Position/Role

Head of European and International Affairs, Istituto Luigi Sturzo; Research Associate, Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies

Professional career

After graduating in International Relations with a focus on EU Policies and Institutions, she earned a PhD in Political Science with a specialization in European and International Studies from the University of Rome Tre, focusing her research on the nexus between EU internal and foreign policy in the field of migration.

Since 2011, she has worked at the Luigi Sturzo Institute, first as a research manager and then, since 2018, as the head of European and international affairs, where she has been involved in the ideation, development, coordination, and management of numerous research projects, particularly on the EU and migration policies, and in the initiation or consolidation of external relations and partnerships.

She is also the President of the Italian branch of Women In International Security (WIIS), a global network that promotes women's leadership and gender equality in the field of international relations, peace, and security, where she founded a mentoring program and created the Afghan Women Leaders Task Force; the head of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network, launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the Gender Issues Referent at the Institute for International Affairs.

After a two-year visiting fellowship in Brussels at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, she was appointed Research Associate, dedicating herself primarily to research and analysis in the field of EU migration policies, and since 2023 she has been a member of the Academic Committee.

She collaborates with numerous think tanks and expert networks: she is a member of the Fundamental Rights Platform of the European Fundamental Rights Agency and the Consultative Forum of the European Asylum Agency, she is a Senior Fellow at WIIS Global in Washington, and she is the author of the HerAndEU podcast. Previously, she was an expert consultant for the Extraordinary Commission on Human Rights of the Senate, she coordinated the Global Alliance of Regional Women Mediator Networks, the largest platform of women mediators and peacebuilders in the world, she worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the EU Presidency, and she collaborated with the EU law and institutions chair and the Altiero Spinelli Center of Excellence (CeAS) at the University of Rome Tre.

An expert in European and migration policies, with extensive experience in the development, management, and coordination of research initiatives and projects, political analysis, and institutional relations, she collaborates with numerous think tanks and public and private institutions.

Scientific results

She mainly deals with European affairs and international relations, and has a specific expertise in the European Union's migration policy (internal to the EU and external cooperation with third countries).

Her areas of interest include EU's foreign, neighbourhood and cooperation policy; EU governance and integration; EU politics and policies; security and borders; human rights; gender issues.

On these issues she develops and coordinates research projects, holds university lectures and participate in working groups and debates within institutions, universities, think tanks and non-governmental organizations, and writes articles and analysis.

Editorial work and publications

Author of numerous analyses and briefings produced as part of research projects promoted by Luigi Sturzo Institute, Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies and Altiero Spinelli Center of Excellence of Roma Tre University.

Her publications include:

[dal 2021] Teodorescu L., Podcast HerAndEU

[2023] Teodorescu L, “Women in Diplomacy” – series of conversations, Festival della Diplomazia

[2023] Teodorescu L., Ripensare la politica migratoria europea, in "Africa. Politica, democrazia e migrazioni" di Giuseppe Bettoni, UTET Università 

[2022] Teodorescu L., Donne, lavoro e leadership: il cammino incompiuto in Italia e in Europa, in "Il presente che verrà", di Gaia Tessitore (ed..), Primiceri Editore

[2021] Teodorescu L. (a cura di), Rafforzare il dialogo transatlantico. Il ruolo della NATO e la cooperazione NATO-UE di fronte alle sfide comuni, Editoriale Scientifica

[2021] Teodorescu L., Externalising the EU asylum policy. In search for a balance between protecting refugees inside and outside Europe, in La Cittadinanza europea, Franco Angeli, n. 2/2020

[2020] Teodorescu L. (a cura di), Riflessioni sul futuro dell'Europa. Un confronto generazionale per rilanciare l'UE, Editoriale Scientifica.

[2019] Teodorescu L., "Women as key players for mediation, peace and security", Quaderns de la Mediterrània 28/29.

[2019] Teodorescu L., Giorgi G. (a cura di), Culture della Repubblica per l’Europa (curatela, con Luigi Giorgi), Editoriale scientifica.

[2018] Teodorescu L., "Politica esterna di immigrazione dell’Unione europea e suoi legami con la dimensione interna", La Cittadinanza europea, 16(2): 73-99.

[2018] Teodorescu L., "Beyond emergency measures: the need for a holistic and truly European approach to migration", European View, 17(2): 163-171.

[2017] Teodorescu L., "Ambition versus reality: partnering on migration with the neighbours", European View, 16(1): 121-130.

[2016] Teodorescu L., "Security and Migration: Balancing the Security of External Borders and the Responsibility to Protect" (con Vít Novotný), in Tungul L. (a cura di), Solutions to the Political Challenges of 2017, WMCES-KAS-TOPAZ.

[2013] Teodorescu L., "Un' Europa più attraente per i migranti altamente qualificati: considerazioni sulla Carta Blu UE", La Cittadinanza europea, 1: 95-104.

[2011] Teodorescu L., "Lo sviluppo di una politica di immigrazione dell'Unione europea", Working paper, Centro Altiero Spinelli-Polo di eccellenza Jean Monnet, Università degli Studi Roma Tre.

Awards and prizes

In 2015 she was appointed member of the Italian-German Group of Young Leaders promoted by the Adenauer Foundation, Rome and Berlin offices.

In 2017 she was selected to participate in the Brussels Forum's Young Professional Summit promoted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Since 2017 she is a member of the Network of European Policy Experts promoted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Berlin office (2017)

Since 2018 she is a member of the Expert Network on Migration promoted by the Regional Programme for Political Dialogue in the Southern Mediterranean of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Tunis office.

Since 2019 she has been a member of the WIIS Italy (Women in international security) Committee and a member of the European network Brussels Binder Beyond created to foster greater participation of women in public debates.

In 2022, she was elected as a member of the President's Council of the European Movement Italy.

Position/Role

Full professor of Social Psychology and Director of the Master in Death Studies & The End of Life at University of Padua

Professional career

After graduating in Applied Psychology at University of Padua in 1989, she continued her studies for a Specialization in "Clinic and Theory of Systemic Therapy" at the "Gregory Bateson Center", Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital in Milan. In 1995 she graduated in Theoretical Philosophy with Professor Emanuele Severino at Ca' Foscari University, in Venice. In 1996 she obtained the specialization in "Cultural and Social Anthropology" at the University of Padua. In 1991 she was appointed as assistant under command from the Ministry of Education to the chair of Social Psychology at University of Padua, where she became a researcher in 1999 and associate professor in 2003. In 2017 she obtained the national qualification as full professor, and has been in this position since 2024.

During her activity she leaded countless national and international projects, among which two European ones. She was Visiting Professor at the Universidade De Caxias do Sul (UCS), at the Semmelweiss University of Budapest (Hungary).

At University of Padova, she has been teaching at the Doctoral School in "Social Sciences. Interactions, Communication, Cultural Constructions"; teaches "Psychology of group and system relations" and "Fundamentals of Social Psychology" at the SPGI Department, and "Psychology of end-of-life relationships, bereavement, loss and death" at the FISPPA department, where she created and has been leading the Master in “Death Studies and the End of Life”, continually since 2008. Since 2018 she has been a research fellow at the Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center, University of Haifa (Israel).

Scientific results

She is affiliated to numerous research organizations among which: the Italian Society of Palliative Care (SICP) and of the parallel European Association of Palliative Care (EACP), she is part of the Steering Group of the Bereavement Network in Europe (BNE); International Society for Research on Aggression (ISRA); Federation of European Psychodrama Training Organizations (FEPTO). Furthermore, she is a member of the National Conference of Masters in Palliative Care and Pain Therapy, established by the Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), and has been scientific director of about ten international conferences on the topics of death, dying and palliation.

Her research is centred on Severin's concept of "nihilism", in particular on the representations of death as annihilation, on which her fundamental themes are pivoted among which: psycho-thanatology, Death Education, grief processing and treatment, human death attitudes/behavior and pathological suffering (suicide, drug addiction, anorexia and suicide, gender-based violence); loss, grief and mourning; social construction of bio-political and bio-ethical management of death; Dignity Therapy; Informed consent; Mind-brain conceptualization and social representation of death; Self-determination and biological will; Death/spirituality/religiousness; Coping with death and dying; Terror Management Theory; Counselling and therapy;  Professional training; Psychodrama and photo-voice/photo-therapy for mourners; Death and "sociatry" in social violence (gender based violence and discrimination; mafia dynamics).

Editorial work and publications

Ines Testoni is the author of about ten volumes and curator of about as many texts, about a hundred articles and contributions to collective works of national and international importance, including:

(2019) Testoni, I., Piscitello, M., Ronconi, L., Zsák, É., Iacona, E., Zamperini, A. Death Education and the Management of Fear of Death Via Photo-Voice: An Experience Among Undergraduate Students, Journal of Loss and Trauma, doi: 10.1080/15325024.2018.1507469

(2019) Testoni, I., Ronconi, L. Noppe Cupit, I., et al.  The effect of death education on fear of death amongst Italian adolescents: A nonrandomized controlled study, Death Studies, doi: 10.1080/07481187.2018.1528056

(2018) Testoni I, Bisceglie D, Ronconi L, Pergher V, Facco E. Ambivalent trust and ontological representations of death as latent factors of religiosity. Cogent Psychology, 5(1). doi: 10.1080/23311908.

(2018)  Testoni I., Mariani C., Zamperini A. . Domestic Violence Between Childhood Incest and Re-victimization: A Study Among Anti-violence Centers in Italy, Frontiers in Psychology,  doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02377

(2018) Testoni, I., Ronconi, L., Palazzo, L., Galgani, M., Stizzi, A., Kirk, K. Psychodrama and moviemaking in a death education course to work through a case of suicide among high school students in Italy. Frontiers in Psychology, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00441

(2017) Testoni I, Facco E, Perelda F. Toward A New Eternalist Paradigm for Afterlife Studies: The Case of the Near-Death Experiences Argument. World Futures, 73(7):442-456. doi:10.1080/02604027.2017.1357935.

(2017) Solomon S, Testoni I, Bianco S. Clash of civilizations? Terror Management Theory and the role of the ontological representations of death in contemporary global crisis. TPM Testing Psychometric Methodology in Applied Psychology, 24(3):379-398. doi: 10.4473/TPM24.3.5.

(2017) Testoni I, De Cataldo L, Ronconi L, & Zamperini A.  Pet loss and representations of death, attachment, depression, and euthanasia.Anthrozoös, 30(1):135-148. doi:10.1080/08927936.2017.1270599.

(2017) Testoni I, Ghellar T, Rodelli M, De Cataldo L, Zamperini A. Representations of death among Italian vegetarians: An ethnographic research on environment, disgust and transcendence. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 13(3):378-395. doi:10.5964/ejop.v13i3.1301.

(2017) Testoni I, Milo V, Ronconi L, Feltrin A, Zamperini A, Rodelli M, Cillo U, Germani G. Courage and representations of death in patients who are waiting for a liver transplantation. Cogent Psychology, eprint, 4(1). http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/23311908.2017.1294333.

(2016) Testoni I, Parise, G, Visintin EP, Zamperini A, Ronconi L. Literary plastination: From body's objectification to the ontological representation of death, differences between sick-literature and tales by amateur writers. TPM - Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 23(2):247-263. doi: 10.4473/TPM23.2.8.

(2016) Testoni I, Visintin EP, Capozza D, Carlucci MC. & Shams M. The implicit image of God: God as reality and psychological well-being. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 55(1):174-184. doi:10.1111/jssr.12252.

Position/Role

Full professor of Chemistry at the University of Bari (Italy) and Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.

Professional career

Luisa Torsi, a member of the Lincean Academy, obtained her degree in Physics (1989) and her Ph.D. in Chemistry (1993) from the University of Bari. She conducted post-doctoral research at AT&T/Lucent Technologies’ Bell Laboratories in the United States from 1994 to 1996. Since the age of 40, she has been a Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry (CHIM/01) in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. She served as an Adjunct Professor at Åbo Akademi University in Finland from 2017 to 2022. She is currently the Vice President of the CNR Scientific Council and the President of ARTI, the Apulia Regional Agency for Technological Transfer. In 2010, Luisa Torsi was awarded the Heinrich Emanuel Merck Prize for Analytical Sciences, becoming the first woman to receive it. In 2017, she was elected a Fellow of the Material Research Society for her pioneering contributions in the field of organic (bio)electronic sensors and their use for point-of-care diagnosis. In 2019, the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) conferred upon her the prestigious "Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering" recognition. In the same year, the Analytical Chemistry division of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) presented her with the “Robert Kellner Lecturer” award.

In 2021, she received the Wilhelm Exner Medal with the citation: "for her pioneering research in bio-organic electronics and for successfully integrating electronic and electrochemical sensors, analytical chemistry, organic semiconductors, solid-state device physics, and materials chemistry in an interdisciplinary approach." The award, given since 1921 by the Austrian Industry Association to celebrate scientific excellence, has been conferred on over 230 scientists, including more than 20 Nobel laureates, such as Guglielmo Marconi. The award has also been conferred on Italian scientific figures such as Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN in Geneva. Since 2022, she has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and in 2023, she was awarded the Presidente della Repubblica Prizeby the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Since 1949, this prestigious recognition has been conferred on only eight experts in Chemical Sciences, including Adolfo Quilico and Vincenzo Caglioti. Finally, in 2025, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University (Finland) will confer upon her an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa).

Luisa Torsi, a member of the Lincean Academy, obtained her degree in Physics (1989) and her Ph.D. in Chemistry (1993) from the University of Bari. She conducted post-doctoral research at AT&T/Lucent Technologies’ Bell Laboratories in the United States from 1994 to 1996. Since the age of 40, she has been a Full Professor of Analytical Chemistry (CHIM/01) in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bari Aldo Moro. She served as an Adjunct Professor at Åbo Akademi University in Finland from 2017 to 2022. She is currently the Vice President of the CNR Scientific Council and the President of ARTI, the Apulia Regional Agency for Technological Transfer.

In 2010, Luisa Torsi was awarded the Heinrich Emanuel Merck Prize for Analytical Sciences, becoming the first woman to receive it. In 2017, she was elected a Fellow of the Material Research Society for her pioneering contributions in the field of organic (bio)electronic sensors and their use for point-of-care diagnosis. In 2019, the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) conferred upon her the prestigious "Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering" recognition. In the same year, the Analytical Chemistry division of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) presented her with the “Robert Kellner Lecturer” award.

In 2021, she received the Wilhelm Exner Medal with the citation: "for her pioneering research in bio-organic electronics and for successfully integrating electronic and electrochemical sensors, analytical chemistry, organic semiconductors, solid-state device physics, and materials chemistry in an interdisciplinary approach." The award, given since 1921 by the Austrian Industry Association to celebrate scientific excellence, has been conferred on over 230 scientists, including more than 20 Nobel laureates, such as Guglielmo Marconi, CNR president from 1927 to 1937. The award has also been conferred on Italian scientific figures such as Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN in Geneva. Since 2022, she has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and in 2023, she was awarded the Presidente della Repubblica Prizeby the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. Since 1949, this prestigious recognition has been conferred on only eight experts in Chemical Sciences, including Adolfo Quilico and Vincenzo Caglioti, CNR president from 1965 to 1972. Finally, in 2025, the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University (Finland) will confer upon her an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa).

Professor Torsi is the author of nearly 290 scientific articles published in journals such as Science, Nature Materials, Advanced Materials, etc. Her publications have received approximately 19,000 citations according to Google Scholar (14,000 according to Scopus), with an H-index of 68 (61 according to Scopus). According to ScholarGPS®, she is among the top 0.58% of the most cited scientists worldwide across all disciplines (https://scholargps.com/scholars/47063219766132/luisa-torsi). She is also a co-inventor on 14 patents (10 granted) and has delivered over 230 invited seminars, including more than 60 plenary talks at conferences and universities in the United States, Asia, and Europe.

The research funding secured by her group and the consortia she has coordinated amounts to approximately 40 million euros and includes numerous European, national, and regional projects, many of which she leads as coordinator.

She currently heads the regional innovation center project Single-Molecule Digital-Assay(https://www.singlemolecule.center), where a clinical trial is underway to validate the Single-Molecule with a large Transistor (SiMoT) technology, which Professor Torsi's group patented in 2016. The SiMoT technology, currently at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5-6, is expected to reach TRL 7-8 soon within a year, with the goal of meeting the requirements of a point-of-care diagnostic device. It aims to combine the advantages of a salivary antigen test (rapid, single-use, easy-to-use, non-invasive) with the performance of a molecular test (sensitive to a single or few biomarkers in a 0.1 mL drop of biological fluid).

Torsi also coordinated the European project “Single-molecule bio-electronic smart system array for clinical testing – SiMBiT” (https://www.simbit-h2020.eu), which successfully developed the SiMoT device—published as a proof-of-concept in 2018—into a fully electronic ELISA-type prototype for the early and minimally invasive diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Currently, Torsi coordinates an Italian project funded by the Ministry of Agriculture for the development of a SiMoT point-of-care prototype intended for the detection of a single live bacterium of Xylella fastidiosa directly in the sap of infected olive trees.

Since 2020, she has been the National Representative for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of Horizon Europe, appointed by the Minister of Education and Research. She was the President of the European Material Research Society (over 4,000 members), the first woman to hold this position. From 2022 to 2024, she was the President of MEDISDIH S.c.ar.l., an evolution of the Apulian Mechatronics Technological District, committed to promoting industrial and technological innovations across multiple disciplines, including healthcare. Torsi also served on the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Leonardo – Civiltà delle Macchine, established by Leonardo SpA to promote dialogue with stakeholders, communities, and territories. She is currently the President of ARTI – Agenzia Regionale per la Tecnologia e l’Innovazione, the Apulia Regional body that promotes research, innovation, and technological development. It also supports the competitiveness of the regional production system, enhancing knowledge, startups, and innovation policies by collaborating with universities, research bodies, and companies to foster sustainable regional growth.

Professor Torsi is committed to serving as a role model for young female scientists. She has given numerous lectures, including a TEDx talk. As part of a Fondazione Bracco campaign to promote gender equality in science among young people, Professor Torsi was the subject of a story in the comic book Topolino (Mickey Mouse), where she was represented by the character "Louise Torduck," a successful scientist from Calisota Valley.

Scientific results

Luisa Torsi's research focuses on transistor-based bio-electronic systems and plasmonic systems capable of detecting a single or few antigenic or molecular biomarkers as well as one or a few pathogens in an unpretreated real blood or saliva sample (concentration of $10-100 \text{ zeptomolar}$). The device interface, which responds in a few minutes and can be low-cost fabricated, has dimensions orders of magnitude largerthan the single analyte to be detected. This is a world record based on the Single-Molecule with a Large Surface - SiMoLS technology patented by Torsi and her group. The perspective is the development of ultrasensitive, fast, low-cost, and highly reliable diagnostic systems for the ultra-early screening of progressive pathologiessuch as tumors or both viral and bacterial infections.

Editorial work and publications

She is the author of nearly 300 scientific articles and numerous patents. The complete and updated list is available here: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0798-0780.

Awards and prizes

2025    Honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Åbo Akademi University (Finlandia)) https://www.abo.fi/en/about-abo-akademi-university/academic-traditions/conferral-ceremony/doctoral-conferral-ceremony-2025/conferral-ceremony-2025-honorary-doctors-and-jubilee-doctors/.

2024    Fellow of the European Academy of Science: https://www.eurasc.eu/members/luisa-torsi/member/.

2024    Career Award from the Analytical Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society https://www.soc.chim.it/it/divisioni/analitica/medaglie_premi_2024

2023    Elected Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei https://www.lincei.it/it/socio/torsi-luisa. She is the first Analytical Chemistry scholar to receive this recognition.

2023    "Presidente della Repubblica" Prize (President of the Republic Award), conferred by the Accademia dei Lincei. Since 1949, this prestigious recognition has been conferred on only eight scholars in Chemical Sciences, including Adolfo Quilico and Vincenzo Caglioti, President of the CNR from 1965 to 1972.

Position/Role

Chief of the Operative Unit Invasive Cardiology and Director of the "Monzino Women"  at the Centro Cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan 

Professional career

Graduation in Medicine at the University of Milan in 1992; board in Cardiology at the University of Milan in 1997.

Visiting fellow in the Intravascular Ultrasound Laboratory, Catheterization Lab, Washington Hospital Center (1997-1998).

In 1998 she becomes staff member of the Cath Lab at the Centro Cardiologico Monzino and Assistant Director in 2014. She is elected Chief of the Invasive Cardiology Unit at the same Institute in October 2017 and Director of the Women Heart Center, she founded in 2017, focused on cardiovascular prevention in women. 

Teaching clinical cardiology at the postgraduate cardiology school, University of Milan.

She is elected committee member of the National Superior Institute of Health (ISS) for cardiovascular devices evaluation in 2011 and member of the ISS committee for a ministerial consensus document on gender-based medicine.

Scientific results

Daniela Trabattoni focuses her research interests in interventional cardiology section, evaluating factors possibly affecting PCI outcomes, according to different coronary devices use. She has studied cardioprotective tools adopted during primary angioplasty as adjunctive therapy for a faster left ventricle function recovery, after acute myocardial infarction. She has studied potential correlations between patent foramen ovale and migraine and compared different occluder devices in PFO closure. She actively contributed to the writing of the national consensus document on antiplatelet treatment management in patients with previous coronary stenting addressed to any surgery, by the GISE (Italian Society of Invasive Cardiology). She has studied safety and efficacy of short-term antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting and drug-coated stents in high-bleeding risk patients.

Editorial work and publications

Daniela Trabattoni is reviewer for several international and national cardiology journals: Giornale italiano di Cardiologia, Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine, International Jorunal of Cardiology, Catheterization & Cardiovascular Interventions, Cephalalgia, Circulation Cardiovasc Interventions.

She has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Endovascular Therapy (2010-2013) and is currently on the editorial board of the Journal of Hypertension and Immunotherapy.

She has signed numerous scientific publications.

Awards and prizes

Since 1995 he has been a member of the Italian Society of Cardiology.

Since 2001 she has been a member of the European Society of Cardiology and a member of the Italian Group of Invasive Cardiology.

Since 2005 she is a member of the American College of Cardiology.

Since 2007s he is a member of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI).

In 2007 she received the "Rosa Camuna" award from the Lombardy Region.

Position/Role

Associate Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics "Ettore Bocconi" of Bocconi University

Professional career

After graduating in Economics and Business at Bocconi University in 1998, she continued her education with a PhD in Economics from New York University. From 2003 to 2009 she was Assistant Professor at Bocconi University, and from 2009 Associate Professor. Since 2016 she has been Council Member of the European Economic Association (EEA). She was a Research Fellow of CEPR, IGIER and Baffi Carefin Center. She won several international grants for her research. She was a consultant for the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Bank of England. She made visiting periods at numerous universities and central banks including New York University, the University of Southern California, the Bank of England, the New York Fed, the Norges Bank, and the Riksbank.

Editorial work and publications

She was Associate Editor of the Journal of Monetary Economics from 2009 to 2016. From 2015 she is Panel Member of Economic Policy. She has published in prestigious international scientific journals such as the Journal of Political Economy and the Journal of Monetary Economics.

Below is a selection of the most relevant publications:

(2016) Gertler M, Huckfeldt C, Trigari A. New Hires Wage Cyclicality, Match Quality and Unemployment Fluctuations. NBER Working Paper No. 22341.

(2015) Trigari A. Comment on Long-Term Nonemployment and Job Displacement. 2014 Jackson Hole Symposiumon Re-evaluating Labor Market Dynamics, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pp. 389-409.

(2013) Sala L, Soderstrom U, Trigari A. Structural and Cyclical Forces in the Labor Market during the Great Recession: Cross-Country Evidence. NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2012, The University of Chicago Press.

(2012) Monacelli T, Perotti R, Trigari A. Taxes and the Labor Market, in (Céspedes L. and Galì J. eds.), “Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic PerformanceCentral Banking”, Analysis and Economic Policies Series, Central Bank of Chile, vol. 17, ch. 2, pp. 27-58.

(2011) Monacelli T, Quadrini V, Trigari A. Financial Markets and Unemployment. NBER Working Paper No. 17389.

(2010) Sala L, Soderstrom U, Trigari A. The Output Gap, the Labor Wedge, and the Dynamic Behavior of Hours. CEPR DP No. 8005.

(2010) Monacelli T, Perotti R, Trigari A. Unemployment Fiscal Multipliers. Journal of Monetary Economics, 57(5):531-553.

(2009) Gertler M, Trigari A. Unemployment Fluctuations with Staggered Nash Wage Bargaining. Journal of Political Economy, 117(1): 38-86.

(2009) Trigari A. Equilibrium Unemployment, Job Flows and Inflation Dynamics. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 41 (1):1-33.

(2008) Gertler M, Sala L, Trigari A.  An Estimated Monetary DSGE Model with Unemployment and Staggered Nominal Wage Bargaining. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 40(8):1713-1764.

(2008)  Sala L, Soderstrom U, Trigari A. Monetary Policy under Uncertainty in an Estimated Model with Labor Market Frictions. Journal of Monetary Economics, 55 (5):983-1006.

(2008) Quadrini V, Trigari A. Public Employment and the Business Cycle. Scandinavian Journal of Economics109 (4):723-742.

Position/Role

Senior researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Milano section.

Professional career

After graduating in Physics at the University of Trieste in 1977 she continued her education first as a Summer Student in 1978 at CERN and then attending the Postgraduate School in Physics in Trieste, as a fellow of the Consortium for the Increase of Studies and Research of the Physics Departments of the University of Trieste. In 1983 she joined the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Trieste section, as a researcher and later the section of Milan. She has been a scientific associate at CERN in Geneva since 1978.

Scientific results

Clara Troncon's two main research strands are the study of elementary particle physics with accelerators and, specifically, measurements of the properties of Heavy Flavours, precision verifications of the Standard Model, including the search for and then discovery of the Higgs boson, and the search for evidence of new physics beyond the Standard Model. The second strand includes the development, design and implementation of microstrip and pixel silicon sensors and the development, design, implementation, commissioning and operation of vertex detectors. Her research activity began at CERN, where from 1979 to 1986 he devoted herself to the study of quark charm with the EHS (European Hybrid Spectrometer) experiments at the SPS (SuperProtoSynchrotron) accelerator. From 1986 to 2000 she took part in the DELPHI experiment at the LEP accelerator at CERN, where she contributed to the precision measurements of the neutral Z0 and W bosons, the verification of the Standard Model and the search for the Higgs boson. Her group collaborated in the construction of the DELPHI silicon vertex detector. In 1997, she began participating in the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, where she played an important role in the construction of the pixel detector. After the installation of this detector in 2008, she devoted herself to the search and study of the Higgs boson and the search for supersymmetric particles and signals of a new physics at the TeV(teraelettronvolt) scale. She was also involved from 1996 to 2000 in study activities for future Linear Colliders through the Conceptual Design of the Next Linear Collider and the feasibility study for the search for the Higgs boson. From 2001 to 2006, through the RD50 collaboration, she was involved in the research and development of radiation-resistant semiconductor detectors for very high luminosity colliders.

Editorial work and publications

She has signed over than 1.100 scientific publications, including: 

(2016) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Search for dark matter produced in association with a Higgs boson decaying to two bottom quarks in pp collisions at √s=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector. Physical Review D, 93: 7, 072007.

(2016) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Search for magnetic monopoles and stable particles with high electric charges in 8 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector. Physical Review D, 93:5, 05200.

(2013) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Evidence for the spin-0 nature of the Higgs boson using ATLAS data. Physical Review Letters B, 726, 120-144.

(2012) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Search for squarks and gluinos using final states with jets and missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector in √s=7 TeV proton-proton collisions. Physical Letters B, 710, 67-85.

(2012) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Physical Review Letters B, 716, 1-29.

(2011) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Measurement of the top quark-pair production cross section with ATLAS in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV. The European Physical Journal A, C71, 1577.

(2010) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. Observation of a Centrality-Dependent Dijet Asymmetry in Lead-Lead Collisions at √s_NN=2.77 TeV with the ATLAS Detector at the LHC. Physical Review Letters, 105, 252303.

(2008) ATLAS Collaboration, Aad G, Troncon C, et al. The ATLAS Experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. JINST 3: S08003.

(1998) Accomando E, Troncon C, et al. Physics with e+ e- colliders. Physics Report C, 299, 1. Amsterdam (Olanda).

(1996) DELPHI Collaboration, Abreu P, Troncon C, et al. Performance of the DELPHI Detector. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 378, 57.

Awards and prizes

From 2006 to 2012 she was an elected member of the INFN CSN1 (National Scientific Commission 1, Particle Physics with Accelerators) and referee for the Babar experiment in CSN1. From 2011 to 2014 she was a member of ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of Research Quality), MIUR and coordinator of subGEV02 (Experimental, Particle and Nuclear Physics).

From 2012 to present Clara Troncon is part of the INFN Evaluation Working Group (VQR final phase) and head of the delegation for CSN1. Since 2013, upon designation by the INFN President, she has been appointed by the Director General of CERN as Italian delegate in the CERN ACCU (Advisory Committee of CERN Users), a position subsequently renewed. In 2015 she is designated by ACCU as ACCU Representative in the CERN Scientific Information Policy Board. In the same year she became a member of GEV02 (Expert Group for the Evaluation of Physical Sciences for the VQR (Evaluation of Research Quality 2015-2017, for ANVUR-MIUR and coordinator of subGEV02_I (Experimental, Particle and Nuclear Physics), a position she still holds today.

Position/Role

Co-founder of InGreen. Area Manager great Place to work. Lecturer of Digital Marketing at the suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples.

Professional career

Graduated in Economics with honors from the University of Calabria, she obtained a Master's degree in Statistics at the University of Bari with merit scholarship and an Independent Phd cum laude in Public Governance at the IASSP (Institute of High Strategic and Political Studies) from Milan.

Ted Speaker for community of Siena Lecce Bari Suzzara.

In recent years Filomena Tucci has been an advisor for numerous companies including University of Pisa, University of Lisbona,University of Alexandria in Egypt,  University of Lecce, Contamination Lab Unicalab, Mecar, Brodolini Foundation for FRA (fundamental Rights agency), Brainsigns, Fablab Catania, Cloud Consulting of Rome, Foneclay Italia, MPS-marketing problem solving, MG.

He has edited over 70 electoral campaigns of politicians including Gentiloni, Spacca, Vendola, Occhiuto, De Filippo, Fratoianni, Marini, Delli Noci, Laricchia, attualmente nei team di supporto per le elezioni a Massafra e Milano.

She has been and is the organizational director of university masters on Marketing and Data management.

During March-April 2019 Invited by State Dep. of United States of American for the important program on leadership “small and medium enterprises as engine of prosperity”.

In her spare time he coordinates the Eskillsforwomen community on women's digital skills on the net.

Scientific results

Together with other engineering professionals, in 2014 he founded InGreen, an integrated environmental engineering design company, monitoring and reducing pollution sources (air, electromagnetic, acoustic) and SMART life.

Editorial work and publications

Filomena Tucci is the author of numerous books including Soft Revolution (published by l'Erudita), and Yes, We Stem (published by Street Lib Writ). 

She has also written the Telecomitalia social book and Holden writer school "We have a dream" and "brothers at school". 

He collaborated in The scientific book Network in 2020 with the essay “The body new object. The Opinion of the Italians", Yearbook 2014 with the essay "More spaces for young innovators, the recipe for "change everything"; at the 2013 edition of the same yearbook with "Italy one country for young people" to that of 2012 with "Research and competitiveness", to that of 2011 with "Social responsibility and youth models".

Digital periodic articles on Mediaduemila, Donne online, Italian digital revolution.

Awards and prizes

2019 “Innovation is Woman” Mediaduemila Chamber of Senate Italy

2019 “IVLP International Visitor Leadership Program” State Dept USA

2017 the "012Factory" Award in Caserta as "Best innovator for entrepreneurship" and the same year won the "Gogol" Award in Cosenza for the book "Soft Revolution", in which he described the first signs of rebirth of the South.

2016 Filomena Tucci received the "FIDAPA Award" in Reggio Calabria as "Excellent Woman in Entrepreneurship".

Position/Role

Full professor of Business Management in the Faculty of Economics of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Milan). Director of Centrimark – Research Center in Marketing and of the MIMM Master - Master in International Marketing Management at the same University.

Professional career

After graduating in Economics at the University of Genoa in 1989, until 1994 she collaborates with the IEFE (Institute of Economics of Energy Sources) of the Bocconi University where she participates in various research projects on the Economics of innovation. She obtains her Ph.D in Business Economics from the University of Uppsala (Sweden) and from 1995 to 2011 she first holds the positions of researcher, then associate professor and finally full professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Urbino "Carlo Bo". At the University of Urbino she teaches Business Management, Industrial Marketing and Supply Chain Management, she coordinates the Bachelor in Business Administration and she is Director of the Master in Business Internationalization and of the Master in Business & Service Marketing. Since 2011 she has been Full Professor at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart where she starts and coordinates the Bachelor in Economics and Management, the Master of Science in Innovation and Technology Management (ITEM) and the Master in International Marketing Management (MIMM). She is a member of the teaching staff of the research doctorate in Management and Innovation and of the board of the Department of Economics and Business Management Science (Segesta). From 2015 to 2021 she is member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Marketing Association and today she is member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation of the Italian Marketing Association "Sustainability and Value".

Scientific results

The research interests refer to the studies of Business-to-Business Marketing, Supply Chain Management and Industrial & Innovation Networks. Particular attention is paid to the business models and competitive strategies of medium-sized Italian manufacturing companies. The latest studies conducted concern the sustainable innovation strategies of Italian SMEs through relational development paths, the study of the opportunities and problems that characterize network contracts, the digital transformation paths affecting medium-sized manufacturing companies and their supply chains. Specifically, she currently carries out research on the theme of sustainability in the materials industry, on the transformation of the marketing and sales channels of Italian manufacturing companies, on sustainable innovation in the textile industry and on the problems encountered by network contracts among SMEs. 

Active member of the IMP (Industrial Marketing & Purchasing) Group, an international network of scholars who deal with business networks and inter-organizational relations, she has published over 100 papers in national and international journals and volumes, and she is the author of textbooks for courses in Economics and Business Management and Business-to-Business Marketing.

Editorial work and publications

Tunisini A., Harrison D., Bocconcelli R., (2023), “Handling resource deficiencies through resource interaction”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 109, pp 154-163

Cantù C., Martinelli E., Tunisini A., (2022), “Marketing Channels transformation in Italian SMEs”, International Journal of Globalization and Small Business, Vol.13 No.2, pp.147-163 

Clemente Bottani, Matteo Dominidiato, Annalisa Tunisini, (2022), “Transforming the Business Offering from Products to Solutions. An Inquiry into the Textile Industry”, Micro & Macro Marketing, n° 3, pp. 481-505

Martinelli E.M., Farioli C., Tunisini A. (2021), “New Companies’ DNA: the Heritage of the Past Industrial Revolutions in Digital Transformation”, Journal of Management and Governance, 25:1079–1106 

Belvedere V., Martinelli E.M., Tunisini A. (2021) “Getting the Most from the E-commerce in the context of omnichannel strategies”, Italian Journal of Marketing pp 1-19,

Tunisini A.. Ferrucci L., Pencarelli T (2020), Economia e management delle imprese. Strategie e strumenti per la competitività e la gestione aziendale, Hoepli: Milano, Seconda Edizione.

Tunisini A. (2017), Marketing B2B. Capire e gestire le reti e le relazioni tra imprese. Hoepli: Milano pp 1-246 

Milanesi, M., Guercini, S. and Tunisini, A. (2020), "Exploring SMEs’ qualitative growth and networking through formalization", Competitiveness Review, Vol. 30 N° 4, pp. 397-415 

Tunisini, A., Marchiori, M. (2020), "Why do network organizations fail?", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 35 No. 6, pp. 1011-1021

Coltorti F., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., Varaldo R. (2013), Mid-Sized Manufacturing Companies: The New driver of Italian Competitiveness, Springer.

Varaldo R., Dalli D., Resciniti R., Tunisini A., (2009), Un tesoro emergente. Le medie imprese italiane dell’era globale, Franco Angeli: Milano.

Tunisini A., Capuano G., Bertani R., Arrigo T. (2013), Contratto di rete. Lo strumento Made in Italy per integrare individualità e aggregazione, Franco Angeli: Milano. 

Awards and prizes

In 2011 she receives (together with co-authors Daniele Dalli and Riccardo Resciniti) the award for the best article 2010 of the journal Mercati & Competitività (Article "Development and competitiveness of medium-sized Italian companies in the global era"). 

In 2021 she receives a recognition award from the Italian Marketing Association for the contribution given from 2006 to 2021 to the scientific and professional development of the Association.

Position/Role

Former athlete, shooting champion. National Technical Director. Vice-President of the CONI National Technical Commission

Professional career

Valentina Turisni began her career in the national shooting range in 1986. In 2000 she joined the Federal Executive Council, from which he resigned in 2009. She won the silver medal in the discipline 50m rifle three positions at the Athens Olympics in

2004. In 2009 she became Technical Director of the men's and women's national teams of the

Italian Union of Schooting, a profession that she carries on until the end of 2022.

She deals with the training of federal coaches as Head of coaches’ education and Teacher.

She holds a degree in law and is a qualified lawyer.

Editorial work and publications

Manuale di Tiro con la carabina(Rifle Shooting Manual)Edizioni UITS, 2010

Awards and prizes

2004, Gold medal for athletic valor in the Corpo Forestale dello Stato

2004, CONI Gold Medal for Athletic Valor

2004,Official Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

2012, CONI Golden Palm for Technical Merit

2013, CONI Sports Merit Gold Star

2014, Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic

Position/Role

Full professore of Political Theory at the Columbia University in the City of New York.

Scientific results

Nadia Urbinati's research interests focus on modern and contemporary political thought, with particular attention to liberalism and democratic, theories of political representation and sovereignty, and more recently populism. 

She has contributed to the revival of political representation in democratic theory; she has developed a definition of populism in power as a form of democratic based on direct representation of the leader.

Editorial work and publications

Nadia Urbinati has contributed essays to several books in English on representation, participation and democracy. He has published numerous articles in the academic journals "American Political Science", "Political Theory", "Constellations", "Philosophy and Social Thought", "Micromega", "Iride", "Raison Politique", "Lua Nova", "Rivista di filosofia", "Rivista critica di storia della filosofia". 

Authored books:

[2021] Me the People. How Populism Transforms Democracy, Harvard University Press.

[2020] I pochi contro i molti. Il conflitto politico nel ventunesimo secolo, Laterza.

[2019] Me The People: How Populism Transforms Democracy, Harvard University Press (translated in Italian, Spanish and Arabic).

[2017] Articolo 1, Carocci. 

[2015] The Tyranny of the Moderns, Yale University Press.

[2014]  Democracy Disfigured: Opinion, Truth and The People, Harvard University Press (translated in Italian, Turkiish, Russian) 

[2013] Democrazia in diretta. Le nuove sfide della rappresentanza, Feltrinelli.

[2011] La mutazione antieguaglitaria, Laterza.

[2011] Liberi e uguali. Contro l’ideologia individualista, Laterza.

[2007] Ai confini della democrazia. Oppurtunità e rischi dell’individualismo democratico (Donzelli) 2006. Representative Democracy: Principles and Genealogy, Chicago University Press (translated in Italian ans Spanish)

[1991] Le civili libertà. Positivismo e liberalismo nell’Italia Unita, Marsilio.

Co-authored books:

[2020](with L. Vandelli), Democrazia e sorteggio, Einaudi (chapters translated in Franch).

[2017] (with) Marzano, La società orizzontale. Liberi senza padri, Feltrinelli.

Edited books:

[2019] Thinking Democracy Now. Annale Feltrinelli, Feltrinell.

[2000] Piero Gobetti, On Liberal Revolution, edited with an introduction, Yale University Press.

1994. Carlo Rosselli, Liberal Socialism, edited with an introduction, Princeton University Press.

Co-edited books:

[2012] (with S. Luke) Condorcet: Political Writings, Cambridge University Press.

[2009] (with G. Recchia) Giuseppe Mazzini on Nation Building, Democracy, and Intervention, Princeton University Press (translated in Italian).

Awards and prizes

1991-92. CNR Prize for the best research in the class of Political Philosophy.

2002. His book Mill on Democracy: From Athenian Polis to Representative Government received the David and Elaine Spitz Prize for the best monograph published that year on democratic and liberal thought. 

2008. Lenfest Distinguished Columbia Faculty for research and teaching. 

2008 the President of the Republic awarded her the honour of Commendatore of the Italian Republic with the following motivation: "Through her academic activity and her publications she has made a significant contribution to the deepening of democratic thought and the promotion of writings in the Italian liberal and democratic tradition abroad".

2020. Capalbio Prize for Political Non-fiction for the book Io, il popolo come il populismo trasform la democrazia. 

Position/Role

Full professor of Pharmacology,Department of Medical Sciences and University Center for Studies on Gender Medicine, University of Ferrara

Professional career

After graduating in Biological Sciences at the University of Ferrara in 1988, she continued her studies obtaining a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology in 1996. After that, she became Assistant Researcher in Pharmacology and from 2009 to date is Associate Professor in Pharmacology, Department of Medical Sciences, University Center for Studies on Gender Medicine, University of Ferrara.

Scientific results

The research themes of Katia Varani and her group are well represented by the pharmacological, biochemical and molecular study of adenosine receptors that have an important role in the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system and the immune response. The interaction of adenosine receptors is studied in neurodegenerative diseases (Huntington's chorea, Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis), in chronic and neuropathic pain, in cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension and heart failure, inflammatory diseases and cancer. Some studies show that A₃ adenosine receptors represent a possible therapeutic target for preventing the development of mesothelial pleural tumors after exposure to asbestos. Other studies have shown that stimulated A_2A adenosine receptors have an anti-inflammatory role in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, preclinical studies have shown that allosteric modulators of A₁ adenosine receptors are endowed of analgesic and anxiolytic properties. The development of new potential drugs acting on adenosine receptors could constitute a valid and innovative pharmacological tool that could be very useful in clinical therapy.

Editorial work and publications

Katia Varani has authored more than 200 scientific papers in international journalis, including:

(2018) Borea PA, Gessi S, Merighi S, Vincenzi F, Varani K. Pharmacology of Adenosine Receptors: The State of the Art. Physiology Review, 98(3):1591-1625.

(2017) Borea PA, Gessi S, Merighi S, Vincenzi F, Varani K. Pathologic overproduction: the bad side of adenosine. British J Pharmacology, 174:1945-1960.

(2016) Tabrizi M, Baraldi PG, Borea PA, Varani K (2016). Medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabinoid CB₂ receptor agonists. Chemical Reviews, 116:519-560.

(2016) Borea PA, Gessi S, Merighi S, Varani K. Adenosine as a multi-signalling guardian angel in human diseases: when, where and how does it exert its protective effects?. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, S0165-6147(16)00041-9. 

(2015) Preti D, Baraldi PG, Moorman AR, Borea PA, Varani K. History and perspectives of A_2A adenosine receptor antagonists as potential therapeutic agents. Medicinal Research Reviews, 35(4):790-848. 

Position/Role

Associate as Emerita Researcher at ISEM-CNR. Professor of PhD "Fino" and Full Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Genoa and Alumna King's College London.

Professional career

Nicla Vassallo graduated at the University of Genoa and specialised in Advanced Philosophy at King's College - University of London. After obtaining a PhD in Philosophy of Science, she worked first as a research fellow and then as a researcher. In 2002 she qualified as Associate Professor in Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of Catania, and in 2004 as Full Professor in Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Bergamo. From 2003 to 2008 she was Visiting Professor at the Psychology Faculty at the University Vita-Salute of Milan, where she lectured Epistemology. Since 2005 she has been a Full Professor at the Department of Philosophy (now Dafist) of the University of Genoa, teaching Philosophical Propaedeutics, Philosophy of Knowledge and Epistemology. She now teaches Theoretical Philosophy and is a member of the teaching staff of the Doctoral Programme in Philosophy called "Fino", a consortium comprising four universities (Genoa, Pavia, Eastern Piedmont, Turin). She is an Associate as Emerita Researcher at ISEM-CNR and Alumna King's College London.

Scientific results

Nicla Vassallo works mainly in the field of Analytic Philosophy. Her primary research and teaching areas are Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Knowledge, Gender Studies.

In recent years she has been responsible for seven research projects for the CNR (National Research Council). She has been a member of the board of directors of SIFA (Italian Society of Analytical Philosophy), of the Urban Studies Centre, of CRESA (Centre for Research in Experimental and Applied Epistemology); of the Scientific Committee of Comitato Permanente di consulenza del Forum per le politiche di genere of the University of Padua, of O.N. DA (National Observatory on Women's Health), of Sapere, of the LGBT Themes Portal (Council of Ministers, Equal Opportunities Department, National Antidiscrimination Office Unar), of the Board of Referees of CIVR (Committee for Research Evaluation) for VTR (the first Italian Research Evaluation Exercise). 

She was also Miur's referee for “Programma per Giovani Ricercatori – Rita Levi Montalcini” 2010, for the VQR (University Research Quality Assessment) and for Futuro in Ricerca from 2011 to 2013. 

Editorial work and publications

Besides regularly contributing to the cultural pages of various newspapers, magazines and blogs, Nicla Vassallo has served and serves as referee for the following publications, and publishers: Carocci, Codice Edizioni, Dialectica: International Journal of Philosophy, Editori Laterza, Epistemologia: Rivista Italiana di Filosofia della Scienza, European Journal of Analytic Philosophy, FrancoAngeli, Giulio Einaudi Editore, il Saggiatore, Iride: Filosofia e discussione pubblica, Iris: European Journal of Philosophy and Public Debate, Mind & Society, Nordicum-Mediterraneum, Rivista di Estetica, Rivista di Filosofia Neo-Scolastica, Teoria politica, Ulisse Biblioteca. 

She is a member of Scientific and Editorial Boards of several national and international scientific journals and is the author of more than 150 articles in Italian and English that have appeared in philosophical journals, editions, conference proceedings and encyclopedias; she has published thirty books.

Her latest Authored Books: 

(2019) Non Annegare: Meditazioni sulla conoscenza e sull'ignoranza. Mimesis, Milano.

(2015) Il matrimonio omosessuale è contro natura: falso!. Laterza, Roma-Bari. 

(2015) Breve viaggio tra scienza e tecnologia, con etica e donne. Orthotes, Napoli-Salerno.n(2012) Conversazioni. Mimesis Edizioni, Milano.

(2011) Per sentito dire. Conoscenza e testimonianza. Feltrinelli, Milano.

Her latest Co–authored Books:

(2021) Fatti non foste a viver come bruti. Brevi e imprecise itinerary per la filosofia della conoscenza, Mimesis, Milano.

(2019) Contextualism, Factivity and Clousure". Springer, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.

(2015) Frege on Thinking and Its Epistemic Significance. Rowman & Littlefield, Lexington.

(2010) Piccolo trattato di epistemologia. Codice Edizioni, Torino. 

Her latest Edited Books: 

(2022) Parla come mangi. Massa e potere. Mimesis, Milano.

(2021) Fatti non foste a viver come bruti. Mimesis, Milano.

(2017) La donna non esiste. E l'Uomo? Sesso, Genere e identità. Codice Edizioni, Torino.

(2009) Donna m'apparve. Codice Edizioni, Torino.

Her most recent co–edited books: 

(2017), “Philosophy of sex and gender in gender-medicine”, Topoi: An International Review of Philosophy, 36 (3), Springer, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.

(2016) Meta-Philosophical Reflection on Feminist Philosophies of Science. Springer, Heidelberg, New York, Dordrecht, London.

(2012) Reason and Rationality. Ontos Verlag, Frankfurt.

(2011) Terza cultura. il Saggiatore, Milano.

Nicla Vassallo also published two volumes of poems:

(2021) Pandemia amorosa dolorosa. Mimesis, Milano.

(2017) Metafisiche insofferenti per donzelle insolenti. Mimesis, Milano.

(2013) Orlando in ordine sparso. Mimesis, Milano.

The complete and updates list of publiations is available online, here: https://www.niclavassallo.net/

Awards and prizes

In 2011 she was awarded the Philosophical Prize 'Viaggio a Siracusa' for her book Per sentito dire. Conoscenza e testimonianza.

As a Full professor in the field of Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Genoa, she was ranked first nationally by the VQR (Evaluation of Research Quality) for the years 2004-2010.

Position/Role

Researcher in Political Science at the University of Trieste.

Professional career

Degree in Political Sciences at the University of Trieste (1992); PhD in Political Science at the University of Florence (1998). She was research fellow at the University of Trieste between 1999 and 2002, where she taught Public Policy Analysis and European Union Government. She currently teaches European Public Policies at the University of Trieste.

Scientific results

She studied concertation and tripartism among governments, trade unions and employers’ organisations in a comparative perspective; she investigated the role of interest groups in the democratisation of Central and Eastern European countries; she studied the influence of some policy areas of the European Union. She took part into national and international research projects (PRIN, ‘Young Researchers’). She is member of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and of the European Sociological Association (ESA, specifically of its Research Network 17 – Work, Employment and Industrial Relations, of which she was vice-president between 1999 and 2009). Since 2011 she is member of the Standing Group on interest groups of the SISP (Italian Political Science Association).

Editorial work and publications

[2022] Vatta A., The evolution of Italian bilateral bodies and funds in a comparative perspective. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 43(1): 32-51.

[2020] Vatta A., Interessi e conflitti organizzativi nella gestione delle emergenze socio-politiche. Poliarchie/Polyarchies, 3(2): 157-171

[2019] Vatta A., La politica commerciale dell’Unione Europea e le “democrazie difficili”: riflessioni su tre stati del Medio Oriente, in D. Abenante (ed), “Democrazie difficili” in Europa, Asia, Nord Africa e Medio Oriente: competizione partitica, conflitti e democratizzazione, Trieste: EU,: 119-136.

[2018] Vatta A., L’evoluzione organizzativa nella rappresentanza delle piccole e medie imprese: il caso di Rete Imprese Italia, in Aa.Vv., Diritto, economia e società. In ricordo di Luisa Cusina, Trieste: EUT, 273-282.

[2018] Vatta A., The Social Clauses in EU Trade Agreements: contents and prospects. Poliarchie/Polyarchies, 2: 286-306.

[2017] Vatta A., The EU Migration Policy: between Europeanization and Re-Nationalization, in S. Baldin e M. Zago (eds), Europe of Migrations: Policies, Legal Issues and Experiences, Trieste: Biblioteca della Società Aperta, EUT, 13-31.

[2011] Vatta A., I gruppi d’interesse e la rappresentanza politica dei rom, in S. Baldin e M. Zago (eds), Il mosaico rom. Specificità culturali e governance multilivello, Milano: Franco Angeli, 129-142.

[2011] Vatta A., The Reform of Collective Bargaining and the Flexible Work Issue in Italy, in M. Baglioni e B. Brandl (eds) Changing Labour Relations. Between Path Dependency and Global Trends, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 51-69.

[2010] Vatta A., Collective bargaining and the flexibilisation of employment in Italy, in U. Huws, S. Lehndorff e D. Grimshaw (eds), Between a rock and a hard place: the shaping of employment in a global economy, London: Analytica Publications, 193-205.

[2007] Vatta A., Italy, F. Traxler e G. Huemer (eds), Handbook of Business Interest Associations, Firm Size and Governance. A comparative analytical approach, Abingdon: Routledge, 204-229.

[2004] Vatta A., Lo sviluppo della società civile, in L. Mattina (ed), La sfida dell’allargamento. L’Unione europea e la democratizzazione dell’Europa centro-orientale, Bologna: Il Mulino, 215-255.

[2003] Vatta A., L’allargamento dell’Unione Europea e lo sviluppo delle organizzazioni imprenditoriali nei paesi dell’Europa centro-orientale. Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, 2-3: 175-200.

Position/Role

Chief Diversity Officer, European Space Agency

Professional career

Ersilia Vaudo Scarpetta has a degree in physics from Università La Sapienza in Rome, where she started working at the Department of Cosmology on experiments on the measurement of anisotropy in the cosmic background radiation. Since 1991 she has been working at the European Space Agency, in Paris, and she is currently Chief Diversity Officer. 

During her career at ESA, she held several positions i.a. in international relations, elaboration of high level strategies, preparation of decisions at Member States’ ministerial meetings, network with think tanks. She supported the creation of the European Space Policy Institute in Vienna. She participated to the formulation of the first ESA Exploration programme, worked as coordinator of Science and Human Spaceflight activities and had the responsibility as Executive Secretary of the Science and Technology Advisory Group on Exploration in charge of selecting experiments for exploration missions, including ExoMars. She spent four years at the ESA Washington Office ensuring relations with NASA and US stakeholders, and was Member of the Board of Directors of Women in Aerospace USA. Currently she is member of the International Women’s Forum, of the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society Daring Circle, and of Women in Aerospace – Europe.

Scientific results

Ersilia Vaudo has a long experience in space programmes, in particular in science and explorations, European space strategy, relationships with NASA. In addition, she works to encourage the advancement of girls and women in STEM education and careers and to promote the values of diversity and inclusiveness.

She has given several TEDx Talks, including:

TEDX Bari, 2015: L’Universo e’ resiliente?

TEDX Roncade, 2015: La sfida della conoscenza

TEDX Matera, 2018: Donne, Spazio e Superpoteri

TEDX THBrandenburg: A journey through Space. Stretching the limits

Editorial work and publications

(2019) Piu' donne di scienza per vincere la sfida della competitività, Il Sole 24 Ore 

(2018) Simply into science, how to tear down the STEM gender, Worldcrunch.com 

(2018) La Scienza delle Donne, Wired

(2018) Why women in space are developing science ‘superpowers’, becoming smarter and shooting higher, Womenthology.co.uk

(2017) Lunar glow: what is driving the new space race to the Moon, Worldcrunch.com 

(2016) Space and its Links to Economic Theory and Public Support, in "Theorizing European Space Policy" (a cura di Thomas C. Hoerber e Emmanuel Sigalas), Washington DC: Rowman & Littlefield 

(2016) Il futuro del lavoro ai tempi del determinismo tecnologico, Il Menabo’ di Etica ed Economia 

(2015) The role of space in support of the common objectives of the European Nordic countries, 66th International Astronautical Congress, Jerusalem, Israel

(2014) Rosetta, the comet Hunter, Il Menabo’ di Etica ed Economia 

(2002) Assessing ESA’s Current Voting Rules and Practice and Potential Weighted Voting Systems in the Perspective of Enlargement, ESA Bulletin.

Awards and prizes

Ersilia Vaudo Scarpetta has received numerous prizes and awards.

In 1983, she received the "Enrico Persico" Fellowship from the Accademia dei Lincei

In 1986, the "Amelia Earhart" Fellowship for Distinguished Merit in Astrophysics Studies

In 2016, she won the "Cajeta Prize" in the category "Science and Scientific Research".

In 2019 she was nominated for the "European Diversity Awards" in the "Head of Diversity of the Year " category and included in StartupItalia's "Unstoppable Women" list, which recognises the commitment of women to innovation in Italy. In the same year she was invited to give the Lectio Magistralis for the Inauguration of the 157th Academic Year at the Politecnico di Milano.

In September 2021 she was named one of the 50 most inspiring Italian women in the world of technology with the InspiringFifty for Italy award.

Position/Role

Lecturer at MSc Neuroscience at King’s College, University of London. Resident in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Foggia.

Professional career

After graduating in Medicine and Surgery in 2007 from the University of Florence, she undertook a scientific training path with a Master of Science in Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience of the King's College, University of London. In the years 2012-2015 she obtains a PhD in Developmental Medicine and Programming Sciences at the University of Padua and works at the IRCCS "Eugenio Medea" in Conegliano Veneto. In 2019-2020 she completes a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Padua. In 2021 she begin her residency training in Respiratory Medicine at the University of Foggia. Since 2010 she has been a lecturer for the Master of Neuroscience programme at IOPPN of King's College in London.

Scientific results

Since the beginning of her research in the neuroscience field, she has approached the study of the neurological disorders, starting with Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with clinical and laboratory approaches. While carrying out a project on SOD-1 toxicity in experimental models and acquiring laboratory technical skills, she also developed a particular interest in movement disorders.

The main research project that she has explored is the study of cerebellar ataxias, and in particular of Friedreich's ataxia. She has explored the clinical aspects and also the brain volume, diffusion and cerebral-cerebellar activation characteristics in this pathology with advanced neuroimaging techniques. This research was followed by an important clinical and neuroradiological follow-up which also generated an international collaboration for rare cerebellar diseases (ENIGMA-Ataxia).

Furthermore, she has been interested into exploring and developing treatment proposals, such as experimental clinical studies and their design, application of neuromodulation and rehabilitation strategies in Friedreich’s Ataxia.

She is engaged in postgraduate teaching and in the supervision of graduate students within health professional areas.

The results of her research have been published in international scientific journals and have been presented as contributions in national and international conferences.

Editorial work and publications

[2020] Vavla M, Arrigoni F, Toschi F, Peruzzo D, Maria Grazia D'angelo MG, Gandossini S, Russo A, Diella E, Tirelli S, Salati R, Rufini A, Condo I, Testi R, Martinuzzi A. Sensitivity of neuroimaging indicators in monitoring the effects of interferon gamma treatment in Friedreich’s Ataxia. Front. Neurosci. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00872.

[2021] Pizzighello S, Vavla M, Minicuci N, Pellegri A, Martinuzzi A. Trends observed in bilateral cerebral palsy during a thirty-year period: A cohort study with an ICF-based overview. Pediatr Neonatol. Feb 5:S1875-9572(21)00018-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pedneo.2021.01.016. Online ahead of print. PMID: 33663988

[2020] Scalco RS, Lucia A, Santalla A, Martinuzzi A, Vavla M, Reni G, Toscano A, Musumeci O, Voermans NC, Kouwenberg CV, Laforêt P, San-Millán B, Vieitez I, Siciliano G, Kühnle E, Trost R, Sacconi S, Stemmerik MG, Durmus H, Kierdaszuk B, Wakelin A, Andreu AL, Pinós T, Marti R, Quinlivan R, Vissing J; EUROMAC Consortium. Data from the European registry for patients with McArdle disease and other muscle glycogenoses (EUROMAC). Orphanet J Rare Dis. Nov 24;15(1):330. doi: 10.1186/s13023-020-01562-x. PMID: 33234167

[2020] Vavla M, Montanaro D, Pizzighello S, Frijia F, Arrigoni F, Baratto A, Piccoli G, Paparella G, Martinuzzi A. Brain Magnetic Spectroscopy Imaging and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia: A focused Systematic Review on Current Landmarks and Future Perspectives. Front Neurol. Jul 14;11:515. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00515. eCollection 2020. PMID: 32765386

[2020] Montanaro D, Vavla M, Frijia F, Aghakhanyan G, Baratto A, Coi A, Stefan C, Girardi G, Paparella G, De Cori S, Totaro P, Lombardo F, Piccoli G, Martinuzzi A. Multimodal MRI longitudinal assessment of White and Grey Matter in different SPG types of Hereditary Spastic Paraparesis Front Neurosci. Jun 4;14:325. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00325. eCollection 2020. PMID: 32581663

[2020] Paparella G, Vavla M, Bernardi L, Girardi G, Stefan C, Martinuzzi A. Efficacy of a combined treatment of botulinum toxin and intensive physiotherapy in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia. Front. Neurosci. Doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00111

[2020] Vavla M, D'Angelo MG, Arrigoni F, Toschi N, Peruzzo D, Gandossini S, Russo A, Diella E, Tirelli S, Salati R, Scarpazza P, Luffarelli R, Fortuni S, Rufini A, Condò I, Testi R, Martinuzzi A. Safety and efficacy of interferon γ in friedreich's ataxia. Mov Disord. 35(2):370-371. doi: 10.1002/mds.27979. Epub 2020 Jan 13. PMID: 31930551

[2020] Vavla M, Paparella G, Papayannis A, Pascuzzo R, Girardi G, Pellegrini F, Capello G, Prosdocimo G, Martinuzzi A. Optical Coherence Tomography in a cohort of genetically defined Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia: A brief research report. Front. Neurol. | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2019.01193

[2019] Vavla M, Paparella G, Merotto V, Comiotto J, Piai J, Martinuzzi A. Combining Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Intensive Physiotherapy in Patients with Friedreich’s Ataxia: A Pilot Study. Acta Scientific Neurology 2.1: 03-10.

[2018] Vavla M, Arrigoni F, Nordio A, De Luca A, Pizzighello S, Petacchi E, Paparella G, D'Angelo MG, Brighina E, Russo E, Fantin M, Colombo P, Martinuzzi A. Functional and Structural Brain Damage in Friedreich's Ataxia. Front Neurol. Sep 6;9:747. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00747. ECollection 2018. PMID: 30237783.

[2016] Martinuzzi A, Montanaro D, Vavla M, Paparella G, Bonanni P, Musumeci O, Brighina E, Hlavata H, Rossi G, Aghakhanyan G, Martino N, Baratto A, D'Angelo MG, Peruch F, Fantin M, Arnoldi A, Citterio A, Vantaggiato C, Rizzo V, Toscano A, Bresolin N, Bassi MT. Clinical and Paraclinical Indicators of Motor System Impairment in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia: A Pilot Study. PLoS One. Apr 14;11(4): e0153283. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153283.

[2014] Aghakhanyan G, Martinuzzi A, Frijia F, Vavla M, Hlavata H, Baratto A, Martino N, Paparella G, Montanaro D. Brain White Matter Involvement in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias: Analysis with Multiple Diffusion Tensor Indices.AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. Aug;35(8):1533-8. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A3897.

Awards and prizes

In 2011 Marinela Vavla won a PhD scholarship and in 2019 another Post-Doctoral research scholarship, both at the University of Padua. During 2015-2020 she received research fundings from the Association Ogni Giorno per Emma to carry out research in the field of cerebellar ataxias and Friedreich's Ataxia.

Position/Role

President of the Degree Course and Professor of Computer Science at the “Sapienza” University of Rome.

Professional career

After graduating in Electronic Engineering at the “Sapienza” University of Rome in 1978, she worked as a researcher at the Ugo Bordoni Foundation until 1982. In 1983 she was a visiting scholar at Stanford University and, from 1984 to 1986, was a researcher at the IBM science centre in Rome. From 1986 to 1996 she is associate professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Ancona. Since 1996 she is a professor at the Computer Science Department of the S.MM.FF.NN faculty of the “Sapienza” University of Rome. In 2001 she won a first class competition and became a full professor at the same university, where from 2011 to 2013 she was President of the Degree Course in Computer Science, a position she took on again in November 2016. Since 2013 she has been responsible for the Master’s degree course in Computer Science, distance learning. She teaches Machine Learning and Web and Social Information Extraction at the Master’s degree in Computer Science (in English), and from 2017, also the Business Intelligence course in Management Master's Degree taught in English. She is involved in gender issues, and she has been coordinating the NERD orientation project for six years in order to increase the number of girls enrolled in computer courses.

Scientific results

In the first years of scientific activity, Paola Velardi was involved in Computer Architecture and Reliability to then address her studies to Artificial Intelligence. Later, her main research interests concerned natural language processing, machine learning, semantic modeling and semantic web, i.e. the transformation of the web into an environment where published documents are associated with information and data which specify the semantic context in a format suitable for interrogation and interpretation (for example, through search engines) and, more generally, for automatic word processing. More recently, she has been involved in the analysis of social networks, applying her studies to user profiling, the detection of trending topics (topics of discussion that become popular among users of social networks), and the study of female leadership in social networks companies, epidemiological surveillance and e-health.

Editorial work and publications

She is author of over 150 national and international publications, including:

(2021) Aragona D, Podo L, Prenkaj B, Velardi P. CoRoNNa: A Deep Sequential Framework to Predict Epidemic Spread. SAC '21 Proceedings of the 36th Annual ACM Symposium on Applied Computing. 3.

(2016) Stilo G, Velardi P. Hashtag Sense Clustering based on Temporal Similarity. Computational Linguistics, 43-1. 

(2016) Stilo G, Velardi P. Efficient Temporal Mining of Micro-blog Texts and its application to Event Discovery. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 30(2):372-402.

(2015) Faralli S, Stilo G, Velardi P. Recommendation of micro-blog users based on hierarchical interest profiles. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 5, 25. 

(2015) Gesualdo F, Stilo G, D’Ambrosio A, Carloni E, Pandolfi E, Velardi P, et al. Can Twitter be a source of information on allergy? Correlation of pollen counts with tweets reporting symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and names of antihistamine drugs. PloS One, 10(7):e0133706 

(2015) Faralli S, Stilo G, Velardi P. Large Scale Homophily Analysis in Twitter using a Twixonomy. Proceedings of International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2015) Buenos Aires. 

(2015) Faralli S, Stilo G, Velardi P. What Women Like: A Gendered Analysis of Twitter Users' Interests based on a Twixonomy. Ninth International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media Workshop: Wikipedia, a Social Pedia: Research Challenges and Opportunities, Oxford. 

(2015) Di Tommaso G, Stilo G, Velardi P. Women leadership in enterprise social networks: A SNA toolkit to foster the emergence of informal leaders in organizations. International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2015), IEEE, London. 

(2014) P. Velardi P, G. Stilo G, E. Tozzi E, Gesualdo F. Twitter mining for fine-grained syndromic surveillance. Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 61(3):153-63. 

(2013) Velardi P, S. Faralli S, Navigli R. OntoLearn Reloaded: A Graph-based Algorithm for Taxonomy Induction. Computational Linguistics, 39(3), MIT Press.

(2013) Gesualdo F, Stilo G, Agricola E, Gonfiantini MV, Pandolfi E, Velardi P, Tozzi AE. Influenza-like illness surveillance on Twitter through automated learning of naïve language. PLoS One, 8(12):e82489.

Awards and prizes

She participated as a partner, associate partner or coordinator in various national and European projects. Among others, the national projects (MIUR law 297) CHAT, on multimodality topics, and LC3, a public-private research laboratory on the topic of communication of cultural knowledge; the SimiTur 2.0 (POR FESR 2007/2013 - CO-RESEARCH) regional projects on the theme of tourism; PARTICIPATE (Research Projects presented by Research Institutes LR 13/2008) on topics of e-collaboration and participatory interfaces in the tourist / cultural field; HomeCare4All (POR FERS Lazio 2007/2013) on issues of public health and multilingual interaction with users; and finally Fiordaliso (POR FERS Lazio 2007/2013) on the topic of analysis of female leadership in corporate social networks. She was a member of the governing committee of the European INTEROP Network of Excellence (2003-2007), on enterprise interoperability issues and the scientific committee of the "EU Virtual Laboratory for Enterprise Interoperability", an European research institute legally established in Belgium in 2007. She is a reviewer of the European community, reviewer and member of the most important conferences and journals on the topics of interest (ACL, EACL, EMNLP, ESWC, IJCAI, ICWSM, TKDD, TKDE, CL, AIIM, BIBM, WWW, etc.). She is Associate Editor of Knowledge and Information Systems.

Position/Role

Full professor of General Chemistru at University of Bologna

Professional career

After graduating in Chemistry at the University of Bologna in 1971, she continued her education first as a fellow, then a contractor and finally a researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Bologna until 1992. In the same year she became associate professor in the faculty of Mathematical Sciences , Physics and Natural of the same university, and is confirmed again in 1995. Since 2005 she is full professor of General Chemistry of the University of Bologna.

Scientific results

From 1972 to 1991 she worked at National Research Council of Bologna where her main research activity was focused on the field of Radiation Chemistry. In particular, she studied the electron-transfer processes involved in model systems for the conversion of solar energy in chemical energy. Her present research activity is in the field of Supramolecular Photochemistry and Electrochemistry; specifically she is involved in the realization of systems made by two or more molecules capable of performing useful functions. The aims of the research are the following. 1. The desing and construction of chemical systems where the molecular components display changes in their relative positions as a result of some external stimulus, that can be photochemical, chemical and electrochemical in nature. Such systems are called molecular machines and their importance is testified by the fact that this research topic was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016. 2. The design and construction of systems capable of transferring, switching, collecting, storing, and elaborating photochemical, chemical and electrochemical signals. Up to now several systems of this kind have been obtained, like molecular antennae, wires, plug/socket and extension devices. The results of her research are of great importance in the fields of nanosceince and nanotechnology; for example the developed systems can lead to the construction of molecular devices able to convert solar energy in chemical energy and to elaborate information (chemical computer); they can also find applications in the field of medicine, for example, to develop drug delivering systems that can open new perspectives to treat tumors.

Editorial work and publications

Margherita Venturi is author of two books (with Vincenzo Balzani) Chimica! Leggere e scrivere il libro della nature(Scienza Express Edizioni, 2012) and Energia, Risorse, Ambiente (Zanichelli, 2014).

She is co-author of more than 250 scientific papers, including several reviews, published in the most relevant international journals. Five of them are listed below.

(2015) D’Agostino S, Bergamini G, Ceroni P, Comotti A, Sozzani P, Bassanetti I, Grepioni F, Hernandez TM, Silvi S, Venturi M, Credi A. Photoinduced reversible switching of porosity in molecular crystals based on star-shaped azobenzene tetramers. Nature Chemistry, 7:634-640.

(2015) Ragazzon G, Baroncini M, Silvi S, Venturi M, Credi A. Light-powered autonomous and directional molecular motion of a dissipative self-assembling system. Nature Nanotechnology, 10:70-75.

(2008) Balzani V, Credi A, Venturi M. Photochemical conversion of solar Energy. ChemSusChem, 1:26-58.

(2008) Balzani V, Credi A, Venturi M. Molecular Devices and Machines – Concepts and Perspectives for the Nanoworld. Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, 1-546.

(2006) Balzani V, Clemente-León M, Credi A, Ferrer B, Venturi M, Flood A H, Stoddart J F. Autonomous artificial nanomotor powered by sunlight. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103:1178-1183.

Awards and prizes

In 2014 she received the Gold Medal Gabriello Illuminati from the Italian Chemical Society because of her contribution and involvement in teaching and spreading Chemistry as author of articles and books, as coordinator and partner of national and European projects, and as organizer of seminars, scientific exhibits, and teacher training courses. In addition, the medal recognized the fact that in 2000 she began to organize at the Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician” a show entitled Sounds, Lights, Colors and Other Special Effectsduring which the attending students (from primary to high schools) and citizens can see chemical demonstrations and understand the importance, utility, and beauty of Chemistry.

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 East. Skilled 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 A. Migrants and migration policies for innovation in Europe, Migration Policy Practice, VI, 2.

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 Gegenwart. In: (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".

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.

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 Health. 19(24):16974. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416974. PMID: 36554854; PMCID: PMC9779245.

Riva A, Corti A, Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Dugall M, Vinciguerra G, Feragalli B, Zuccarini M, Eggenhoffner R, Giacomelli 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 G, Hu S, Strong J, Feragalli B, Vinciguerra G, Cacchio M, Cesarone 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 Cardilogica. 63(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.

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.

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 Health, 19, 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 Deporte, 16, 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 Exercise, 54 (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 Kinesiology, 4, 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 Review, 25, 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).

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.

Professional career

A visually impaired Paralympic alpine skier due to oculocutaneous albinism, she made her debut at the World Para Alpine Skiing Championships held in Lillehammer 2021, in Norway, where she won the bronze medal in slalom, along with her guide Ylenia Sabidussi.

She thus qualified to compete in the 2022 Winter Paralympics held in Beijing, China, where she was the youngest Italian athlete with 18 years still to come.

At the 2023 World Championships in Espot, she won the silver medal in the downhill and super-G; in that same 2022-2023 season she won the Super-G World Cup.

The 2023/2024 season was the one of return from the injury of the rupture of the cruciate, collateral and meniscus. It was a season to regain confidence and self-assurance, where however she won several podiums in the World Cup.

Main goals now are the World Championships and then the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics.

Her palmares includes:

Paralympic Games: 2022 Beijing, 8th Giant Slalom.

World Championships: 2023 Espot (ESP), 2nd Downhill; 2nd Super-G; 2022 Lillehammer (NOR), 3rd Slalom.

World Cup: 2025 Santa Caterina (ITA) 1st and 2nd Downhill, 2025 Feldberg (GER) 3rd Slalom, 2024 Sella Nevea (ITA), 2nd Giant Slalom; 2024 Wildschoenau (AUT), 3rd Slalom, 3rd Slalom; 2024 Sapporo (JPN), 2nd Slalom, 2nd Slalom; 2024 Cortina (ITA), 2nd Downhill, 3rd Slalom; 2024 Veysonnaz (SUI), 2nd Super G, 2nd Giant; 2023 Saalbach (AUT), 1st Super G; 2nd Downhill; 2023 Veysonnaz (SUI), 2nd Giant Slalom, 3rd Giant Slalom, 3rd Slalom; 2021 Steinach am Brenner (AUT), 2nd SuperG; 2021 St. Moritz (SUI), 3rd Giant.

European Cup: 2024 Folgaria (ITA), 1st Giant Slalom, 1st Slalom; 2021 Resterhole (AUT), 4th Slalom (best result).

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.

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). 

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 cittadinanza; Leggere 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”.

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 G, Zeuner 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. 

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.

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.

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 Science. In #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. 

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.