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Results: 465


Alessandra Venturini
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Economy and Finance area

Competences: Labour Economics, Migration Economy

Keywords: divorce, integration, migrations

Region: Piedmont


Position/Role

Full Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Turin, where she is also Head of the Jean Monet Migration in Europe Module and Director of the Diploma in Migration Studies of the University of Turin.

Professional career

She graduated in Economics at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Florence in 1977. In 1978 she carried out an internship at the European Commission in Brussels, D.G. Social Affairs. In 1982 she obtained a PhD in Economics at the European University Institute in Florence with J.P. Fitoussi and E. Tarantelli. She was Visiting Professor at Brown University, Providence, R.I. (USA), the Institute Development Studies, Sussex University of Brighton, the International Institute of Labor Studies, at the ILO, Geneva and at the COMPAS (Center of Migration, Policicy & Society) in Oxford. He has taught in Italy at the Universities of Florence, Bergamo, Padua and Turin and abroad in the USA, Oxford, Belgium.

She has twenty years of research and collaboration experience with the European Commission in Brussels (of which he is a member of the expert group), with OECD and with the World Bank, as well as with other international organizations, including: International Labor Organization, International Organization of Migration, European Training Foundation and numerous international research institutes (CEPR of London, IZA of Bonn, CASE of Warsow, IMI of Washington) and in Italy with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She is currently co-director of the MEDAM project at the Migration Policy Center, Robert Schumann Center for Advanced Studies of the European University Institute of Florence, with responsibility for addressing and research supervisor. He is a member of the Expert Group on Migration of the DG Home of the European Commission. Outgoing member of the General Council of the Compagnia di San Paolo 2014-2016. Member of the Council of the Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti De Martiis. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Master in Management of Development of the University of Law at the ILO Training Center since 2003. She was president of the Master's Degree Course in Law and Economics for public and private companies from 2008 to 2015, member of the Council of the Faculty of Law from 2005 to 2012, member of the Governing Council of the Institute of Higher Studies of the University of Genoa in 2014.

Scientific results

Alessandra Venturini is a scholar of migration dynamics, migration policies and the dynamics of asylum seekers. She is an expert on the causes and consequences of migration in European countries and of social policy interventions that can anticipate and counteract the negative effects with numerous publications in Italian and English. She is an expert in the countries of the Neighborhood of Europe, with an in-depth knowledge of migration, of the labor markets of European countries and of countries bordering with Eastern Europe - Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan - and to the South , North Africa and the Middle East, with direct contacts with members of institutions and administrations and the University.

Editorial work and publications

Alessandra Venturini is the author of numerous monographs including:

(2015) Fargues P, Venturini A, Migration from North Africa and the Middlle EastSkilled migrants, Development and Globalization, I.B. TAURIS, London.

(2006) Venturini A. Post-War Migration in Southern Europe. An Economic Approach, Cambridge University Press.

Recent papers:

(2017) Strom S, Piazzalunga D, Venturini A, Villosio C. Wage assimilation of immigrants and internal migrants: the role of linguistic distance, Regional Studies, pp. 1-12.

(2017) Laurentsyeva N, Venturini A. Social Integration of Immigrants and the role of Policy, Intereconomics, 52:285-292.

(2017) Kalantaryan S, Fassio C, Venturini A. High-skilled Immigration and Innovation, in Czaika M, “High Skilled Migration, Drivers and Politics”, Oxford University Press, pp. 151-175.

(2017) Venturini A. Where and when to start the integration process?in Bauböck R, Tripkovic M (eds), “The integration of migrants and refugees: an EUI forum on migration, citizenship and demography”, p. 109.

(2017) Venturini A. Migrant assimilation in the labour market: what is missing in the economic literature, in Weiner A, Unterrainer A, Fargues P. (eds), “Migrant Integration Between Homeland and Host Society. Volume 1. Where does the country of origin fit,” pp. 21-42. 

(2017) Venturini A, Villosio C. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1345830, in Finotelli C, Ponzo I (eds), “Integration in times of crisis. Migrant inclusion in Southern European societies: trends and theoretical implications”, 

(2016) Venturini A. Migration in 2017, in Goldstein A, “The World in 2017, Instant book, Nomisma, Agra”.

(2016), From Refugees to Workers, Mapping Labour-Market Integration Support Measure for Asylum Seekers and Refugees in The EU Members States. Vol.I Comparative Analyses and Policy Findings; Vol.II Literature review and country case studies, Italy case study, Bertelmans Stiftung and MPC-EUI. 

(2016) Del Boca D, Venturini A. Migration in Italy is backing the old age welfare, in Zimmermann K, Kaneck M (eds), “Labor Migration, EU Enlargement, and the Great Recession”, Springer Berlin, Heidelberg. 

(2016) Goldstein A, VEnturini A. International Migration Policies: Should they be a new G20 Topic? China & World Economy, 24, 4:93-111. 

(2016) Pirani E, Venturini A, Vignoli D. Female Migration and Native Marital Stability: Insights from Italy. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 05. 

(2016) Venturini AMigrants and migration policies for innovation in EuropeMigration Policy Practice, VI, 2.

 

 

Tiziana Vettor
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Sport

Competences: Justice in Sport, Law in Sport, Rights, Sports Work

Keywords: gender, gender equality, gender equality, safety, women in sport, work

Region: Lombardy


Position/Role

Professor of Labour Law, Director of the Master's Degree Course in 'Sports Law and Labour Relations in Sport' and of the Executive Course of Higher Education 'The Profession of the Sports Agent' at the University of Milan-Bicocca.

Professional career

After graduating in Law at the University of Milan and obtaining a PhD in Labour Law and Industrial Relations at the University of Pavia, Tiziana Vettor began her academic career as a research fellow at the Faculty of Law of the University of Insubria. In 2004, she became a researcher in Labour Law at the University of Milan-Bicocca, where she continued her career, becoming an associate professor in 2006.

Scientific results

In her university activities she has held various positions, including that, assigned to her by rector's decree, of "President of the Single Guarantee Committee" in the years 2014-2018. By decree of the Minister for Youth Policy and Sport of 30/1/2020, she was appointed 'Expert' to carry out the activity of drafting the reform of the sports legal system. She is the author of numerous scientific publications, including the volume entitled Conciliare vita e lavoro. La prospettiva del diritto del lavoro dopo il Jobs Act, published by Giappichelli.

Editorial work and publications

[2023] Vettor T, La nuova riforma del lavoro sportivo: prime analisi alle disposizioni integrative e correttive al d.lgs. n. 36/2021 (d.lgs. n. 163/2022). MASSIMARIO DI GIURISPRUDENZA DEL LAVORO, (1): 127-146.

[2022] Vettor T, Pari opportunità, lavoro e agenti nel settore sportivo. In: (a cura di): Pittalis M, Ripartire con lo sport: impianto valoriale di una riforma “in progress”, Milano, Ledizioni: 53-61.

[2022] Vettor T, La proposta di Direttiva sul lavoro tramite piattaforma nel prisma delle fonti internazionali ed europee. LAVORO DIRITTI EUROPA, (2): 1-9.

[2019] Vettor T, Il diritto della sicurezza sociale alla prova delle trasformazioni familiari. RESPONSABILITÀ CIVILE E PREVIDENZA, (5): 1475-1484.

[2018] Vettor T, Conciliare vita e lavoro. La prospettiva del diritto del lavoro dopo il Jobs Act. STUDI DI DIRITTO DEL LAVORO. Collana fondata da L. Galantino e S. Hernandez e diretta da F. Basenghi e G. Pellacani, Torino, Giappichelli, (42): 1-152.

[2018] Vettor T, Il reddito di inclusione: quale sostegno contro la povertà?. In: (a cura di): Ferrante V, Economia informale e strategia di contrasto: a che punto siamo?, Milano, Vita e pensiero: 43-68,

[2017] Vettor T, Attualità e prospettive delle esigenze di cura, di vita e di lavoro. In: (a cura di): D'Amico M, Leone S, La donna dalla fragilitas alla pienezza dei diritti? Un percorso non ancora concluso. CENTRO DI RICERCA COORDINATO STUDI SULLA GIUSTIZIA, Milano, Giuffrè: 221-242.

[2016] Vettor T, Salute e sicurezza. Valutazione dei rischi e differenze di genere. In: (a cura di): Bianchini M, Calegari A, Gioia G, Dialogo tra Corti e nuove frontiere della responsabilità. PUBBLICAZIONI DELLA SCUOLA DI GIURISPRUDENZA DELL'UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA. NUOVA SERIE, (VI), Milano, Wolters Kluwer CEDAM: 563-584.

[2015] Vettor T, Beni primari (cibo, acqua) e lavoro umano sostenibile. In: (a cura di): Biscotti B, Lamarque E, Cibo e acqua. Sfide per il diritto contemporaneo. Verso e oltre Expo 2015. COLLANA DEL DIPARTIMENTO DI GIURISPRUDENZA DELL'UNIVERSITÀ DI MILANO-BICOCCA, Torino, Giappichelli, (121): 113-118.

[2013] Vettor T, Le donne lavoratrici. In: (a cura di): Cendon P, Rossi S, I nuovi danni alla persona. I soggetti deboli. DIRITTO. ORIZZONTI, Roma, Aracne, (1): 587-648. 

[2011] Vettor T, Die Praxis rassistischer Gesetze zwischen Vergangenheit und GegenwartIn: (a cura di): Garlati L;Vettor T, Das Recht und die Rechtsschandung. 70 Jahre nach dem Erlass der italienischen Rassegesetze, Berlin, Lit Verlgag: 35-51.

[2009] Vettor T, Uguaglianza e diritto del lavoro. In: (a cura di): Cartabia M, Vettor T, Le ragioni dell'uguaglianza. Atti del VI Convegno della Facoltà di Giurisprudenza. Università di Milano-Bicocca, 15-16 maggio 2008. UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI MILANO-BICOCCA (FACOLTÀ DI GIURISPRUDENZA), Milano, Giuffrè, (58): 199-208.

Awards and prizes

1997, "Maria Grazia Zerman" Award, called by the Association for Women's Studies "Maria Grazia Zerman", with a research project entitled: "Women's self-employment: the presence and originality of women in work".

2000, Prize "Progetto giovani ricercatori", announced by the University of Insubria, with a research project entitled: "Self-employed work: qualifying profiles and discipline to protect health and safety".

Martina Viarengo
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Economy and Finance area

Competences: Economic Development, International Cooperation, International Economics, Labour Economics, Public Policies

Keywords: coronavirus, Covid-19: impact on the labour market, Covid-19: impact on the university system, economics of public services, education systems, institutions, labor market, organizations and management

Region: ABROAD


Position/Role

Professor of Economics (with tenure) in the Department of International Economics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies of Geneva (Switzerland)

Professional career

After graduating with a bachelor degree in Economics in the Faculty of Economics at University of Turin in 2002, Professor Viarengo completed her education through a Master in Economics at Northwestern University (USA) in 2003 and a PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) in 2007.  After completing her doctoral studies, she was Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government (USA). She subsequently worked as an economist at the Centre for Economic Performance of the London School of Economics prior to join the Graduate Institute’s faculty. She is currently Professor (with tenure) in the Department of International Economics at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies of Geneva (CH). She is Faculty Associate at the Harvard University, Center for International Development, and a Member of the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR). She is also Senior Research Associate at the Harvard Law School, Labor and Worklife Program. She currently serves as Senior Expert in the European Expert Network on the Economics of Education (EENEE) of the European Commission and as Member of the Evaluation Committee of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Economic Cooperation and Development.

Scientific results

Professor Viarengo is a specialist in public policy, labor economics and economic development. Her research has focused on the economics of public services, education systems and labor markets in an international perspective. Her research has also examined different aspects related to management and human capital within organizations in countries at different stages of development.

Her research has been published in leading international journals.

She is a fellow of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), a member of the European Development Network (EUDN), and a fellow of the Center for Economic Studies (CESifo).

Editorial work and publications

Selected Publication

Books

[2015] Viarengo M. (joint with Kramarz F.), “Neither in Employment nor in Education – Youth Left Behind,”  Paris: Sciences-Po Press   (title in French: Ni en Emploi Ni en Formation - Des Jeunes Laissés pour Compte”)

Publications in Refereed Journals

[2020] Viarengo M. (joint with Ganguli I., R. Hausmann) “Gender Differences in Professional Career Dynamics: New Evidence from a Global Law Firm,” forthcoming in Economica.

[2019] Viarengo M. (joint with Bandiera O., M. Mohnen, I. Rasul), “Nation-Building through Compulsory Schooling during the Age of Mass Migration,” [LSE-Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines - Economic Organisation and Public Policy Discussion Paper No. 057], Economic Journal, Vol. 129, No. 617(1), pp. 62–109.

[2018] Viarengo M. (joint with Machin S., S. McNally), “Changing How Literacy is Taught: Evidence on Synthetic Phonics,” [LSE-Centre for Economic Performance Discussion Paper No. 1425; IZA Discussion Paper No. 9955], American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 217-241.

[2018] Viarengo M. (joint with Ganguli I., R. Hausmann), “Career Dynamics and Gender Gaps among Employees in the Microfinance Sector,” UNU-WIDER Working Paper No. 2017/117, chapter published in Anderson S., L. Beaman and J.P. Platteau (eds.), “Towards Gender Equity in Development” published by Oxford University Press. 

[2017] Viarengo M. (joint with Gibbons S., S. McNally), “Does Additional Spending Help Urban Schools? An Evaluation Using Boundary Discontinuities,” [earlier versions of this paper: LSE-Centre for the Economics of Education Discussion Paper No. 128; IZA Discussion Paper No. 6281], Journal of the European Economic Association, November Vol. 16, No. 5(1), pp. 1618–1668.

[2015] Viarengo M. (joint with Pritchett L.), “Does Public Sector Control Reduce Variance in School Quality?” Education Economics, Vol. 23, No. 5, October, pp. 557-576; [Harvard University, Center for Global Development Working Paper No. 178; Harvard University, PEPG Discussion Paper No. 09-03].

[2015] Viarengo M. (joint with Pritchett L.), “The State, Socialization and Private Schooling: When Will Governments Support Alternative Producers?” Journal of Development Studies, (lead article), Vol. 51, No. 7, July, pp. 784-807; [Harvard University, Center for International Development Working Paper No. 272].

[2014] Viarengo M. (joint with Martinez-Fritscher A., A. Musacchio), “Colonial Institutions, Trade Shocks, and the Diffusion of Elementary Education in Brazil, 1889-1930,” Journal of Economic History, Vol. 74, No. 3, pp. 730-766; [NBER Working Paper No. 20029; Harvard Business School Working Paper No. 10-075].

[2014] Viarengo M. (joint with Freeman R.B.), “School and Family Effects on Educational Outcomes across Countries,” Economic Policy, (lead article), Vol. 79, No. 29, July, pp. 395-446.

[2014] Viarengo M. (joint with Ganguli I., R. Hausmann), “Closing the Gender Gap in Education: What is the State of Gaps in Labor Force Participation for Women, Wives and Mothers?” International Labour Review, (lead article), Vol. 153, No. 2, pp. 173-208; [Harvard University, Center for International Development Working Paper No. 220]. 

[2013] Viarengo M. (joint with Bandiera O., I. Rasul), “The Making of Modern America: Migratory Flows in the Age of Mass Migration,” Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 102, May, pp. 23-47; [CEPR Discussion Paper No. 7509].

[2012] Viarengo M. (joint with Pritchett L.), “Why Demographic Suicide? The Puzzles of European Fertility,” Population and Development Review, No. 38, pp. 55-71.

[2010] Viarengo M. (Holmlund H., S. McNally), “Does Money Matter for Schools?” Economics of Education Review, Vol. 29, pp. 1154-1164; [IZA Discussion Paper No. 3769; CEE Discussion Paper No. 105].

Awards and prizes

Professor Viarengo is the recipient of numerous research grants, fellowships and awards. 

She was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and she was named Newton International Fellow by the British Academy, Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2013 she was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2018 Dr. Viarengo was awarded with the Eisenhower Fellowship.

Maria Giulia Vinciguerra
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Sport

Competences: Methods and Didactics of Sport Activities, Motor Activity for Disability, Motor Activity for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases (cardiovasc, Theory, Technique and Didactics of Human Movement

Keywords: adapted physical exercise, cardiovascular deseas, disability, dysmetabolic diseases, kidney diseases, oncologica diseases, pulmonary diseases, sport

Region: Abruzzo


Position/Role

Associate Professor MEDF/02 Methods and Techniques of Motor and Sports Activities, Delegate of the Rector for Sport, and President of the Didactic Area of Motor Science Degree Courses, at the University of L'Aquila. Vice-President of the Municipal Sports Council for the Municipality of L'Aquila.

Professional career

In 1984, she obtained the Higher Diploma of Physical Education Teacher at the Higher Institute of Physical Education (ISEF) of L'Aquila; in 1993,s he obtained the Degree in Motor Sciences with specialization in "Sciences et techniques des activities phisique et sportives , at the Faculty of Sports Science (UFR-STAPS) of the Claude Bernarde University of Lyon, France; in 1999, she specialized in "Evaluation of the Athlete's Physical Capacity" at the State Institute of Physical Education in Rome. Since 1986 she has been teaching in the middle school of the first and second grade, obtaining qualifications in all sectors, also in the primary school, at the same time, she was a contract professor from 1985 to 1999 at the ISEF of Aquila, and subsequently, after having collaborated with the transformation of the ISEF into the Faculty of Motor Sciences (1999/2000), in March 2005, winner of the competition, she leaves school teaching, and enters the University of L'Aquila as a researcher. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Degree Courses in Motor Sciences of the Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology (DISCAB). She is engaged in numerous research activities that she has always carried out during the years of contract teaching and promotes innovative Projects for Exercise and Sports Sciences. You are a lecturer in the PhD Board and in the Schools of Specialization. You have numerous participations in International Conferences and Congresses as Invited Speaker.

Scientific results

Maria Giulia Vinciguerra's research topics concern motor and sports activity related to morpho-functional changes in the human organism, the evaluation of problems related to the osteo-muscular-ligament apparatus and postural problems, and the screening of vertebral deformities in the secondary school population.
She has carried out research for the study, screening and prevention of atherosclerosis; for the development of physical and motor activity programmes for the prevention of cardiovascular and dysmetabolic diseases; for the development of motor tables as part of LONFLIT projects, and for the development of procedures for the recognition of the symmetry line of backs acquired by means of 3D scanners. She has studied the effects of Pycnogenol in motor/sports performance; anthropometric characteristics, dietary habits and physical activity in young people, in a longitudinal perspective; lifestyle habits in young L'Aquila rugby players before and after the 2009 earthquake. 
She participated in the following projects:

  • Abruzzo Regional Project "Let's Move"
  • Abruzzo Regional/CONI "Scuola in Movimento" project
  • 2014-2018 Regional Prevention Plan project "Promoting physical exercise through the creation of a network of territorial gyms". 
  • Ateneo in Movimento ed in Salute" project
  • European Project "Anti Bulling Beach Golf". 

Editorial work and publications

Books

R Scaramucci, M.G. Vinciguerra. 2016.Dizionario delle Scienze Motorie e Tecnica dell'Educazione Fisica, Viterbo: Casa Editrice Serena.

P. Raimondi, F. Bizzarri, G. Costanzo, M.G.Vinciguerra. 2001. Proteggi la tua schiena, Roma: Marrapese Editore.

International Scientific Articles

Bonavolonta, Valerio, Gallotta, Maria Chiara, Zimatore, Giovanna, Curzi, Davide, Ferrari, Dafne, Vinciguerra Maria Giulia, Guidetti, Laura, Baldari, Carlo (2023). “Chronic Effects of Asymmetric And Symmetric Sport Load In Varsity Athletes Across A Six Month Sport Season”. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health. 20(3):2186. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032186. PMID: 36767552; PMCID: PMC9916379.

La Greca, Stefano, Rapali, Mariano, Ciaprini, Giuliano, Russo, Luca, Vinciguerra Maria Giulia, Di Giminiani, Riccardo (2022). “Acute and Chronic Effects of Supervised Flexibility Training in Older Adults: A Comparison of Two Different Conditioning Programs”. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health19(24):16974. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416974. PMID: 36554854; PMCID: PMC9779245.

Riva ACorti ABelcaro GCesarone MRDugall MVinciguerra GFeragalli BZuccarini MEggenhoffner RGiacomelli L. 2019. “Interaction study between antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, diabetic therapy and a novel delivery form of quercetin”. Minerva Cardioangiol.  67(1):79-83. doi: 10.23736/S0026-4725.18.04795-3. 

Belcaro GHu SStrong JFeragalli BVinciguerra GCacchio MCesarone MR. 2018. “Sports supplement in short triathlon: improvements in training, performance, recovery and oxidative stress”. Minerva Med. 109(6):451-456. 

Vinciguerra, MG; Belcaro, G. 2015. Cacchio Robuvit® and endurance in triathlon: improvements in training performance, recovery and oxidative stress. Minerva Cardilogica63(5):403-9.

Vinciguerra G, Belcaro G, Bonanni E, Cesarone MR, Rotondi V, Ledda A, Hosoi M, Dugall M, Cacchio M, Cornelli U. 2013 “Evaluation of the effects of supplementation with Pycnogenol® on fitness in normal subjects with the Army Physical Fitness Test and in performances of athletes in the 100-minute triathlon. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 53(6):644-54.

Bottari A, Belcaro G, Ledda A, Cesarone MR, Vinciguerra G, Di Renzo A, Stuard S, Dugall M, Pellegrini L, Errichi S, Gizzi G, Ippolito E, Ricci A, Cacchio M, Ruffini I, Fano F, Hosoi M. 2012. Lady Prelox® improves sexual function in post-menopausal women. Panminerva Med. 54(1 Suppl 4):3-9.

Valenti M, Vinciguerra MG, Masedu F, Tiberti S, Sconci V. 2012. “A before and after study on personality assessment in adolescents exposed to the 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Italy: influence of sports practice”. BMJ Open. 2(3): e000824.

Di Angelo L., Di Stefano P., Raimondi P., Vinciguerra M. G. 2011. “Validation of a method for symmetry line detection”, Computer-Aided Design And Applications. 8 (1): 71-86.

Cesarone MR, Belcaro G, Rohdewald P, Pellegrini L, Ledda A, Vinciguerra G, Ricci A, Ippolito E, Fano F, Dugall M, Cacchio M, Di Renzo A, Hosoi M, Stuard S, Corsi M. 2010 “Improvement of signs and symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency and microangiopathy with Pycnogenol: a prospective, controlled study.Phytomedicine. 17(11):835-9. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2010.04.009. 

Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Errichi S, Zulli C, Errichi BM, Vinciguerra G, Ledda A, Di Renzo A, Stuard S, Dugall M, Pellegrini L, Gizzi G, Ippolito E, Ricci A, Cacchio M, Cipollone G, Ruffini I, Fano F, Hosoi M, Rohdewald P.2008. Variations in C-reactive protein, plasma free radicals and fibrinogen values in patients with osteoarthritis treated with Pycnogenol. Redox Rep. 13(6):271-6.

Antonella Viola
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STEM area: Biomedical sciences and biotechnology

Competences: Biology, Immunology

Keywords: cancer cure, coronavirus, Covid-19, immune system, immunology, immunotherapy, inflammation, stamina cells

Region: Veneto


Position/Role

Full Professor of General Pathology at the University of Padua and Scientific Director at Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica (IRP) Foundation

Professional career

After graduating in Biological Sciences at the University of Padua in 1991, prof. Viola continued her education with a PhD in Evolutionary Biology, which she obtained in 1995 at the same university. She then joined the scientific community of the Basel Institute of Immunology (BII), first as visiting scientist and then as BII scientific member. In 2001 she went back to Padua as assistant professor and head of the Immunology Laboratory at the Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM). In 2007, she moved to Milan to direct the Adaptive Immunity Laboratory at the Humanitas Research Center. In 2014 she became full professor of General Pathology at the University of Padua and in 2017 scientific director of the Pediatric Research Institute (IRP). She has been a member of the scientific committee of the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC) and a reviewer for the European Commission (FP7 and ERC). She has coordinated international (Prostate Cancer Research Program), European (E-rare) and national projects (AIRC, Telethon, MIUR, Ministry of Health) and has been partner of two ambitious projects of the European community, SYBILLA and MERLIN.

Scientific results

After the studies on T lymphocytes (capable of killing virus-infected cells or helping B cells in the production of antibodies), prof. Viola has expanded her research in the field of tumor immunology and, subsequently, of mesenchymal stromal cells. More recently, she decided to focus on the study of macrophages (cells responsible for phagocytizing pathogens and involved in all inflammatory processes) and she proposed to the European Commission the project “STePS”, which was awarded the ERC Advanced Grant. The results of her research are of great importance in basic research but also in other areas, from cancer immunotherapy (ability to exploit our own immune system to directly and focused treat certain diseases) to autoimmune diseases (diseases caused by improper activation of our immune system).

Editorial work and publications

Author of numerous scientific publications, including:

(2011) Molon B, Ugel S, Del Pozzo F, Soldani C, Zilio S, Avella D, De Palma A, Mauri PL, Monegal A, Rescigno M, Savino B, Colombo P, Jonjic N, Pecanic S, Lazzarato L, Fruttero R, Gasco A, Bronte V, Viola A. Chemokine nitration prevents intratumoral infiltration of antigen-specific T cells. The Journal of Experimental Medicine,208(10):1949-62.

(2010) Contento RL, Campello S, Trovato AE, Magrini E, Anselmi F and Viola A. Adhesion shapes T cells for prompt and sustained T cell receptor signaling. EMBO Journal, 29:4035-47.

(2008) Viola A & Luster AD. Chemokines and Their Receptors: Drug Targets in Immunity and Inflammation. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 48:171-197.

(2007) Viola A & Gupta N. Tether and Trap: Regulation of membrane rafts by actin-binding proteins. Nature Reviews Immunology, 7:889-96.

(2006) Campello S, Lacalle RA, Bettella M, Manes S, Scorrano L & Viola A. Orchestration of leukocyte chemotaxis by mitochondrial dynamycs. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 203:2879-2886.

(2006) Tavano R, Contento RL, Baranda SJ, Soligo M, Tuosto L, Manes S & Viola A. CD28 interaction with filamin-A controls lipid raft accumulation at the T cell immunological synapse. Nature Cell Biology, 8:1270-1276.

(2005) Molon, Gri G, Bettella M, Goumez-Mouton C, Lanzavechia A, Martinez-A C, Manes S & Viola A. T cell costimulation by chemokine receptors. Nature Immunology, 6:465-71.

(2005) Bronte V, Kasic T, Gri G, Gallana K, Borsellino G, Marigo I, Battistini L, Iafrate M, Prayer-Galetti T, Pagano F & Viola A. Boosting anti-tumor responses of T lymphocytes infiltrating human prostate cancers. The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 201:1257-68.

(1999) Viola A, Schroeder S, Sakakibara Y & Lanzavecchia A. T lymphocyte costimulation mediated by reorganization of membrane microdomains. Science, 283:680-2.

(1996) Viola A & Lanzavecchia A. T cell activation determined by T cell receptor number and tunable thresholds. Science, 273:104-6.

Awards and prizes

In 2010 she won the Cancer Reseach Institute Investigator Award (CRI, New York) and in 2008 the "Donne Eccellenti" award and the prestigious "Chiara D'Onofrio" award. In 2013 Antonella Viola received the ERC Advanced Grant and a € 2.5 million financing to continue her STEPS project. In 2016 she was elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), a prestigious recognition that was preceded in 2006 by the appointment as EMBO Young Investigator.

Francesca Vitali
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Sport

Competences: Motor Activity for Disability, Neuroscience, Sport and Health, Sporting Well-Being, Sport Psychology

Keywords: Competition in Sports, dual career in sport, women in sport

Region: Veneto


Position/Role

Researcher at the University of Verona, Teaching College of Sport Sciences, Sport Psychologist, Past President of the Italian Association of Sport, and Exercise Psychology (AIPS).

Professional career

Francesca Vitali is Researcher (Junior Researcher, RTD-A) and Assistant Professor at the University of Verona, Italy, where she has been since 2010. She obtained her Ph.D. in Methodology of research in psychology in 2003 at the University of Genoa, Italy. She has been teaching Sport and Exercise Psychology for ten years at the School of Sport Sciences, University of Genoa. In 2014 she won a Research Grant, and she started collaborating with CeRiSM (Centre of Research in Sport, Mountain and Health), University of Verona. From 2015 to 2019 she has been Research Fellow at the University of Verona.

She has been the Scientific Coordinator for the University of Verona Team of the co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union projects Be a Winner In elite Sport and Employment before and after athletic Retirement (BeWiser) and Dual Careers for Mental Health (DC4MH): the projects were focused respectively on optimizing active and former elite athletes’ employability and employment after sport retirement and on improving mental health for dual career elite athletes. She is also the Scientific Coordinator of the co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union project Sport Without Stereotypes (SWOST): this project started in January 2021 and will end in December 2023.

Together with Federico Schena, since the academic year (a.y.) 2017/2018 she is the Scientific Director of the Academic Coach project, a peer-tutorship project offered at the students-athletes of the University of Verona. From the a.y. 2020/2021 she is the Scientific Director of the new dual career program of the University of Verona. The project is promoted and implemented thanks to the coordination of the CUS Verona, the University Sports Committee of the University of Verona and the ESU Verona. The project is aimed at supporting the dual career of the students-athletes of the University of Verona.

She chaired the XXth AIPS 2014 National Congress which has been held in Rovereto, Italy. She co-chaired the XXIth AIPS 2016 National Congress which has been held in Bologna, Italy. From 2014 to 2016 she has been the National President of the Associazione Italiana Psicologia dello Sport e dell'esercizio (AIPS).

As Sport Psychologist she has been working with youth top-level athletes of different sports (i.e., Shooting Italian Olympic Youth National Team; Italian Junior Cross Country Skiing Team; Track and Field Youth National Team). She collaborates as Expert with the School of Sport of Sport and Health (Sport e Salute) and Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI). Since 2019 she has a “Consultancy with training assignment” collaboration with the Italian Rugby Federation. Since 2017 she is responsible of the Center of studies of the Assist - the Italian Association of Female Athletes.

Scientific results

She has published/in press several research articles and book chapters. Her research agenda has been on the understanding of the motivational processes and prevention of early youth dropout from sports; psychosocial benefits of sport and physical activity for patients and people with and without disabilities;psychobiosocial (PBS) states and motivational processes in Physical Education; psychological aspects in sport-injury recovery; student-athlete dual career and career transitions; enhancement of the attentive strategies and optimization of performance in endurance sports.

Editorial work and publications

Francesca Vitali is currently the Editor for the Psicologia dello Sport e dell'Esercizio (En. tr. Sport and Exercise Psychology), the new official journal of the Associazione Italiana Psicologia dello Sport e dell'esercizio (AIPS, Italian Association of Sport and Exercise Psychology) (which replaced the Giornale Italiano di Psicologia dello Sport), and author of numerous scientific publications, including:

Borrueco, M., Torregrossa, M., Pallarès, S., Vitali, F., & Ramis, Y. (2023). Women coaches at top level: looking back through the maze. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 18, 327-338 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541221126614).

Modena, R., Bisagno, E., Schena, F., Carazzato, S., & Vitali, F. (2022). How do elite female athletes cope with symptoms of their pre-menstrual period? A study on Union Rugby and Football players’ perceived physical ability and well-being. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health19, 11168 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811168).

Bisagno E., Cadamuro A., Rubichi S., Robazza C., & Vitali, F. (2022). A developmental outlook on the role of cognition and emotions in youth volleyball and artistic gymnastics. Frontiers in Psychology 13:954820. (DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954820).

Vitale, J. A., Ieno, C., Baldassarre, R., Bonifazi, M., Vitali, F., La Torre, A., & Piacentini, M. F. (2022). The impact of a 14-day altitude training camp on Olympic-level open-water swimmers’ sleep. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 4253. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074253).

Vitali, F., Bisagno, E., Coco, M., Cadamuro, A., Maldonato, N. M., & Di Corrado, D. (2022). A moderated mediation analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being and sport readiness of Italian team sports players: The role of perceived safety of the training environment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 2764. (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052764).

Speranza, E., Bolzan, V., Roi, G. S, & Vitali, F. (2021). Impact of telerehabilitation after sports injuries on psychological outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Medicina dello Sport, 74, 657-171. (DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.21.03909-0).

Smismans, S., Wylleman, P., De Brandt, K., Defruyt, S., Vitali, F., Ramis, Y., Torregrossa, M., Lobinger, B., Stambulova, N., & Cecić Erpič, S. (2021). From elite sport to the job market: Development and initial validation of the Athletes’ Competences Questionnaire for Employability (ACQE). Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte16, 39-48. (DOI: 10.12800/ccd.v16i47.1694).

Purgato, M., Richards, J., Prina, E., Kip, A., Del Piccolo, L., Michencigh, G., Rimondini, M., Rudi, D., Vitali, F., Carta, M. G., Morina, N., Schena, F., & Barbui, C. (2021). Physical activity interventions on psychological outcomes in refugee, asylum seeker and migrant populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise54 (DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.101901).

Bisagno, E., Morra, S., Basciano, M., Rosina, C., & Vitali, F. (2019). Assessing individual performance in team sports: A new method developed in youth volleyball. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology4, 53 (DOI: 10.3390/jfmk4030053).

Di Battista, R., Robazza, C., Ruiz, M. C., Bertollo, M., Vitali, F., & Bortoli, L. (2019). Student’s Intention to Practice Physical Activity: The Interplay of Task-involving Climate, Competence Needs Satisfaction, and Psychobiosocial States in Physical Education. European Physical Education Review25, 761-777. (DOI: 10.1177/1356336x18770665).

Vitali, F., Tarperi, C., Cristini, J., Rinaldi, A., Zelli, A., Lucidi, F., Schena, F., Bortoli, L., & Robazza, C. (2019). Action monitoring through external or internal focus of attention does not impair endurance performance. Frontiers in Psychology10:535. (DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00535).

Vitali, F., Robazza, C., Bortoli, L., Bertinato, L., Schena, F., & Lanza, M. (2019). Enhancing fitness, enjoyment, and physical self-efficacy in primary school children: a DEDIPAC naturalistic study. PeerJ, 7:e6436. (DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6436).

Lucia Votano
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STEM area: Physics

Competences: Experimental Physics of Astroparticlesm, Experimental Physics of Particles

Keywords: astroparticles, gran sasso workshops, infn, juno, neutrinos, nuclear physics, particle physics, particles, work

Region: Lazio


Position/Role

Research Director, associate to Frascati National Laboratory of INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare)

Professional career

She graduated in Physics at the University La Sapienza of Rome in 1971, continuing her training at the Frascati National Laboratories of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), where she became a permanent researcher in 1975. During her experimental research in particle physics she also worked at CERN in Geneva and at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg. Since the end of the '80s she has devoted herself mainly to astro-particle physics conducting experiments at the INFN Laboratory of Gran Sasso, the largest and most important underground laboratory dedicated to astro-particle physics in the world in terms of number of experiments and complexity of technological and security infrastructures. In 2009 she became director of the Gran Sasso Laboratory, the first woman to hold this position, until 2012.

Scientific results

Lucia Votano carries out her basic research in the field of experimental physics of high-energy elementary particles and in the field of astro-particle physics, a field that links astrophysics, cosmology and the study of fundamental interactions of elementary particles. His main interests have for many years been in the study of neutrinos, an elementary particle of which there are three types with different "flavours". Along with photons, neutrinos are the most numerous particles in the universe of ordinary matter. They interact very little with ordinary matter and are therefore able to pass through large celestial bodies undisturbed, bringing us information from the far corners of the universe. With the international OPERA project at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, Lucia Votano and her team were able to measure directly for the first time in the world the oscillation (transformation) of muon-flavoured neutrinos into tau-type neutrinos. OPERA used the neutrino beam produced at CERN in Geneva and sent to the Gran Sasso laboratory on a journey 730 km long under the Earth's crust and about 2.4 milliseconds in duration. The oscillation showed that neutrinos have mass, albeit very small: a sign of new physics beyond the Standard Model of elementary particles and fundamental interactions. Since 2015 Lucia Votano has been working with other colleagues on the international JUNO (Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory) experiment, which will be set up in southern China by 2020. This is a gigantic underground detector of the latest generation for neutrinos, which will be used to further investigate their nature through the phenomenon of oscillation, which allows them to change from one type (of flavour) to another.

Editorial work and publications

The research activities have resulted in about 300 papers on international scientific journals and in presentations at international conferences. Among them:

(2018) M. Reguzzoni et al., GIGJ: a crustal gravity model of the Guangdong Province for predicting the geoneutrino signal at the JUNO experiment.
arXiv:1901.01945 [physics.geo-ph].

(2018) N. Agafonova et al. Final Results of the OPERA Experiment on ντ appearance in the CNGS Neutrino Beam. Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 211801.

(2018) N. Agafonova et al. Final results of the search for νμ→νe oscillations with the OPERA detector in the CNGS beam. JHEP 1806, 151.

(2018) N. Agafonova et al. Measurement of the cosmic ray muon flux seasonal variation with the OPERA detector. arXiv:1810.10783 [hep-ex].

(2018) F. Riggi et al. Time and orientation long-distance correlations between extensive air showers detected by the MRPC telescopes of the EEE Project Nuovo Cim. C40, 6, 196.

(2018) M. Grassi et al. Charge reconstruction in large-area photomultipliers
JINST 13 (02): P02008.

(2018) A. Paoloni, A. Mengucci, M. Spinetti, M. Ventura, L. Votano. Streamer studies in Resistive Plate Chambers, arXiv:1806.03443 [physics.ins-det].

(2016) Agafonova A, Aleksandrov A, Votano L, et al. Determination of the muon charge sign with the dipolar spectrometers of the OPERA experiment. Journal of Instrumentation, 11, 07.

(2016) Berra A, Cecchini S, Cindolo F, Votano L, et al. Longitudinally segmented shashlik calorimeters with SiPM readout. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment. 

(2016) Abbrescia M, Avanzini C, Baldini L, Votano L, et al. A study of upward going particles with the Extreme Energy Events telescopes Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment, 816.

Lucia Votano has also published two scientific books for general public: Il fantasma dell’universo. Che cos’è il neutrino (Carocci, 2015) and La via della seta. La fisica da Enrico Fermi alla Cina (Di Renzo, 2017).

Awards and prizes

Lucia Votano was awarded the title of "Commendatore Ordine al Merito" by the Presidency of the Italian Republic in 2010.

She has also received numerous prizes and awards for scientific merit, including the "Guido Dorso" prize, the "Minerva, Roma Capitale delle Donne 2013" prize, the "L'Altra Italia" international prize, the "NordSud" international prize for exact and natural sciences, and the "Life Gates" prize.

Luciana Zaccagni
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Sport

Competences: Anthropometry, Methods and Didactics of Sport Activities

Keywords: body composition, body image perception, sport, sport performance

Region: Emilia-Romagna


Position/Role

Associate Professor of Methods and didactics of sporting activities at the University of Ferrara; vice-coordinator of the MSc in Sport Sciences at the University of Ferrara.

Professional career

Luciana Zaccagni graduated with honours in Natural Sciences in 1991 from the University of Bologna; she obtained her PhD in Anthropological Sciences in 1995 discussing a thesis entitled "Anthropometric characteristics and sports performance in high-level volleyball players" at the University of Bologna; in the academic year 1995-1997 she obtained a post-doctoral scholarship with a research project entitled "Determination of biological age in former athletes" at the University of Bologna. From 2001 to 2008 she was a tenured secondary school teacher. From 2008 to 2020 she was a Confirmed Researcher in SSD M-EDF/02 Methods and Didactics of Sporting Activities at the University of Ferrara and from 2020 to present Associate Professor in the same SSD.

Scientific results

Luciana Zaccagni's research activity focuses on the relationship between anthropometric characteristics and sports performance for aptitude selection and to provide indications for improving performance, and on the association between lifestyle (especially the practice of physical activity and/or sports), weight status, and body image perception to highlight strategies for the prevention of overweight and obesity in the population.

Editorial work and publications

[2001] Gualdi-Russo E, Zaccagni, L. Somatotype, role and performance in elite volleyball players. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 41(2):256–262.

[2012] Zaccagni L. Anthropometric characteristics and body composition of Italian national wrestlers. European Journal of Sport Science, 12(2):145–151.

[2012] Barbieri D, Zaccagni L, Cogo A, Gualdi-Russo E. Body composition and somatotype of experienced mountain climbers. High Altitude Medicine and Biology, 13(1):46–50.

[2016] Rinaldo N, Zaccagni L, Gualdi-Russo E. Soccer training programme improved the body composition of pre-adolescent boys and increased their satisfaction with their body image. Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of Paediatrics, 105(10):492–495.

[2017] Barbieri D, Zaccagni L, Babić V, ...Mišigoj-Duraković M, Gualdi-Russo E. Body composition and size in sprint athletes. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 7(9):1142–1146.

[2019] Zaccagni L, Lunghi B, Barbieri D, ...Bernardi F, Gualdi-Russo E. Performance prediction models based on anthropometric, genetic and psychological traits of Croatian sprinters. Biology of Sport, 36(1):17–23.

[2019] Zaccagni L, Rinaldo N, Gualdi-Russo E. Anthropometric indicators of body image dissatisfaction and perception inconsistency in young rhythmic gymnastics. Asian Journal of Sports Medicine, 10(4):e87871.

[2019] Gualdi-Russo E, Rinaldo N, Pasini A, Zaccagni L. Hand preference and performance in basketball tasks. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22):4336.

[2020] Rinaldo N, Toselli S, Gualdi-Russo E, Zedda N, Zaccagni L. Effects of anthropometric growth and basketball experience on physical performance in pre-adolescent male players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7):2196.

[2021] Rinaldo, N, Gualdi-Russo E, Zaccagni L. Influence of size and maturity on injury in young elite soccer players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6):3120.

[2021] Toselli S, Campa F, Latessa PM,...Grigoletto A, Zaccagni L. Differences in maturity and anthropometric and morphological characteristics among young male basketball and soccer players and non-players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(8):3902.

[2023] Zaccagni L, Gualdi-Russo E. The Impact of Sports Involvement on Body Image Perception and Ideals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6): 5228.

Awards and prizes

In 2011, she won an award for Best Poster at the 19th Congress of the Italian Anthropological Association (AAI), with 'Anthropometric characteristics and body composition of the football player in relation to the game level', by L. Zaccagni, Turin, 21-24 September.

Alice Zago
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International politics area

Competences: International Criminal Investigations, International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, Laws of War

Keywords: crimes against humanity, genocide, international cooperation, international crimes, International Criminal Court (ICC), violence against women, war crimes, wars

Region: ABROAD


Position/Role

Head of Unified Team and trial lawyer at Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court seated in Th Hague, Netherlands.

Professional career

Alice Zago works in the field of human rights and international criminal law.Her work experience includes investigations and prosecutions in several countries in Africa, Central and Latin America, and Asia. After a master degree in International and European Human Rights Law, in 2000 she startes working as an international cooperation adviser with the NGO 'No Peace Without Justice', then joines the United Nations’ Mission in Guatemala to investigate and report on human rights violations and, after a spell as an international legal adviser to the Mission of Timor-Leste before the United Nations in New York, in late 2004 she becomes an investigator in the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court. Since then, she works in different capacities within the OTP ranging from investigation Team Leader to Trial Lawyer to Head of a Unified Team. She graduates from Harvard Law School in 2013 with a dissertation on Transnational Organized Crime. 

She often participates in academic activities, in particular of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, such as the annual Moot Court, a co-curricular activity in which participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings. She is often called upon as a lecturer in professional training activities at institutes, universities and NGOs, and as a speaker at conferences in Italy and abroad.

Scientific results

The first and only female Italian international criminal law practitioner with direct experience investigating and prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, Alice Zago specializes in laws regulating international and non-international armed conflicts, on large scale crimes especially gender-based and against children, deportation, enforced disappearances and persecution, as well as modern legal theories of attributing individual criminal liability. She is also experienced in procedural criminal law, having led teams to trial, pleaded extensively in court, examined (and cross-examined) witnesses and victims, as well as drafted complex legal documents. Moreover, she has gathered vast experience in a diverse range of investigative techniques, including interviewing techniques open-source investigations and big data applied to criminal investigations. She possesses extensive managerial experience, coordinating the work of multidisciplinary teams in diverse and multicultural environments. 

Editorial work and publications

Alice Zago has contributed to a wide range of publications such as “Advancing Justice for Children” (Save the Children 2021) and “Interrogations in war and conflict” (edited by Cristopher A. and Tobia S., 2014). 

Laura Zanfrini
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International politics area

Competences: Governance of Migration and Integration Processes, Immigration, International Migrations, Migration Policies, Relationships between Organizations and Social Contexts, Social Differences in Society and in the Labour Market

Keywords: citizenship, coronavirus, Covid-19, Covid-19: impact of on immigrants, interethnic relations, labor market, migrations, social differences and social inequalities, social innovation

Region: Lombardy


Position/Role

Full Professor of Sociology of Economic Processes at the Catholic University of Milan; Director of the WWELL Research Center (Work, Welfare, Enterprise, Lifelong Learning).

Professional career

After graduating in Political Science at the Catholic University of Milan (best graduate of the year), Laura Zanfrini obtained (1995) a PhD in “Sociology and Methodology of social sciences”, with a thesis on local development in the French experience, evaluated with a judgment of “excellence”.

In 1998 she was hired as Assistant Professor in Sociology of economic processes. She entered the role of Associate Professor in 2005 and then, in 2010, she became Full Professor. She currently teaches “Sociology of Migration and Inter-ethnic Coexistence” and “Organizations, Environment and Social Innovation” at the School of Political and Social Sciences of the Catholic University. She is also coordinator of the Master degree in “Labour and business management” (a course that aims to prepare “enlightened” managers, who combine professional skills with a particular sensitivity to the social and ethical implications of economic action). She is also Director of the Summer School “Human Mobility and Global Justice”.

In addition to a rich scientific research activity (see next point), she has accumulated an extensive teaching experience, both in the academic context (as a professor of economic sociology, sociology of labour, sociology of migration, sociology of differences and inequalities), and in the extra-academic context (as an expert involved in initiatives promoted by public administrations, local authorities, school districts, trade unions, cultural associations, religious institutions, NGO).

Since its foundation in 1991, she has been involved in the activities of the ISMU Foundation as a member of the technical-scientific committee, Head of the Economics and Labour Department and Director of the Documentation Center.

Since its establishment (2010), she has been the Director of the WWELL Research Center (Work, Welfare, Enterprise, Lifelong Learning), at the Department of Sociology of the Catholic University, where a series of applied research, consultancy, and training initiatives are developed in continuity with a long tradition sensitive to the business ethic, sustainability, and inclusiveness.

In these contexts, she has participated and directed many national and international research projects, joined qualified networks of experts, and worked as advisor of many Italian and international organizations.

Scientific results

The scientific activity of Laura Zanfrini has developed around some main thematic areas and then concentrated, in recent years, mainly on the theme of international migration. Thanks to a particular predisposition for the systematization of literature (also according to an interdisciplinary approach) and for the analysis of empirical evidence, she authored many articles and books and collected a long list of participations in conferences and scientific seminars.

A first area of interest is the theme of development, captured in particular in its local declination, the subject of her doctoral thesis (published in the book Una promessa disattesa..., 1996) and of numerous other publications, among which the volume Lo sviluppo condiviso…(2001). In this same area, there are other works dedicated to entrepreneurship (artisans, women, immigrants ...) and the involvement in important projects on co-development, that is the enhancement of the link between international migration and development of the communities of origin (cf., in particular, the project Migrants’ Associations and Philippine Institutions for Development, funded by EU Aeneas program).

A second area is represented by the processes of labour market’s functioning and regulation, analyzed in their relationship with cultural patterns, development models, and social change’s dynamics. Based on several empirical researches, the analyzes dedicated to these issues have resulted in various publications characterized by a specific attention to the system of differences–of gender, ethnicity and age– caught in its intertwining with family patters, cultural contexts and the institutional and informal networks of protection from social risks (see, among others, Disoccupate per forza e per amore..., 2003; Una rivoluzione incompiuta..., 2005; Riconciliare lavoro e cittadinanzaLeggere la disoccupazione..., 2012, as well as contributions dedicated to the work of immigrants, regularly published on the yearly ISMU Report on migration). Among the results achieved, the co-optation in the Scientific Committee of the reviews “Sociologia del lavoro” and “Professionalità”.

A third area of interest is that of human resource management. Initially focused in the degree thesis, dedicated to the negotiation of working time, this issue was subsequently developed in the context of two important interdisciplinary projects on the business-history and, especially, through the co-editorship of some monographic issues of the journal “Sociologia del lavoro “.The interest in the issue of social differences has then developed into a specific focus on Diversity Management: as well as through the publication of various articles and essays, this issue has found expression in the scientific conception and direction of the DIVERSE international project. Diversity Improvement as a Viable Enrichment Resource for Society and Economy,and, more recently, of the project DimiCome - Diversity Management and Integration. The skills of migrants in the labour market, started in 2019. Going beyond the scope of organizational studies, the theme of social differences, caught in their interweaving with social inequalities, has been the subject of numerous works and, especially, of the handbook Sociologia delle differenze e delle disuguaglianze(2011).

The scientific activity of Laura Zanfrini is today mainly focused on international migration, the integration of migrants in the host society and the inter-ethnic relations. Started in the early 1990s, through the involvement in some “pioneering” researches, the study of these issues has been oriented along different lines: the systematization of international literature, the basis of many works and, in particular, of the 2 handbooks Sociologia delle migrazioniand Sociologia della convivenza interetnica (the first edition date back to 2004) and of the numerous “entries” that appeared in prestigious dictionaries and encyclopaedias; thegovernance of human mobility, analyzed by capturing the intertwining of the economic, political and ethical dimensions in multiple publications and, in particular, in the recent volume The Challenge of Migration in a Janus-Faced Europe(2019); the social and institutional construction of ethnic differencesand of the figure of the migrant, also addressed with specific regard to the issue of the ethnicization of employment relationships and also caught in its gender and generational declination; the feedback processes that migrations produce in the communities of originof migrants, with particular regard to the issue of development and of individual and family emancipation strategies, also in an intergenerational perspective; the citizenship and citizenship rights, presented as emblematic of the need to overcome the limits of methodological nationalism and rethink the theories of belonging and justice (see, among others, the volume Cittadinanze..., 2007); the ethical dimension of migration practices and policiesand the role of religion in migratory processes, through the scientific direction of a large multi-disciplinary study –Migrations and religious belongings.From the periphery to the core, for a new humanism–, funded with a special grant by the Catholic University, as a project of “high currently magnitude”.

The notoriety achieved as an expert on these topics is also attested by the frequent speeches at conferences and seminars in Italy and abroad; the participation in the scientific/editorial committee of the journals “Studi Emigrazione/International Journal of Migration Studies”, “Mondi Migranti”, “Revista Internacional de Estudios Migratorios”, “People on Move”, “Asian and Pacific Migration Journal”, “Rivista Internazionale di Scienze sociali” and of CIRMIB, “Centro di Iniziative e ricerche sulle Migrazioni – Brescia”; the involvement in the working group set up at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on irregular immigration policies; co-optation in the Independent Network of Labour Migration and Integration Experts; the appointment, in 2011, as Consultor of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants.

Editorial work and publications

She authored almost 400 publications, including books, essays and articles in Italian and foreign reviews.

The complete list can be consulted through the repertoire.

Among them we highlight:

University textbooks:

[2004 first edition] Zanfrini L, Sociologia delle migrazioni, Laterza. Più volte riedito, ultima versione del 2016: Introduzione alla sociologia delle migrazioni.

[2004 first edition] Zanfrini L, Sociologia della convivenza interetnica, Laterza, then acquired and translated by Alianza Editorial, La convivencia interétnica). 

Edited books:

[2011] Zanfrini L (ed.),Sociologia delle differenze e disuguaglianze, Zanichelli.

[2005] Zanfrini L (ed.),La rivoluzione incompiuta. Il lavoro delle donne tra retorica della femminilità e nuove disuguaglianze, Edizioni Lavoro.

Monographic books:

[2019] Zanfrini L, The Challenge of Migration in a Janus-Faced Europe, Palgrave Pivot.

[2007] Zanfrini L, Cittadinanze. Appartenenza e diritti nella società dell’immigrazione, Laterza.

International research projects’ volumes:

[2015] Zanfrini L, The Diversity Value. How to Reinvent the European Approach to Immigration, McGraw-Hill.

[2008] Zanfrini L, Policies on irregular migrants. Volume I: Italy and Germany, Council of Europe Publishing.

[2006] Zanfrini L,Orgoglio e pregiudizio. Una ricerca tra Filippine e Italia sulla transizione all’età attiva dei figli di emigrati e dei figli di immigrati, Angeli.

Selected articles:

[2017] Zanfrini L, Between Ambitions and Ambivalences: Cross-cultural Diversity Management and Immigrant Integration, in Business and Management Studies.

[2016] Zanfrini L, How Europe can Benefit from Immigration-Related “Diversity” – A Policy Paper, in Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy.

[2012] Zanfrini L, Family Migration: Fulfilling the Gap between Law and Social Processes, in Societies.

Awards and prizes

Premio “Agostino Gemelli” quale migliore laureata della Facoltà nell’anno 1989.

“Paul Harris Fellow”, rilasciato dalla Fondazione Rotary del Rotary International, “in segno di apprezzamento e riconoscenza per il suo tangibile e significativo apporto nel promuovere una migliore comprensione reciproca e amichevoli relazioni fra popoli di tutto il mondo”.

Ann Zeuner
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STEM area: Biomedical sciences and biotechnology

Competences: Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology

Keywords: cancer, cancer stem cells, chemotherapy, disclosure, school, stamina cells

Region: Lazio


Position/Role

Biotechnology Group Leader, Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of Health), Rome, Italy

Professional career

After graduating in Biological Sciences from the University La Sapienza of Rome in 1994, he continued his academic training at the same university with a PhD in Immunological Sciences, which he obtained in 1998. In the meantime, he began his research activities at the Immunology Laboratory of the Institute of General Pathology of the Tor Vergata University of Rome and the Immunology Laboratory of the CNR in Rome. In 1997 she was appointed to a research post at the Department of Haematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, where in 2005 she became First Researcher. In 2009 she obtained a Master in Science Communication at the Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) in Trieste. From 2008 to 2017 she is Director of the Department of Hematological and Oncological Biotechnology, Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine. She has been coordinating for many years projects funded by AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research) and the Ministry of Health including the COLOMED project (COLOrectal cancer in MEDiterranean countries, www.colomed.it) for the creation of an inter-Mediterranean coordination against colon cancer. 

Scientific results

Ann Zeuner is a biomedical researcher specialising in cancer stem cell biology and the development of new cancer therapies. She has patented important new technologies applied to the treatment of cancer patients, including a method to alleviate chemotherapy toxicity and a new anti-cancer drug that is cheap, effective and has minimal side effects. She is constantly involved in science education for schools, and is the author of a textbook for high schools (Le cellule staminali, ed. Istituto Superiore di Sanità); she gives lectures and seminars in schools of all levels and training courses for teachers. He has collaborated with the Accademia dei Lincei in the programme "I Lincei per una nuova didattica nella scuola: una rete nazionale" (The Lincei for a new didactics in the school: a national network) and she leads within the ISS an operative unit for the training of students within the programme "Alternanza Scuola Lavoro" of the MIUR. Finally, it promotes important initiatives in favour of international cooperation among scientists as well as training and resource exchange activities in the Mediterranean area.

Editorial work and publications

Ann Zeuner sits on the editorial board of Frontiers in Molecular Targets and Therapeutics and of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità Newsletter. She has published numerous articles in international scientific journals, including the most authoritative ones in the scientific field such as Science, Nature, Stem Cell, Blood, Cancer Research. 

(2017) Colace L, Boccia S, De Maria R, Zeuner A. Colorectal cancer: towards new challenges and concepts of preventive healthcare. Ecancer medical science. 2017 Nov 28;11:ed74. doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2017.ed74. eCollection 2017.

[2017]  Manic G, Signore M, Sistigu A, Russo G, Corradi F, Siteni S, Musella M, Vitale S, De Angelis ML, Pallocca M, Amoreo CA, Sperati F, Di Franco S, Barresi S, Policicchio E, De Luca G, De Nicola F, Mottolese M, Zeuner A, Fanciulli M, Stassi G, Maugeri-Saccà M, Baiocchi M, Tartaglia M, Vitale I, De Maria R. CHK1-targeted therapy to deplete DNA replication-stressed, p53-deficient, hyperdiploid colorectal cancer stem cells. Gut. 2017 Apr 7 (Epub ahead of print).

[2015] Francescangeli F, Contavalli P, Gambara G, De Angelis ML, Baiocchi M, Pagliuca A, Fiorenzano A, Prezioso C, Boe A, Todaro M, Stassi G, Castro NP, Watanabe K, Salomon DS, De Maria R, Minchiotti GZeuner A. Dynamic regulation of the cancer stem cell compartment by Cripto-1 in colorectal cancer. Cell Death & Differentiation, 22(10):1700-13.

[2014] Zeuner A, Todaro M, Stassi G, De Maria R. Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells: From the Crypt to the Clinic. Cell Stem Cell. 2014 Dec 4;15(6):692-705.

[2014] Zeuner A, Francescangeli F, Contavalli P, Zapparelli G, Apuzzo T, Eramo A, Baiocchi M, De Angelis ML, Biffoni M, Sette G, Todaro M, Stassi G, De Maria R. Elimination of quiescent/slow-proliferating cancer stem cells by Bcl-XL inhibition in non-small cell lung cancer. Cell Death & Differentiation, 105.

[2013] Todaro M, Turdo A, Bartucci M, Iovino F, Dattilo R, Biffoni M, Stassi G, Federici G, De Maria R, Zeuner A. Erythropoietin activates cell survival pathways in breast cancer stem-like cells to protect them from chemotherapy. Cancer Research, 73(21):6393-400.

[2012] Francescangeli F, Patrizii M, Signore M, Federici G, Di Franco S, Pagliuca A, Baiocchi M, Biffoni M, Vitiani LR, Todaro M, De Maria R, Zeuner A. Proliferation State and Polo-like Kinase1 Dependence of Tumorigenic Colon Cancer Cells. Stem Cells, 30(9):1819-30.

[2011] Bartucci M, Dattilo R, Martinetti D, Todaro M, Zapparelli G, Di Virgilio A, Biffoni M, De Maria R, Zeuner A. Prevention of chemotherapy-induced anemia and thrombocytopenia by constant administration of stem cell factor. Clinical Cancer Research, 17(19):6185-91.

[2009] Zeuner A, Pedini F, Francescangeli F, Signore M, Girelli G, Tafuri A, De Maria R. Activity of the BH3 mimetic ABT-737 on polycythemia vera erythroid precursorcells Blood, 113:1522-5.

[2007] Zeuner A, Signore M, Martinetti D, Bartucci M., Peschle C., De Maria R. Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia derives from the selective death of megakaryocyte progenitors and can be rescued by Stem Cell Factor. Cancer Research, 67:4767-4773.

[1999] De Maria R, Zeuner A, Eramo A, Domenichelli C, Bonci D, Grignani F, Srinivasula SM, Alnemri ES, Testa U, Peschle C. Negative regulation of erythropoiesis by caspase-mediated cleavage of GATA-1. Nature, 401:489-493. 

Francesca Zilio
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International politics area

Competences: Cold War history, German history, History of International Relations, Institutional Promotion of Country Image

Keywords: Berlin, cultural tourism, German history, German reunification, Germany, historical tourism, Italy_Germany relations, Italy's image abroad, national stereotypes, nation branding

Region: Lombardy


Position/Role

Researcher at Villa Vigoni – German-Italian Centre for the European Dialogue-

Professional career

Francesca Zilio graduated in International and Diplomatic Relations at the University of Trieste. She then obtained a binational PhD in History of International Relations from Sapienza University of Rome and Freie Universität Berlin.

Before coming to Villa Vigoni she was postdoctoral DAAD Fellow at Freie Universität Berlin, research assistant at the University of Bern, visiting researcher at the Institute for European Global Studies of the University of Basel, and a research fellow at Istituto di Studi politici S. Pio V in Rome.

She is a research affiliate at Dodis (Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland). She founded a project on Italy’s Nation Branding (www.nationbranditalia.it).

In the field of Public History she is the author of a book that explains the history of divided Berlin (and Germany) through its buildings, the creator and author of an Instagram profile and a Facebook page about German Division and Reunification, and she creates historical itineraries in Germany for cultural tourism institutions. 

Scientific results

Her main areas of interest concern the history of Germany and Berlin during the Cold War, the foreign policy of Italy and Federal Germany after the Second World War, German-Italian political and cultural relations, the role of Christian Democratic parties in the process of European integration, and the institutional promotion of the national image of states (from cultural diplomacy to nation branding).

Editorial work and publications

Books 

[2020] Zilio F. Divisione e riunificazione: itinerari storici nella Berlino della Guerra fredda. Villa Vigoni Editore | Verlag 

[2020] Zilio F. “Unirsi e non restare spettatori immobili di ciò che accade nel mondo”: Mariano Rumor, l’integrazione europea e la distensione. Editrice Apes

[2014] Zilio F. Roma e Bonn fra Ostpolitik e CSCE, 1969-1975. Aracne 

[2007]Zilio F. Bonn e Bruxelles unite per la riunificazione? Le dimensioni bilaterale e comunitaria della cooperazione allo sviluppo tedesca per impedire il riconoscimento della DDR (1955-1972). ISIG

Papers 

[2015] Zilio F. The conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and NATO Southern Flank: Mediterranean security as a source of intra-bloc tension, in Lemke B. (a cura di). Periphery or Contact Zone? The NATO-Flanks 1961 to 2013. Rombach: 69-85 

[2014] Zilio F. Aldo Moro e la CSCE: dalle parole ai fatti della politica distensiva italiana, in Moro R, Mezzana D (a cura di). Una vita, un paese: Aldo Moro e l’Italia del Novecento. Rubbettino: 643-661 

[2012] Le relazioni fra Roma e Bonn durante il primo Governo Brandt fra Ostpolitik e CSCE. Mondo contemporaneo, 2012 [2]: 5-34

Online: 

[2020] Zilio F. Un insegnamento per l’Europa nel trentennale della riunificazione tedesca: https://euractiv.it/section/europea-parlano-i-fatti/news/un-insegnamento-per-leuropa-nel-trentennale-della-riunificazione-tedesca/

Awards and prizes

Prize of the Italian Society of International History for the best doctoral dissertation of 2012.

Ida Zilio Grandi
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International politics area

Competences: Arabic Culture, Arabic Language, Classical and Contemporary Islamic Thought, History of Islamic Religion, Islamic Ethics, Muslims in Italy

Keywords: Corano, Islam, Italian Islam

Region: Veneto


Position/Role

Associate Professor with national qualification as Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Professional career

After graduating in Oriental Languages ​​and Literatures (Arabic) at the Ca 'Foscari University of Venice, she obtained a Ph. doctorate in "Studies on the Middle East and Maghreb from the foundation of Islam to the present" at the University of Naples "L'Orientale".

Since 2002, she started several academic collaborations: she had been resident researcher at the University of Genoa until 2008, she lectured Arabic literature and culture at the University of Urbino and Islamic law, inter culturalism and social citizenship at Ca 'Foscari. In 2013 and 2014 he teaches Arab and Islamic culture at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences (ISSR) Santa Maria di Monte Berico and teaches Arabic languages ​​and cultures also at the University of Padua and the Master of the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome.

She is currently Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Department of Studies on Asia and Mediterranean Africa (DSAAM) of the "Ca 'Foscari" University, where she teaches also Islamic thought and theology as well as Islamic philosophy.

She regularly holds seminars and courses at various universities and research institutes

Scientific results

Her scholarly activity has followed a number of distinct lines of research.

The main line has concerned the Koran as viewed, both lexically and with regard to differing interpretations of content, in the subsequent Arab Islamic literature. To this area belong especially her studies on evil (2002), on such individuals as Mary (1990 & 1997), Cain (1999), Pharaoh (2204), Jonah (2006), and on the question of religious freedom, how the female is perceived (2209), the Night Journey and the Prophet's Ascension (2010). These studies are based on the most representative, mainly Sunnite, works of exegesis in the Arabic language, from the beginning until the present day, noting the authors’ affiliations to the principal schools of thought. In the same direction and working from the same sources, the encyclopaedia entry al-Fātiḥa (2013). Still in the same area but for a more general readership, a complete and partially annotated translation of the Koran (2010), essays on the angels (2012) and on the concept of “the chosen people” (2015), editing the Italian editions of the Dictionary of the Koran (2007) and of J. Van Ess’s Flowering of Muslim Theology (2008), and an essay on kalām (2005).

In a different but rather similar vein are a series of recent studies on religious ethics, part of an ongoing research project, particularly and thus far, on the obligatory nature of employment (2012), on gratitude or šukr (2012), redirection or tawba (2013), judiciousness or ḥilm, peace or salām, and mercy (all 2015); silence and speech etiquette (2016); tenderness or rifq, welcoming and hospitality, moderation or wasaṭiyya, and beauty as an Islamic value (all 2017). In these cases the enquiry is based on the canonical texts and the principal exegesis, on the religious adab literature, focusing on the classical period (e.g. Ibn Abī al-Dunyā), but also following it through to the modern and contemporary periods. From the same sources also the encyclopedia entry Gratitude and Ingratitude (2014).

Another direction of study takes in elements of convergence and divergence between Islamic, Christian and Jewish religious thinking as reflected in Arabic mediaeval literature. To this area belong studies on Job for the Guida dei Perplessi (1997), on “the Golden Rule” (2004), on the correspondence between Ibn al-Munağğim e Qusṭā ibn Lūqā (2004), on the ethical theory of Yaḥyā ibn ‘Adī in the Tahdhīb al- akhlāq (2009 and currently printing, in PCAC, Rome), and a number of general academic works on, for example, Christian elements in the formation of Arabic philosophical thought (2005).

A more recent line of interest focuses on some symptomatic figures, especially women, in cultural relations between the Islamic world and the West. To this line belong the studies on Mayy Ziyāda

(1886-1941) and Maria Nallino (1908-1974), both forthcoming.

Another strand concerns adab literature on jewels and precious stones; in this context an essay on the writings of al-Tifāšī (1999), and a general academic work on that author (1999).

Finally, on cultural and social changes relating to the present-day Muslim population of Italy (2006, 2010, 2017).

Editorial work and publications

Besides the above-mentioned publications, below are some of her most recent works:

Book

[2019 forth.] Zilio Grandi I, L’affinamento dei caratteri di Yaḥyā ibn ‘Adī (363/974) , Bologna, PCAC, pp. 1-257.

Selected articles

[2018] Zilio Grandi I, La pazienza dell’Islam: la virtú detta ‘ṣabr’, in Studia Graeco-Arabica, vol. 8, pp. 105-118. 

[2018] Zilio Grandi I, Povertà e Islam, in Via Borgogna 3, vol. 9, pp. 105-117.

[2018] Zilio Grandi I, The virtue of Tolerance. Notes on the root s-m-h in the Islamic tradition, in Philosophy & Social Criticism, vol. Special Issue (Reset DOC Seminars), pp. 1-10.

[2018] Zilio Grandi I, Maria Nallino (1908-1974) and the Birth of Arabic and Islamic studies at Ca’ Foscari,150 Years of Oriental Studies at Ca' Foscari, Venezia, ECF, pp. 85-93.

[2018] Zilio Grandi I, Fuga ed esilio di Mayy Ziyāda (Nazareth 1886 – Il Cairo 1941), Donne in fuga./ Mujeres en fuga. / Femmes en fuite. Atti del Convegno Venezia, Ca’ Foscari 29-30 novembre 2017, Venezia, ECF, pp. 59-74.

[2017] Zilio Grandi I, Dalla tenda di Abramo alle dimore dei credenti. La sacralità dell’ospite nella tradizione islamica, in Politica e Religione, vol. 2016, pp. 131-142.

[2017] Zilio Grandi I, Islamica moralia: appunti sulla gentilezza o rifq (Islamica moralia: notes on kindness or rifq), in Studi Magrebini, vol. II, pp. 649-663.

[2017] Zilio Grandi I, Modestia, pudicizia e riserbo: la virtù islamica detta haya, inPhilologia Hispalensis, vol. 31, pp. 169-183.

[2017] Zilio Grandi I, Medietà e facilitazione. Note a margine di alcune fonti arabe islamiche contemporanee (Some comments on the Golden Mean and Enabling from selected Arabic and Islamic contemporary sources) in Annali di Ca Foscari Serie Orientale, vol. 53, pp. 5-24.

[2017] Zilio Grandi I, Campanini M, Islam religione d'Occidente, Sesto San Giovanni: Mimesis, 2016 (Passato Prossimo). 153 p. in Quaderni di Studi Arabi, vol. 11, pp. 258-259 (ISSN 1121-2306) (Recensione in rivista).

[2017] Zilio Grandi I, Le virtù del musulmano, in L'Islam non è terrorismo, Bologna, Il Mulino, pp. 137-152 (Articolo su libro).

The full list can be consulted at the repertoire webpage.

Monica Zoppé
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STEM area: Biomedical sciences and biotechnology

Competences: Grafical Representation of Cellular, Molecular and Structural Biology, Interdisciplinary Research, Molecular Biology, Structural Biology, Women and Science

Keywords: 3D Computer Graphic, gender and science, molecular animation, structural biology

Region: Lombardy


Position/Role

Researcher at Institute of BioPhysics of the Italian National Council of Research, Milan

Professional career

Graduated in Biology, in 1987 in Milan, she moved for a series of post-docs in various laboratories in Italy (ITBA-CNR in Milano, ICGEB in Trieste) and abroad (UK, Biochemistry Department at the University of Birmingham, and USA, at the Salk Institute, in the laboratory of Inder Verma).

With 15 years of experience in several laboratories, in 2001 she obtained a position as a researcher at the Institute of Clinical Physiology (IFC) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) of Pisa. Here after a short period, following a serious accident of which she is not responsible, she was forced to leave the laboratory.

She then embarked on a new phase of her scientific career, dedicated to Biological Representation, with the idea of virtually recreating the cellular world using the techniques developed in the field of Computer Graphics (film, video and video games). Today the discipline is recognized as 'Molecular Graphics'. In 2006 she founded the Scientific Visualization Unit at IFC, and, with the first funding for the project, she obtained the scientific results listed below (scientific publications and videos). In 2019 she moved to the Institute of BioPhysics of the CNR in Milan. In this period, she also developed a collaboration with groups of Cuban computer scientists, bioinformaticians and biologists, with whom she has active and funded projects, always related to the visualization, in this case of the Dengue virus.

Today Monica Zoppé is considered a pioneer of the 'Art and Science of Scientific Visualization', and is recognized as one of the major theorists in the field, often invited to international conferences and meetings.

In parallel, she also actively participated in the Donne e Scienza (Women and Science) association, where she has been member of the board for several years. It is in the context of this activity that she promoted and contributed to the organization of the European Congress #WeTooInScience, held in Pisa in 2018.

During and after the Covid period (2020-2022) she dedicated her interests also to the problems related to dangerous research, as is typically performed in laboratories of High Safety and Security (so-called BSL-3 and BSL-4). and wrote a review article in which she explores the opportunities and problems associated with Gain of Function experiments and with the lack of transparency of some research projects.

Scientific results

The results obtained in the experimental biology field are documented in the publications available online on the ORCID website.

For the works in the 'Molecular Graphics' field, the main result is the transposition into a graphic system, therefore visible, of the molecular world which is a very rich world, indeed in cells operate specific and different forces: for example, gravity does not count while thermal vibration counts, and many of the forces at play can be calculated as potentials (electrical, lipophilic, osmotic and thermodynamic flows), for which we have no visual perception. 

In detail, the main results obtained in this area can be summarized as follows:· 

·       Development of the theoretical and operative bases of the new discipline, scientific visualization, dedicated to the narrative of the cellular and molecular biology.

·       Foundation of the interdisciplinary working group Scientific Visualization: www.scivis.it.

·       Development and release of multiple versions of BioBlender, a tool that allows one to introduce rigorous scientific data in Blender, one of the most advanced Computer Graphics tools, and the only completely Open Source, developed for cinema and video games.

·       Production of a series of short cellular animations, all freely available on the website www.scivis.it  and on the major channels, which have obtained important awards both in the scientific, cinematographic and technical fields (see list).

·       Introduction to the concept of a visual code with which to represent invisible, not unknown, elements.

·       Method for the preparation of tangible models of proteins, made with soft rubber, used both in research and in education.

Editorial work and publications

[2022] Zoppè, M. Colors in the representation of biological structures. Journal of Integrative Bioinformatics (JIB) 19(2):20220021.

[2022] Zoppè, M. (2022) High Level Biocontainment Laboratories: Risks and Necessity for Society. F1000-Research Preprint F100.DOI:10.12688/f1000research.111073.1

[2021] Alderighi, T., Giorgi, D., Malomo, L., Cignoni, P. and Zoppè, M. Computational design, fabrication and evaluation of rubber protein models. Computers & Graphics 98:177.

[2019] Zoppè, Monica G. Improving Gender Diversity in ScienceIn #WeTooInScience - Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Institutions and Research Organizations, CNR-IRPPS e-Publishing 235–41. Rome, Italy.

[2019] Zoppè, M., Loni,T., Carlone,I., Cianchetta,S.. Making of The Dark Anim: Technical and Scientific Notes. In 2019 International Conference on Cyberworlds (CW), 45–52. Kyoto, Japan: IEEE, 2019.

[2018] Caudai, C., Salerno, E., Zoppè, M. and Tonazzini, A.  ChromStruct 4: A Python Code to Estimate the Chromatin Structure from Hi-C Data. IEEE/ACM Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. 

[2017] Zoppè, M  Towards a perceptive understanding of cellular biology.  Nat Meth 14(7): 662-665.

[2015] Zoppè, M  La sindrome dell’impostore: Non sono davvero brava come sembra. In: Scienza, genere e società. Prospettive di genere in una società che si evolve. S. Avveduto, M. L. Paciello, T. Arrigoni, C. Mangia, L. Martinelli (eds.). Roma: CNR-IRPPS e-Publishing. 

[2015] Zoppè, M. and Loni, T. The Representation of Electrostatics for Biological Molecules. In: W. Rocchia and M. Spagnuolo (eds.), Computational Electrostatics for Biological Applications, Springer International, Switzerland. 215-225.

[2014] Zoppè, M. Comunicare l’invisibile. La rappresentazione visiva di concetti biofisici / Communicating the Invisible. The Visual Representation of Biophysical Concepts. In: Scrittura e immagini nel dominio della scienza / Text and Image in the sicentific realm. A cura di/Edited by: R. Falcinelli, A. Filippini, G. Liberti, L. Perondi e L. Romei. Progetto Grafico, 25:50. 

[2012] Andrei, R., Callieri, M., Zini, M.F., Loni, T., Maraziti, G. and Zoppè, M. Intuitive representation of surface properties of proteins using BioBlender. BMC Bioinformatics, 13(Suppl 4):S16.

[2011] Zoppè, M. Vedere l'invisibile. Le Scienze – Italian version of Scientific American. Roma, 515: p. 64-9. 

Selezione di VIDEO

[2015] The Dark Anim, (5', 23''). A description of the serotoninergic synapse, and its activity in the healthy and depressed states. With subtitles in English, French and Italian. 

[2012] TSH receptor on Red Blood cells, 2011 (3', 48''). Thyrotropin is a hormone that elicits a response from the thyroid gland. However, its receptor is also found on the surface of red blood cells. After binding, the dimeric receptor splits into two subunits, each of which leaves the lipid raft to associate with other proteins of the cellular surface. 

[2010] PROTEIN EXPRESSIONS - Study N.3 (5', 01''). The video, also produced in 3D, is the final one in a series of tests in the development of BioBlender. It shows several moments of cellular life, from the surface to the cytoplasm and back to cell periphery and out. Watched >70.000 times (Vimeo statistics).

Awards and prizes

The video PROTEIN EXPRESSIONS- Study n.3  has been awarded in several occasions:

[2009] Suzanne Award of the  Blender Foundation, Amsterdam 2009.

[2010] Prize of the Jury, at Melzo Film Festival, Milan. Italy. 2010.

[2011] Selected as finalist at DogVille-Viladecan Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain. 2011

[2012], First prize.  NANOPLANET was awarded the First Prize in the  ‘Art&Science contest’ at BioPhysical Society meeting, San Francisco (CA. USA).

[2013]  The video The Challenge of HIV Research, reached the Fourth classification in the 'AutoPACK visualization contest’ by the Computer Graphics Society – Autodesk.

[2018] Invitation to the restricted Shonan Meeting on ‘Web Molecular Graphics: Emerging.Technologies & Standards’, Japan. 

Francesca Zoratto
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STEM area: Biomedical sciences and biotechnology

Competences: Behavioural Neuroscience, Ethology

Keywords: animal behaviour, basic research, collective anti-predator behaviours, gamble, human behaviour, preclinical research, predation, risk appetite

Region: Lazio


Position/Role

Research Scientist at the Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Rome 

Professional career

After graduating in Ecological Biology from the University of Parma in 2005, she continued her studies and in 2008 obtained a Master's degree in Ecology with a focus on Animal Behaviour at the same university. In 2013 she obtained a PhD in Ethology, Animal Ecology and Anthropology at the University of Florence. In 2014 she has a 14-month project research contract at the Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù (RM), research area "Multifactorial diseases and complex phenotypes", the following year she wins a Noopolis Foundation scholarship to work at the Department of Behavioural Neuroscience of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, the same Department hosts her also the following year. In 2016 she won the "L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women and Science", thanks to which she carried out research at the Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology of the CNR. Today she is a Researcher at the Reference Centre for Behavioural Sciences and Mental Health of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS).

Scientific results

Francesca Zoratto's research interests range from ethology, the study of animal behaviour, to understanding human behaviour. Her latest research project at the Cognitive Primatology Unit of the Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology (ISTC) of the CNR tests the social modulation of risk-taking in two different animal species, monkeys and rats. The main aim of this and other studies is to apply the findings in the field of ethology to human behaviour, specifically to the world of pathological gambling. Risk-taking is not unique to humans, and studying animal behaviour under the same conditions can help to better understand the psycho-biological mechanisms that underlie our addictions. Increasing knowledge in the field of human behaviour is intended to provide more insight to the medical community, but also to develop proposals for policy makers to devise more effective strategies in the prevention and treatment of pathological gambling.

Editorial work and publications

Francesca Zoratto has authored numerous papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Here below, a selection:

(2018)  Zoratto F., Sbriccoli M., Martinelli A., Glennon J.C., Macrì S., Laviola G. Intranasal oxytocin administration promotes emotional contagion and reduces aggression in a mouse model of callousness. Neuropharmacology, 143:250-267

(2018) Zoratto F., Oddi G., Gori E., Micucci A., De Petrillo F., Paglieri F., Adriani W., Laviola G, Addessi E. 2018. Social modulation of risky decision-making in rats (Rattus norvegicus) and tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.). Behavioural Brain Research, 347:37-48.

(2018) Zoratto F., Cordeschi G., Grignani G., Bonanni R., Alleva E., Nascetti G., Mather J.A., Carere C. 2018. Variability in the “stereotyped” prey capture sequence of male cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) could relate to personality differences. Animal Cognition, 21(6):773-785.

(2017) Zoratto F., Romano E., Pascale E., Pucci M., Falconi A., Dell’Osso B., Maccarrone M., Laviola G., D’Addario C., Adriani W. 2017. Down-regulation of serotonin and dopamine transporter genes in individual rats expressing a gambling-prone profile: a possible role for epigenetic mechanisms. Neuroscience, 340:101-116.

(2015) Canese R., Zoratto F., Altabella L., Porcari P., Mercurio L., De Pasquale F., Butti E., Martino G., Lacivita E., Leopoldo M., Laviola G., Adriani W. 2015. Persistent modification of forebrain networks and metabolism in rats following adolescent exposure to a 5-HT7 receptor agonist. Psychopharmacology, 232(1):75-89.

(2013) Zoratto F., Laviola G., Adriani W. 2013. Gambling proneness in rats during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood: a home-cage method. Neuropharmacology, 67:444-454.

(2012) Koot S., Zoratto F., Cassano T., Colangeli R., Laviola G., van den Bos R., Adriani W. 2012. Compromised decision-making and increased gambling proneness following dietary serotonin depletion in rats. Neuropharmacology, 62(4):1640-1650. 

(2010) Zoratto F., Carere C., Chiarotti F., Santucci D., Alleva E. 2010. Aerial hunting behaviour and predation success by peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus on starling flocks Sturnus vulgaris. Journal of Avian Biology, 41(4):427-433.

Awards and prizes

Francesca Zoratto has received numerous awards and recognitions for her academic career. In 2016 she received a L’ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science 2016 Award from the “Fondation L’ORÉAL” in collaboration with L’ORÉAL Italia and the Italian National Commission for UNESCO.