I completed my undergraduate and master degrees in Developmental and Educational Psychology at University of Padua, in Italy. Then, I moved to London to start a PhD ( funded by the Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher Fellowship) at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College London, under the supervision of Prof Mark H. Johnson. Here I investigated body perception in newborns and infants.
My first post-doctoral position at Royal Holloway University of London with Prof Manos Tsakiris focused on the interaction between interoceptive and exteroceptive body-related signals in the development of body-awareness in infants and adults. In 2016, I moved to University College London to work with Prof Katerina Fotopoulou and further my expertise on self- and body-awareness across the lifespan, with a specific focus on affective touch. I joined the Department of Psychology of University of Essex in Autumn 2017 as a lecturer.
At the University of Essex, I am part of the Essex Babylab, where I research the development of body awareness, self-recognition, and interoception using a combination of psychophysiological (e.g.; EEG/NIRS) and behavioural techniques.
PhD in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2014
Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College University of London
MSc in Developmental Psychology, 2011
University of Padua
BSc in Developmental Psychology, 2009
University of Padua
What makes your body your own?
How do we learn to identify and monitor internal sensations?
What is special about our own face?
How does touch contribute to our sense of body awareness?
If you’re interested in my research work and would like to work on infant and child development, The University of Essex offers several options:
I am happy to discuss projects that fall within the scope of:
Please get in touch if you want to discuss possible research experience and/or PhD opportunities.
I teach the following courses at University of Essex: