Having championed the use of internet as a collaborative educational platform in schools and museums in Italy in the early 1990s, I worked on the development of both the science center NEMO in Amsterdam and the Miami Museum of Science, and collaborated for several years with the Exploratorium in San Francisco. I have led, managed and evaluated several international projects linked with science, art, democracy and public participation — many in collaboration with Ecsite and science museums, government organisations and universities across Europe, USA, South Africa and Brazil. I have a MA in Economics, a master in Science Communication and a PhD in Social Sciences, with a specialisation in scientific citizenship, and I have published 2 books and several academic and popular articles on public engagement with science and technology. From 2016 to 2022 I was the executive director of Science Gallery International, and I currently am Head of International Relations at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I am also a member of the expert network for the World Economic Forum and a Cultural Leader in Davos in 2017 and 2018 and in Dalian in 2017 and 2019. I am also a member of the board of the Deutsches Museum in Munich and of the Scientific Advisory Board at Universcience in Paris and at the University of Copenhagen.

I am an interdisciplinary researcher, facilitator and performer. Once trained as a biologist, philosopher and theatre maker, I am now an Associate Professor in Science Communication and Public Engagement at VU Amsterdam. Blending an STS and Arts & Design perspective, my work centers on the conceptual and methodological innovation of public engagement processes to shape meaningful conversations at various science-society interfaces. Specifically, I focus on: 1) sensemaking and reflection processes; 2) the role of intermediaries; and 3) the use of playful and creative methods to nurture reflection and dialogue across the boundaries of science and society. I have worked together with a variety of European science museums and science centres in national and international projects, mostly aimed at supporting these organisations to develop capacity for participatory / deliberative forms of public engagement. Examples of these projects are VOICES, SYNENERGENE, RRI TOOLS, NANO2ALL and RETHINK. Ultimately, my aim is to contribute to creative democracy as a way to shape the conversation about science in society.

By education I am journalist and veterinarian, which is why from the beginning of my career I have been working as a science consultant, science journalist and communicator dealing with life sciences, physiology, zoology, health sciences, etc. Since 2020, I have been working in Science Events and Programmes Department at the Experyment Science Centre in Gdynia, Poland, where I deal with science communication and popularization, especially in the field of life sciences. In Experyment, I value my colleagues (their enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity), as well as a modern, visionary approach to the relationship between science and society. I am working on my PhD thesis, concerning the transfer of knowledge from science community to society. I have two daughters. I like coffee and cycling.