I am a research director at the Unit of Cognitive Primatology of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the National Research Council (ISTC-CNR).
My research interests lies within the field of comparative psychology and mainly focus on:
- Decision making in probabilistic and intertemporal choice tasks in non-human primates and preschool children
- Psychological mechanisms underlying economic choices in non-human primates
- Evolutionary origins of bartering in non-human primates
- Individual and social learning mechanisms underlying the development of eating behavior in non-human primates and preschool children
- Relationship between complementary feeding approach and cognitive development in human infants and toddlers
EDUCATION
2003 Ph.D. in Animal Biology, Sapienza University of Rome
1999 Five-year degree in Biological Sciences (Summa cum laude). University of Rome “Tor Vergata”
POSITIONS HELD
2021-on Research director, ISTC-CNR
2019-2021 Senior research scientist, ISTC-CNR
2016 Visiting scientist (CNR “Short-Term Mobility” grant), Appalachian State University (USA)
2009-2019 Research scientist (permanent position), ISTC-CNR
2008 Visiting scientist (CNR “Short-Term Mobility” grant), University of Georgia (USA)
2007 Visiting scientist. Field station “Ethocebus”, Piauí (Brazil)
2005/08 Research scientist (temporary position), ISTC-CNR
2005 Post-doctoral research fellow, ISTC-CNR
2005 Visiting scientist. University of Zürich (Switzerland)
2004/05 Post-doctoral research fellow, ISTC-CNR
2004 Post-doctoral research fellow, University of Zürich (Switzerland)
2004 Post-doctoral research fellow, The Pennsylvania State University (USA)
2003 Visiting scientist. The Pennsylvania State University (USA)
2003/04 Post-doctoral research fellow, ISTC-CNR
2001/02 Visiting student. MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (Germany)
1999/00 Post-lauream intern, ISTC-CNR
1997/99 Undergraduate student, ISTC-CNR
POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY
2022-on Member of the Scientific Committee, Fondazione Bioparco di Roma
2014-2017 Member of the Ethics Committee of the ISTC-CNR
2017-2022 Principal investigator of the project "Analysis of the factors affecting decision-making in conditions of delay and risk, rationality and symbolic reasoning in capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)", approved for animal experimentation by the Italian Ministry of Health
2014/17 Principal investigator of the project " Analysis of the factors affecting tolerance to delay, risk proneness and rationality in capuchin monkeys", approved for animal experimentation (123/2014-C) by the Italian Ministry of Health
2013/16 Member of the Ethics Committee of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
2011/14 Principal investigator of the project "Symbolic understanding in exchange tasks, inhibitory control and psychological mechanisms underlying rational and irrational decisions in non-human primates", approved for animal experimentation (12/2011-C) by the Italian Ministry of Health
NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC QUALIFICATIONS
2014 Qualified as Full Professor, 11/E1
2014 Qualified as Associate Professor, 05/B1
AWARDS
2004/05 L’Oréal Italia For Women in Science
2003 SSIB (Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior) New Investigator Award
FUNDING
GRANTS
Grants as Principal Investigator
2023 Long-term impact of complementary feeding approach in preschool children: developmental outcomes, eating behaviour and food sustainability, MUR (Italian Ministry for University and Scientific Research) -- PRIN (Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale) (PI, Co-PI: F. Bellagamba)
2019 Understanding how complementary feeding method longitudinally affects developmental outcomes in young children, PRIN-MIUR (PI; co-PI: F. Bellagamba)
2019 Testing the cognitive components of primate cooperation, Leakey Foundation General Grant (co-PI with G. Schino)
2018 Development of an ecologically valid non-human primate model of gambling, Alberta Gambling Research Institute, AGRI Major Grant Proposal (Co-PI; PI: Jean-Baptiste Leca, Co-PI: Robert Williams)
2014 The emotional basis of primate reciprocity, Leakey Foundation (co-PI with G. Schino)
2009 Intertemporal choices for primary and secondary rewards: how capuchin monkeys and humans discount time with food and tokens, American Society of Primatologists (co-PI with F. Paglieri)
2009 L’impazienza vien mangiando? Scelta intertemporale, tipo di rinforzo e tempi di consumo: primati umani e non umani a confronto, ISTC-CNR (co-PI with F. Paglieri)
2007/08 Etologia dell’altro mondo: a scuola dai cebi del Sud America, MIUR (PI)
Grants as participant
2020 Effetti dell'alimentazione complementare a richiesta sullo sviluppo psicomotorio nei primi 2 anni di vita: uno studio su bambini nati pretermine, Sapienza University of Rome (PI: B. Caravale)
2014 Relazione tra capacita' di inibizione e propensione al rischio in bambini di eta' prescolare, Sapienza University of Rome (PI: F. Bellagamba)
2010 La capacità di attendere per ottenere una ricompensa alimentare in bambini dai 2 ai 4 anni, Sapienza University of Rome (PI: F. Bellagamba)
2007 Gestione di una colonia di primati non umani in cattività, CNR (PI: E. Visalberghi)
2006/09 Humans-The Analogy-Making Species (ANALOGY), VI Framework Programme, NEST
Pathfinder initiative “What it means to be human” (PI: B. Kokinov)
2005/08 Stages in the Evolution and Development of Sign Use (SEDSU), VI Framework
Programme, NEST Pathfinder initiative “What it means to be human” (PI: J. Davidoff)
2005/06 Ricerca ed Etica: Osservare Capire Rispettare”, MIUR (PI: E. Visalberghi)
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
2021- in corso Associazione Italiana di Psicologia
2000-on Società Italiana di Etologia (Secretary 2021-on)
2000-on Associazione Primatologica Italiana (Council member from 2007 to 2011)
2002-on Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
2002-on International Primatological Society
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEES
2017 XXIII Meeting of the Italian Primatological Association, Trento
2015 VI Meeting of the European Federation of Primatology, Rome
2015 VI International Conference on Spatial Cognition, Rome
TEACHING AND MENTORING ACTIVITIES
2021-on Committee Member of the PhD program in Psychology and Cognitive Science, Sapienza University of Rome
2020-on Associate member of the School of Graduate Studies, University of Lethbridge (Canada)
2011/15 Committee Member of the PhD program in Educational Research and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
2013/16 Professor of Psychobiology of Human Behaviour, Università Telematica Internazionale “Uninettuno”
2010 External member of the PhD examining committee (M. Pelé), Université de Strasbourg (France)
2008-on Supervisor of 5 post-docs, 5 PhD students, 1 postgraduate fellow, 50 Master students, 8 Bachelor students, 18 internships
2004 Mentor for Undergraduate Independent Studies. The Pennsylvania State University
2003/13 Ethology. Scuola di Specializzazione, Istituto di Psicologia e Psicoterapia Cognitiva Post-Razionalista (IPRA); Rome, Bari
2002/03 Teaching assistant, Cognitive Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
INVITED AS PLENARY SPEAKER
2023 The Spoon project: a window into the role of complementary feeding approaches on child development, Aston University, UK (online)
2023 ‘Gambling monkeys? Decision-making under risk in tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.)’, University of Lethbridge, Canada (online)
2019 XVI Annual Conference of the Italian Association of Cognitive Science, Rome
2019 I National Conference of Eticoscienza
2018 Villa Finaly Workshop, Université Paris II & Ecole Normale Supérieure, Florence
2017 I National Conference of the Italian Association of Zookeepers
2016 Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Rome
2014 Fourth International Symposium on ‘Biology of Decision Making’, Paris (France)
2013 Workshop ‘Concepts and methodologies in the field of intertemporal choices’, Vienna (Austria)
2009 Workshop “Coop-peer-action”, Gitschenen (Switzerland)
2009 Berlin Behavioural Biology Symposium, Berlin (Germany)
2007 Colloque annuel Société Française pour l'Etude du Comportement Animal, Paris (France)
2003 Conference “Capuchins: The state of the art”, Radicondoli (Italy)
2000 International Symposium on Phylogeny of Cognition and Language, Kyoto University (Japan)
INVITED GUEST LECTURES
2023 Seminar within the course "Developmental models of social and cultural cognition", Sapienza University (Prof. Bellagamba)
2022 Seminar within the course "Evolutionary Anthropology", Roma Tre University (Prof. Carosi)
2022 Seminar within the course “The science behind our choices: decision-making across species and societies” (Dr. De Petrillo), Newcastle University, UK
2019/2023 Opera Nazionale Montessori, Rome
2016/2023 Interdisciplinary Bilateral Seminar Series on "Communication and Cognitive Processes", ISTC-CNR & -Roma Tre University
2015 PhD Program in Cognitive Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome
2015 Course “Developmental Psychology and Emotional Self-Regulation”, Sapienza University of Rome (Prof. E. Baumgartner)
2001-2009/22 Course “Ethology”, Sapienza University of Rome (Proff. Vitale, Alleva, Branchi)
2010 Workshop “Pensiero e calcolo negli animali superiori”, Scuola di Dottorato in Scienze Umane, Genova
INVITED SEMINARS (selected)
Aston University (online, 2023), University of Lethbridge (online, 2023), Università di Firenze (online, 2021), Associazione Link Sapienza (online 2021, 2022), University of Verona (2007), Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome (2005/6), University of Zürich (2004), The Pennsylvania State University (2003), Harvard University (2000), Max-Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (2000)
EDITORIAL ACTIVITY
2019-2021 Guest Editor, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Theme Issue “Existence and prevalence of economic behaviours among non-human primates” (with S. Bourgeois-Gironde, T. Boraud)
2015-present Frontiers in Comparative Psychology, Associate Editor
2011-present PLoS ONE, Academic Editor
2015-2021 Cognitive Processing, Associate Editor
2010/15 Frontiers in Comparative Psychology, Review Editor
2012/14 Journal of Primatology, Academic Editor
2010/13 ISRN Zoology, Editorial Board member
2009/11 Primates, Advisory Board
AD-HOC GRANT REVIEWER: Agence Nationale de la Recherche, DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), European Research Council – Starting Grants, Human Frontier Science Program, Italian Ministry for University and Scientific Research (SIR & FISR projects), Leakey Foundation, Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF) - Cognitive Sciences
AD-HOC JOURNAL REVIEWER: Acta Psychologica, Advances in Cognitive Psychology, Animal Behaviour, Animal Behavior and Cognition, Animal Cognition, American Journal of Primatology, Appetite, Behaviour, Behavioural Processes, Biology Letters, BMC Biology, Cognitive Development, Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognition, Developmental Psychobiology, Developmental Science, Ethology, Ecology & Evolution, International Journal of Primatology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Learning and Motivation, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, PeerJ, Physiology & Behavior, PLoSONE, Primates, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences, Psychological Science; Science Advances, Scientific Reports, Trends in Cognitive Sciences
PUBLICATIONS
Articles in peer-reviewed, Scopus-indexed journals: 73
Total citations: Scopus: 2041, H Index: 25; Google Scholar: 4411, H Index: 30
MEDIA COVERAGE
Corriere della Sera, Il Sole 24 Ore, La Repubblica, La Nazione, Specchio, Io Donna, Focus, Radio 24 (Il volo delle Oche, Moebius, Darwin), GR1, GR2, Radio 1 (L’aria che respiri), Radio 3 Scienza, Radio Popolare, WDR 5, Televisione Svizzera Italiana (Il Giardino di Albert), Canale 5 (Tg 5), 3sat (Nano), Discovery News, New Scientist, Science Daily, Uno Mattina Verde, Nautilus Scienza – Rai Scuola, Radio Cusano Campus