We introduce an inverse design approach based on minimal theoretical modeling, direct numerical simulations and artificial intelligence techniques for the investigation of locomotion strategies. Its application to the characterization of aquatic phenomena and to the identification of optimal swimming gaits and morphologies is presented. Bio: Mattia Gazzola is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Univeristy (SEAS) in the Applied Math Lab of Prof. L. Mahadevan. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich in the CSELab under the supervision of Prof. Petros Koumoutsakos. He previously graduated in Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. Mattia's work on the computational and theoretical characterization of biological propulsion in fluids was awarded with the ETH Medal in 2013, and subsequently with Early and Advanced Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowships.