Research: “Participatory smart cities: a crowdsourced data integration model for sustainable mobility and road safety planning”
PhD Student enrolled at XXXIX Cycle of Infrastructures and Transport Course at Sapienza University of Rome. Professional with over six years of experience in digital communication and journalism, endowed with high creative skills, strong propensity to teamwork, and full adaptability to required tasks.
My research project aims at conceptualizing and implementing a crowdsourced data integration model, with which to support public administrations at regional and local level in the preparation of plans and policies for sustainable mobility sector and road safety.
My technical skills deal with:
- data collection and analysis
- programming language (Python)
- editing of texts or plans for CMS-based blogs or websites (e.g., WordPress, Drupal) and social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram)
- proofreading
- image editing (e.g., Canva, GIMP).
EDUCATION
- PhD in “Infrastructures and Transport” at Sapienza University of Rome (November 2023-ongoing)
Research project: “Participatory smart cities: a crowdsourced data integration model for sustainable mobility and road safety planning”
- PhD Visiting Period at DTU - Technical University of Denmark (February 2025-May 2025)
Attendance of courses focused on business analytics and machine learning models, analysis of crowdsourcing platforms used by municipalities in Denmark, selection of case studies for the implementation of the data integration model (Aarhus, Odense, Gentofte), definition of the integration model and testing in the municipality of Aarhus, presentation of results to the DTU Intelligence Transportation Systems (ITS) group.
- Master's degree in "Business communication and public communication" at University of Salerno (October 2014-February 2018)
Rating: 110/110 with honors
Experimental thesis in Digital Policies: "Open source, a development opportunity for Italian SMEs"
PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
- Enrolled in the Register of Public Journalists
Order of Journalists - Campania Regional Council (April 2022)
- First-level Master in "A18: Teaching of philosophical and humanistic subjects in secondary schools: teaching methodologies" at eCampus University (February 2023-July 2023)
- Master in Global Marketing, Communication & Made in Italy
Italy USA Foundation and Centro Studi "Comunicare L'Impresa" (December 2020)
- Samsung Innovation Camp
Samsung and Randstad (November 2018)
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
- Professional Accredited by the Italy USA Foundation (May 2019)
Recognition achieved as part of the attendance of the "Master in Global Marketing, Communication & Made in Italy" and obtained on the occasion of a ceremony held in the Hall of Parliamentary Groups of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome
CONFERENCES
- European Transport Conference 2025 - Antwerp, Belgium (17-19 September 2025)
Manuel Merolla, Luca Persia, Roberto Carroccia, Marco Di Rocco: Crowdsourcing for Sustainable Mobility - State of Art and Future Opportunities to Support Smart Cities Co-Creation
- TIS Roma 2024 - AIIT 4th International Conference. Greening the way forward: sustainable transport infrastructure and systems - Rome, Italy (19-20 September 2024)
Brayan González-Hernández, Davide Shingo Usami, Steffel Ludivin Tezong Feudjio, Manuel Merolla, Luca Persia - Road Safety Capacity Building in Cameroon: Train-The-Trainers Approach