Education
2018 – 2023 PhD Politics, Royal Holloway, University of London. Viva voce passed on 13 March 2023.
2017 – 2018 MSc Social Research Methods (High Merit), London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
2014 – 2017 BA International Relations (First Class Honours), Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL).
Academic work experience
Postdoctoral Research Officer
Electoral Psychology Observatory (EPO) – London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), since October 2023
Working with Professor Michael Bruter and Dr Sarah Harrison in the EPO research unit part of the Department of Government at the LSE, which is dedicated to cutting edge research on the psychology of voters, and optimising the electoral experience of voters in general, as well as voters with particular needs.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, fixed-term
Queen Mary, University of London, July-September 2023
Working with Professor Maria Grasso (QMUL) and Professor Charles Pattie (University of Sheffield) as a research associate on the ESRC-funded project Understanding the power of political humour: Implications for emotions, attitudes, and behaviour.
Lecturer (Assistant Professor), fixed-term
Royal Holloway, University of London, September 2022 – August 2023
Lecturing across the Department of Politics, International Relations, and Philosophy (PIRP), as well as in the Department of Law and Criminology (LAC).
Teaching duties: In PIRP, I taught third-year undergraduate modules on Politics and Law, and on Electoral Behaviour. In LAC, I taught second-year undergraduate modules in (Quantitative) Research Methods.
Admin duties: supervision of final year and postgraduate dissertation students; administration of the departments’ websites, social media accounts, and quarterly newsletters.
Teaching Assistant
Royal Holloway, University of London, 2019 – 2022
Delivered seminars and computer classes for second-year undergraduate modules in research methods (qualitative and quantitative data analysis, and experimental research) in the Department of Politics, International Relations, and Philosophy (PIRP), and in the Department of Law and Criminology (LAC).
Research Assistant
University of Strathclyde, July – October 2021
Assisted Professor Wolfgang Rudig for the ESRC-funded project Out of Touch and Out of Time? A Cross-Temporal and Cross-Level Analysis of the Social and Ideological Distance between UK Voters and Political Elite.
University College London (UCL), June – July 2021
Assisted Dr. Eleanor Woodhouse for the project Corruption in the Name of: An Analysis of Electoral Accountability, Public Officials, and Surrogacy Behaviors.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), April – June 2019
Assisted Professor Matthew Goodwin (University of Kent) and Professor Oliver Heath (Royal Holloway, University of London) for the project Low-income Voters in UK General Election, 1987-2017.
Academic tutor
The Brilliant Club – Scholars Programme, January – May 2019
Delivered university-style tutorials to high-performing pupils from low-participation schools, through a charity programme aimed at increasing the number of pupils from under-represented backgrounds progressing to highly selective universities.
Other work experience
Events Collector
IHS Markit (now S&P Global), London, UK, 2018 – 2020
Selected and coded geopolitical intelligence information from Western Europe to develop risk assessment and solutions for major international industries and markets, from businesses, to finance and government.
Market Research Assistant
Wy Consultancy, London, UK, 2018 – 2022
Assisted with qualitative research projects for a number of brand positioning and advertising development projects in the UK, Europe and the Middle East for global blue-chip clients.
Intern
Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin, Germany, June – September 2016
Wrote articles for the Institute’s online media outlets. Interviewed ambassadors and politicians. Assisted with the organisation of conferences and panel discussions.
Awards
“Most Effective Use of Video”, awarded at the Political Studies Association ECN Annual Conference 2022.
McDougall Trust Prize 2024 for the best dissertation in the field of elections, electoral systems, and representation. Awarded by the Political Studies Association.
Workshops and conference presentations
PSA ECN Annual Conference 2022 – Presented the working paper “Value Change, Education, and Voting in Britain Across Generations”.
EPOP Annual Conference 2022 (Newcastle University) – Presented the working paper “Value Change, Education, and Voting in Britain Across Generations”.
PSA Annual International Conference 2023 (University of Liverpool) – presented the working papers “Delayed Maturation and Conservative Voting” and “The Impact of Party Appeals on the Age Gap in Voting Preferences”.
ECPR Joint Sessions of Workshops 2023 (Sciences Po, Toulouse) – participated in the workshop ‘Generations and Political Change’, chaired by Wouter van der Brug and Sylvia Kritzinger.
EPOP Annual Conference 2023 (University of Southampton) – Presented the working paper “Delayed Maturation and Conservative Voting”.
SISP Annual Conference 2023 (University of Genoa) – Presented the working paper “Delayed Maturation and Conservative Voting”.
PSA Annual International Conference 2024 (University of Strathclyde) – presented working papers from the ESRC-funded project “Understanding the Power of Political Humour: Implications for Emotions, Attitudes and Behaviours”.
MPSA Annual Conference 2024 (Chicago) – presented working papers from the ESRC-funded project “Understanding the Power of Political Humour: Implications for Emotions, Attitudes and Behaviours”.
Academic services
Reviewer for Politics; Electoral Studies; Journal of Public Policy.
Assisted with running the PSA’s Elections, Public Opinion and Parties (EPOP) 2018 Conference at Royal Holloway.
Panel chair at the PSA Annual International Conference 2023 (Liverpool).
Languages and qualifications
Italian: Mother tongue
English: Advanced working proficiency (IELTS Academic score 8/9; University degrees)
German: Intermediate (Goethe Zertifikat B2 level, score 94/100)
French: Intermediate (French Baccalauréat, B2 level)
IT Skills
Microsoft Office
SPSS
Stata
R
Umbraco
WordPress
Mailchimp
References
Professor Oliver Heath (oliver.heath@rhul.ac.uk) – PhD supervisor
Professor Chris Hanretty (chris.hanretty@rhul.ac.uk) – PhD supervisor
Professor Maria Grasso (m.grasso@qmul.ac.uk) – PhD examiner
Dr Kaat Smets (kaat.smets@rhul.ac.uk) – Colleague (quantitative methods teaching) and co-author
Dr Laura Serra 