft of a Horizon Europe funding proposal, leading the lab's team for Language and Reinforcement Learning.
- Active participation to the research group's scientific activities, including monthly meetings and collaborative discussions.
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2024.08 - 2024.09 Helsinki, Finland
Research Assistant
Aalto University
MSc Thesis worker in the Foundation Models for Language and Reinforcement Learning (Larel) group, supervised by Prof. Pekka Marttinen.
- Conducted a research project on Symbolic Regression with Large Language Models, presented at the ACL Student Research Workshop.
- Co-led a research project on Code World Models with PhD candidate Nicola Dainese, forming the basis of my Master's Thesis, accepted at NeurIPS 2024.
- Started a project on planning with Vision-Language Models, later continued by both Aalto University and my current group at FBK.
- Regularly attended lab meetings and participated in broader academic activities, including the Seminar on Large Language Models.
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2022.02 - 2022.06 Trento, Italy
Internship
ThinkIN
Worked as a software developer intern in collaboration with the University of Trento.
- Designed and built a prototype for an indoor navigation system specifically targeted for supermarkets, to be used with the company's own location tracking system.
Education
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2022.09 - 2024.09 Master of Science
Aalto University
Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Final Score:
- Graduated with honors, with a final grade of 5.0/5.0 and a GPA of 5.0/5.0.
- Thesis: Generating Code World Models with Large Language Models Guided by Monte Carlo Tree Search, supervised by Prof. Pekka Marttinen, published at NeurIPS 2024.
- Thesis awarded as one of the three best MSc theses of 2024 at the School of Science.
- Received the Dean's Scholarship for outstanding academic performance.
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2019.09 - 2022.07 Bachelor of Science
University of Trento
Computer Science
Final Score:
- Graduated with a final grade of 110/110 cum laude (with honors) and a GPA of 28.46/30.
- Thesis: Route Optimization for Indoor Spaces, supervised by Prof. Alberto Montresor (in Italian).
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2014.09 - 2019.07 High School Diploma
Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci
Liceo Scientifico (Italian Scientific High School Diploma)
Final Score:
- Graduated with a final grade of 100/100.
Publications
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2025.10.25 Guiding Reinforcement Learning with Selective Vision-Language Model Supervision
ECAI Workshop on AI-based Planning for Complex Real-World Applications (CAIPI'25)
Matteo Merler, Giovanni Bonetta, Bernardo Magnini
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2025.05.19 ViPlan: A Benchmark for Visual Planning with Symbolic Predicates and Vision-Language Models
arXiv preprint
Matteo Merler*, Nicola Dainese*, Minttu Alakuijala, Giovanni Bonetta, Pietro Ferrazzi, Yu Tian, Bernardo Magnini, Pekka Marttinen
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2024.12.13 Generating Code World Models with Large Language Models Guided by Monte Carlo Tree Search
Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 37 (NeurIPS 2024)
Nicola Dainese*, Matteo Merler*, Minttu Alakuijala, Pekka Marttinen
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2024.08.01 In-Context Symbolic Regression: Leveraging Large Language Models for Function Discovery
Proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics, Volume 4: Student Research Workshop (ACL 2024 SRW)
Matteo Merler*, Katsiaryna Haitsiukevich*, Nicola Dainese*, Pekka Marttinen
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* Denotes equal contribution
Awards
- 2025.04.03
Master's Thesis Award
Aalto University, School of Science
My Master's thesis was awarded as one of the three best MSc theses of 2024 at the School of Science.
Volunteer
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2018.08 - 2018.08 Volunteer
Associazione Volontaria "Per un Mondo Migliore"
I participated in a volunteering camp experience in Rijeka, Croatia where we helped different families and associations in need around the city and in mainland Croatia while living together in a shared home.
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2017.07 - 2017.07 Volunteer
Libera Associazioni Nomi e Numeri Contro le Mafie
I participated in a volunteering camp experience in southern Italy where we cultivated the fields of mafia-confiscated houses for the Libera association, while also taking part in various activities on the territory and listening to testimonies from victims and policemen.