Research Interests

My research focuses on cognitive development in early infancy, with particular attention to how language and memory systems interact during the first years of life. I am especially interested in understanding how phonological working memory (PWM) supports early language acquisition and how its development reflects the remarkable plasticity of the infant brain. More broadly, my work explores how biological, linguistic, and environmental factors shape individual developmental trajectories during infancy and early childhood.

Academic Background

I hold a BSc and MSc in Developmental and Educational Psychology from the University of Padua. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Psychological Sciences at the University of Padua, under the supervision of Prof. Silvia Benavides-Varela and Dr. Maria Montefinese, within the ERC-funded project IN-MIND.
My doctoral research investigates the development of phonological working memory during the first two years of life and its relation to early language acquisition and executive functions.

Before starting my PhD, I worked as a Research Fellow on the national PRIN project Number-Space Association: A Comparative, Developmental, and Neurobiological Approach. I also completed a post-graduate internship at the BabyLab of Padua, studying working memory and early numerical cognition through eye-tracking paradigms. These experiences provided me with a strong foundation in experimental design, developmental assessment, and longitudinal data analysis.

Current Research

My doctoral work integrates experimental and observational methods to investigate early learning mechanisms in infants and toddlers. In the lab, I design and run eye-tracking and pupillometry studies to examine how infants encode, retain, and retrieve linguistic information. I am particularly interested in how memory load, stimulus familiarity and articulatory processes affect infants’ ability to process speech sounds.

My broader goal is to describe typical developmental trajectories and identify early risk indicators, which may guide preventive and supportive interventions.

Beyond language and memory, I also study infant sleep as a key biological process influencing cognitive development. Together with colleagues, I am analyzing mother–infant sleep synchrony and exploring how variations in sleep patterns relate to early memory and language outcomes.

Research Approach and Methods

I conduct most of my work within the BabyLab at the University of Padua, but I also collect data in kindergartens and online settings to broaden participant diversity. I am actively involved in international collaborative initiatives such as the ManyBabies Consortium, contributing to large-scale meta-analyses and methodological harmonization projects. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to open, transparent, and reproducible developmental science.

Beyond academia

I am actively engaged in science outreach, organizing and participating in events such as Science4All and public seminars for parents and educators. Through these initiatives, I aim to promote awareness of early cognitive development and strengthen connections between research and the local community.

Supervisor: Prof. Silvia Benavides-Varela