I was drawn to the field of psychology because I was deeply fascinated with human behavior and the mechanisms underlying it. During my academic journey, I became increasingly aware of psychology’s potential to improve people’s daily lives concretely and provide solutions by applying knowledge about cognitive processes to various contexts. Here, I had the opportunity to explore and understand my interests, which vary from Psychology of Perception, Environmental Psychology, Experimental Aesthetics, and Decision Making, with a particular curiosity in interdisciplinarity.

During my PhD, I am collaborating with Prof. Marco Bertamini and Dr. Veronika Knedlikova Wankova on the project MIRACLE – From the Mind to the Canvas and Back: Unravelling the Links between Art History and the Perception of Art in Early Modern Painting. The project integrates art history and psychology to investigate perception, emotion, and aesthetic judgment in viewers using Renaissance paintings as experimental stimuli. The artworks include artists from both Northern Italy and Central Europe, some of which may reflect cultural exchange. By combining methods from both disciplines, the research also aims to bridge fields, explore differences in the perception of the artworks compared to the past, and make art more accessible.

I like to approach research with curiosity, attention to detail, and openness to new ideas. I use both qualitative and quantitative methods, employing experiments or questionnaires when needed. Furthermore, I enjoy working in a team because I believe that collaboration adds richness and depth to the research process.

Regarding my academic background, I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Psychological Sciences and Techniques from the University of Trieste, and I subsequently pursued a Master’s degree in Applied Cognitive Psychology at the University of Padua. While completing my Master’s degree, I participated in the Erasmus+ program at Aarhus University’s Business and Social Sciences department, where I studied, in an international research environment, psychology applied to moral and ethics and to autobiographical memory. Through my Master’s thesis, I also explored another interest of mine: environmental sustainability and climate change. Within this research, I analyzed the influence of attitudes and emotions toward large power plants using the Joint and Separate Evaluation paradigm.

I pursued an internship and fellowship at the University IUAV of Venice, where I worked with designers on environmental sustainability, user experience, and perceptual communication. In particular, I was involved in two projects. The first research investigated how to effectively communicate sustainability, efficacy, and professionalism on packaging through design, while the second one studied the meaning, perception, and communication of environmental sustainability and inclusivity through the design of handles. Afterwards, I worked as an assistant researcher at NeurExplore SRL in Trento, a company specialized in usability and neuromarketing. There, I collaborated with companies to improve their understanding of psychological mechanisms and their applications. During my stay, I focused on buying behavior and market research, UX and UI design on websites and online interfaces, and the perception of different types of road lighting during night driving through a mobile EyeTracker.

I enjoy taking long walks, both in the city and surrounded by nature. I enjoy cooking for others and am passionate about F1. I also enjoy traveling, visiting museums, and watching movies at the cinema.