Education:

Carnegie Mellon University
PhD in Public Policy and Management, April 2009.

Carnegie Mellon University
Master of Science in Public Policy and Management, Heinz School of Public Policy and Management, Concentration: Innovation Management & Policies; May 2003.

L. Bocconi University
Laurea in Business Administration, Major: International Business Strategy and Management, March 1998, Summa cum Laude

Research Interests:

My research focuses on innovation, creativity and regional development. I work at two levels: macro and micro. At the macro level I explore the geographic distribution of human capital and innovative activities and investigate the sources of regional growth, innovation and competitiveness. At the micro level, I explore the psychological mechanisms that attract and retain people in a place and that stimulate them to undertake more creative/innovative activities.

Research Activities:

University of Toronto, Rotman Business School, Martin Prosperity Institute (Present)
Research Coordinator of the project: “The New Europe in the Creative Age”, benchmark analysis of European countries’ creative and innovative potential after the EU enlargement.

Gothenburg University, School of Business, Economics and Law
Research Coordinator of the project: "Scandinavia in the Creative Age", an assessment and evaluation of the attractiveness and creative potential of Swedish cities and regions. (July 2005-Jan. 2007)

Software Industry Center (SWIC), Carnegie Mellon University
Research Associate, Talent and Human Capital Research Thrust (Jan.2003-March 2005).

L. Bocconi University
Public Management Department (1998-2001). Research projects on the Organization and Management of public institutions (national agencies, local and regional governments).

Teaching Activities:

San Andrès University, Master of Science in Org. Studies, Buenos Aires.
Guest Lecturer,“The Spatial Dimension of Talent Attraction and Creativity”, March 2008

San Andrès University, Executive Education Program, Buenos Aires.
Lecturer on “Competing in the Creative Economy”, March 2008

HEC Business School, Dept. of Management and Human Resources, Paris.
Guest Lecturer, “Best in France” Course, Lecture on “Attracting talent”, October 2007

University of Padua, Master in Innovation Management, Padua.
Guest Lecturer; lecture on “Innovation, Creativity and Regional Development”June 2005

Carnegie Mellon University, M.Sc. in Public Policy, Pittsburgh, PA. Teaching assistant for:
- "International Policy and Politics" (2002-2006)
- "Management of Creative Enterprises" (2005)

SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan. Lecturer for executive education classes and for Master’s seminars on Public Management and Sustainable Development (1998-2001).

Other Professional Activities:

Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, Rome, Italy
Member of the Scientific Commission on Creativity and Cultural Industries. Co-author of a Report on the role and impact of Creative and Cultural Industries on the Italian economy released on May 2008.

UNITED NATIONS General Secretariat, New York, USA
Consultant on Knowledge Management issues for the Dep. of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Public Economics and Development Management (January 2003-Present). Co-author of the United Nations publication: "Understanding Knowledge Societies", released on May 2005.

Creativity Group Europe
Co-founder and Research Director. Creativity Group Europe (CGE) is a private think tank that carries research projects and surveys on regions and firms' ability to develop, attract and leverage highly skilled human resources. (June 2004-December 2007)

DELOITTE Consulting
Sacramento Office. Summer Associate. (Summer 2002).

Invited Presentations and International Conferences:

• Citisense 2008, Larvik (Norway), September 2008
Paper presented: “Sustainable Growth in the Creative Age: challenges & strategies”

• University of Toronto (Canada), Experience the Creative Economy Workshop, June 2008
Paper presented: “The experience of living in cities: a model of city satisfaction”

• Urban Development Strategies, Arendal (Norway), January 2008
Presentation: “City and Regional competitiveness in the Creative Economy”

• HEC Business School, Paris (France), November 2007
Paper presented: “The Spatial dimension of talent attraction and creativity”

• MIPIM, World's Property Market, Annual Meeting, Cannes (France), March 2007
Seminar on: “Urban & Regional development in the Creative Age: trends and strategies”

• Gothenburg University, Hendels School of Business, Economics and Law, September 2006
Paper presented: “Benchmarking Swedish cities and regions’ creative potential”

• International Positive Psychology Summit, Washington-DC (USA), October 2006
Seminar on: “Place and Happiness. The role of place on individual happiness”

• World Summit on Information Societies, Tunis (Tunisia), November 2005
Paper presented: “Understanding Knowledge Societies”.

• MIT, Industrial Liason Program, Brussels (Belgium), November 2005
Conference: “Achieving Growth through Strategic Innovation”

• University of Pisa, Sant'Anna School of Management, Pisa (Italy), July 2005
Seminar on: “Italy’s competitiveness in the creative economy”.

• National Swedish Industrial Association, Svinesund (Sweden), June 2005
Presentation: “Competing in the Creative Economy: an Empirical Analysis”

• University of Trento (Italy), May 2005
Seminar on: “The economic value of culture and the arts”

• INDEG Business School, Lisbon (Portugal), October 2004
“Global trends in the creative economy”

Reports & Publications [go to Books & Reports for downloads]:

- Talento da Svendere, Einaudi, Torino, April 2008

- Sweden in the Creative Age, Handels School of Business, University of Gothenburg, June 2007

- Understanding Knowledge Societies, with J. Szeremeta, United Nations Publications, New York, 2005

- Europe in the Creative Age, with R. Florida, Demos, London, February 2004

- Italy in the Creative Age, with R. Florida, Creativity Group Europe, Milan, 2005

- Italy and the Creative Class, Preface to the Italian edition of The Rise of the Creative Class, by R. Florida, Mondadori, Milan, September 2003

Working Papers:

- Opportunity perception in a place: drivers and mechanisms
- Creativity and place: do creative people perceive place differently from less creative ones?
- The Industrial Cluster in the creative economy: driver or drag? (with R. Florida)
- The Experience of Living in Cities Revisited: a Model of City Satisfaction
- Success and failure: managing innovation in the pharmaceutical industry (with A.Arora)

Work in Progress:

- The geographic distribution of creative industries in Italy
- Small cities’ growth and competitiveness: evidence from Norway
- The social behavior of innovative people

Other Activities
Contributor to the Italian newspapers: La Repubblica, La Stampa and Il Riformista.

Newspaper Articles:

• La Stampa, Megalopoli a caccia di talenti, March 11, 2009

• Il Riformista, Meno iscritti all’universita’ il vero segnale del declino, February 17, 2009

• Il Riformista, Se a Milano si potra’ mangiare solo cassoela, January 30, 2009

• Il Riformista, Talenti offronsi sul mercato globale, January 3, 2009

• La Stampa, Negli USA i gay fuori dal ghetto, November 15, 2007
• La Stampa, Questione di classe creativa, July 24, 2007
• La Stampa, I Padroni del Mondo, July 12, 2007
• La Repubblica (Affari & Finanza), ST: un esempio di social network, April 10, 2006
• Corriere della Sera, La Grande Risorsa di Roma: Investire nel Talento, February 5, 2006
• La Repubblica (Affari & Finanza), Il futuro appartiene ai creativi, January 9, 2006
• Corriere del Mezzogiorno, Niente Creativita' senza Universita', August 9, 2005
• La Repubblica (Affari & Finanza), L'Italia puo' farcela se punta a un programma per attrarre i talenti, July 18, 2005
• Il Sole 24 ore, L'Italia cerca il turbo della creatività, September, 23, 2003 (with R.Florida)

Media Coverage & Interviews (to view articles go to Media Coverage):

International Coverage
• Göteborg Post, May 23, 2007
• Financial Times, Thinking Long and Broad, June 15, 2004 (by Jana Bennet)
• Financial Times, Nordic nations have means to attract the most talented, February 17, 2004 (by Anna Fifield, London)
• Irish Independent, We are not just creative, but learning faster than all the others, February 17, 2004, (by Grainne Cunningham)
• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, U.S. vulnerable to Europe in fight for creative workers, February 17, 2004, (by Joel Dresang)
• Edmonton Journal (Alberta, Canada), 'Creative Class' new economic engine, February 17, 2004 (by Alan Kellogg)
• Fort Worth Star Telegram (Texas), New recruiting strategy could help city economy, February 16, 2004
• Innovation and tolerance in the Netherlands, A comment on Richard Florida's and Irene Tinagli's 'Europe in the Creative Age', 2004,(by Koen Becking & Jurgen van der Heijden)
• Tecnodiari, La diversitat ens ajuda a desenvolupar la creativitat, October 2004 (by M.Coll)

Italian National Coverage:

• La Repubblica, May 25, 2008, L’Italia che continua a svendere talento, by G.Turani
• Avvenire, l’Italia senza talento perche’ poco spagnola?, May 14, 2008,
• Il Sole 24 ore, Nova, May 22, 2008, Quell’Italia messa a nudo, by C. Tagliabue
• Repubblica, Il paese dei cervelli sprecati, April 29, 2008, by M. Smargiassi
• Avvenire, July 18, 2007, interviewed by Andrea Fagioli
• Il Sole 24 Ore, February 28, 2007, interviewed by L.Oliva
• La Repubblica (Affari & Finanza), Quello che gli italiani non sanno fare, February 26, 2007 (by G.Turani)
• La Repubblica, Porte Chiuse ai Cervelli Stranieri, December 29, 2006, (by M. Smargiassi)
• La Repubblica (Affari & Finanza), Molto creativi ma poco istruiti, I limiti degli imprenditori italiani, July 4, 2005 (by G. Turani)
• La Repubblica (Affari & Finanza), La gerarchia e' nemica del talento, March 7, 2005 (by L.Gia)
• Vanity Fair, May 2005, interviewed by F. Briglia
• Glamour, October 2005, interviewed by A.D'Agnino
• Ideazione, La creativita': il deficit dell'Italia, November-December 2004 (by P. Bracalini)
• Panorama Economy, Cervelli in fuga, February 26, 2004 (by E. Comelli)
• La Repubblica, May 2004, interviewed by G. Lonardi
• Corriere della Sera (Sette), Creativita' in Corso, December 2003 (by D. Perillo)

Honors:

- Highest Distinction, Master Graduation Award, Heinz School of Public Policy (May 2003)
- Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society membership for academic merits (May 2003)
- Fulbright Scholarship, Italian Fulbright Commission, Rome (2001-2002)
- Graduate Studies Scholarship, Bocconi University , Milan (2002-2003)
- Michael Vinciguerra Fund Scholarship, Italian Fulbright Commission, Rome (2001-2002)
- Best Graduate Award, Bocconi University, Milan (1997-1998)