Since November 2025, I am a researcher in social psychology at the Behavior in Crisis Lab and the Institute of Psychology at Jagiellonian University in Krakow.
I am currently working on the project “Motivational Readiness in the Face of Crises: Strengthening Global Public Engagement” (P.I.: Dr. Ewa Szumowska), which aims to investigate which motivational factors can encourage individual and collective engagement in resolving various global crises.
In addition to this project, my research focuses on the role of positive moral emotions and social identities in determining prosocial behaviors. In particular, I am interested in understanding how moral models (individuals who engage in highly moral behaviors) can inspire collective change.
In 2025, I obtained my PhD in Learning and Innovation in Social and Work Contexts from the University of Siena, with a thesis in Social Psychology, under the supervision of Prof. Marika Rullo.
Since 2023, I have been working on the podcast The Social Mind.
In 2018, I graduated with honors in psychology, specializing in group, community, and organizational psychology, from the University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara.
My Story in Detail
I was born on April 22, 1993, in Potenza, a small town in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy), where I lived until 2012.
After graduating from high school, I moved to Abruzzo, first to Chieti and then to Pescara, to study Psychology at the University “Gabriele d’Annunzio.” In 2014, I spent a semester abroad in Helsinki, Finland, as part of the Erasmus program, where I developed a strong passion for social psychology, particularly group processes, intergroup relations, and social representations.
During this experience, I became involved with Erasmus Student Network (ESN), an organization I have been active in since 2014. I served as President of ESN Italy from 2020 to 2021, helping the network grow at local, national, and international levels, and coordinated two editions of the ESNsurvey, the largest European survey on the Erasmus experience.
In 2018, I graduated with honors, focusing on group, community, and organizational psychology. In 2020, I completed an Executive Master in Human Resources Management (Meliusform Business School), and in 2021, I completed a Master’s program in Project Management and European Funding at the University of Bologna. Between 2019 and 2021, I worked for ANPAL Servizi, supporting the Employment Centers in the Province of Verona.
In March 2021, I moved to Brussels for a Blue Book Traineeship at the European Commission, specifically at the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO), where I conducted research on the inclusiveness and current state of selection processes within the EU institutions.
In September 2021, I moved to Bologna, where I briefly worked for a consultancy firm. In December 2021, I started my Ph.D. in Learning and Innovation in Social Contexts and Organizations at the University of Siena, under the supervision of Professor Marika Rullo. Since 2022, I have also been collaborating with the Morality & Group Processes Lab at the University of Chieti-Pescara, directed by Professor Stefano Pagliaro.
In 2023, I launched “The Social Mind”, a science communication podcast that explores the psychological dimensions of social, political, and cultural phenomena. Each episode starts from a question and seeks to answer it through data and scientific research. Alongside the podcast, I also write a newsletter that delves deeper into similar themes.
Between January and September 2024, I spent a research stay at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, where I deepened my research on moral emotions and moral models in an international context. During this period, I also strengthened my connections with researchers across Europe and expanded my knowledge on other core topics in social psychology.
Between August 2024 and November 2025, I worked as a research fellow at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. In addition, I was an adjunct professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento, where I taught “Human Behavior in Social Contexts” in the social work degree program during the 2024/2025 academic year.
I currently live in Krakow, Poland. Since November 2025, I have been a researcher in social psychology at the Behavior in Crisis Lab and the Institute of Psychology at Jagiellonian University, where I am working on the project “Motivational Readiness in the Face of Crises: Strengthening Global Public Engagement” (P.I.: Dr. Ewa Szumowska), which aims to investigate which motivational factors can encourage individual and collective engagement in resolving various global crises.
In addition to research and science communication, I am involved in training, social project development, and initiatives promoting active citizenship, non-formal education, and sustainability.
In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, coloring, and following football (I am a Juventus fan). I also listen to a lot of music and collect vinyl records. Whenever possible, I love hiking in nature and traveling, both alone and with company.
So far, I have lived in four European countries (Italy, Finland, Belgium, and Poland) and ten cities (Potenza, Chieti, Pescara, Verona, Bologna, Arezzo, Reggio Emilia, Helsinki, Brussels, and Krakow).
This path has convinced me that people become richer through exchange and exposure to different experiences and cultures. This belief makes me a passionate supporter of the European project and of the ideal of being “United in Diversity.”