As a Research Fellow in Cognitive Psychology, I investigated the mechanisms of abstraction in human language and cognition, using gamified experimental approaches to collect linguistic data from both adults and children. This work was part of the ABSTRACTION ERC-funded project led by Prof. Marianna Bolognesi. 

During my PhD, I studied the conceptual representation and communicative effects of abstract language (e.g., freedom, utopia) under the supervision of Prof. Anna Borghi. In my research, I combine behavioural, psycholinguistic, and computational methods to study the impact of individual, socio-cultural, and perceptual factors on conceptual processing, language acquisition, and categorization processes.

Some of my recent interests include studying how word meanings interact with conversational dynamics. I'm particularly fascinated by the "subtle dance" of conversational alignment and repair—how people collaboratively achieve shared understanding and fix communication breakdowns. I would like to apply conversational analysis and NLP to study how speakers co-create abstract meaning, balancing convention and creativity.

I'm a strong advocate of Open Science and passionate about making scientific knowledge accessible and engaging for a diverse audience.