I am a researcher in the field of cultural evolution. My work is at the interface of psychology, anthropology, and sociology. I am interested in particular to contemporary cultural phenomena, and I use a naturalistic, quantitative, and evolutionary approach with different methodologies, especially individual-based models and quantitative analysis of large-scale cultural data. I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Research at the University of Trento, and member of the C2S2 - Centre for Computational Social Science and Human Dynamics.
My last book (published in March 2025) is Tecnopanico (il Mulino, in Italian).
Earlier, I wrote a book for Oxford University Press: Cultural evolution in the digital age, and an open access manual: Individual-based models of cultural evolution. A step-by-step guide using R (a physical version is available with Routeldge). I also curate a free substack newsletter (in Italian), with links to material about cultural evolution and digital technologies: Cinque link a settimana.
15 October 2025: Invited seminar at the University of Padova: Methods and Misconceptions: Refining Methods and Narratives in the Behavioral Sciences.
8 October 2025: Invited seminar (online) at the LMS (Language, Mind, Society Center) of University of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
2 October 2025: New preprint with William Costello: Why Incels Capture Attention: A Cultural Attraction Theory Perspective.
2 October 2025: The website for the Leverhulme project Weaponised Pasts is live.
1 October 2025: The Associazione Italiana Biblioteche had a reading group about Tecnopanico. Here a video where I answer to their questions.
30 September 2025: New preprint with Eliana Fattorini, Massimiano Bucchi, and Enzo Loner: Weapon and Poison: Framing Disinformation in European Commission Speeches, 2016–2024.
Current issues in digital media and politics: MSc-level (laurea magistrale Data Science) module, first term (co-taught with Prof. Elena Pavan).
Cultural analytics: MSc-level (laurea magistrale Sociology and Social Research) module, second term.
Costruire un disegno di analisi dei fenomeni sociali: BSc-level (laurea triennale Sociologia) module, second term.