Diego DOMENICHELLI

Diego Domenichelli is a PhD student in Management at Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

His research interests revolve around the concept of social sustainability in the urban ecosystem, explored through the themes of place identity and the potential of Higher Education Institutions in urban development strategies for the city.

He began his PhD path in September 2025, following a research fellowship at the Office for Promoting Innovation and Knowledge of Ca' Foscari University of Venice. During the fellowship, he worked on Innovation Ecosystems through the MOSAICO – Ca' Foscari Innovation Network project. His research activities focused on marketing aimed at designing communication strategies to engage stakeholders, launching a campaign to consolidate and expand the network, and promoting the project both within and outside the university.

In Venice, he obtained a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Communication in October 2023 with top marks. His thesis addressed the identity of places and the people inhabiting them, with particular reference to the city of Venice and its mainland counterpart, drawing a parallel between Place Branding and Placemaking practices. Marketing strategies and internationalization also formed the foundation of his first-level Master’s in Global Marketing, Communication, and Made in Italy, which he completed in 2021.

He also earned a diploma from the Ca' Foscari International College, writing a second Master’s thesis on South Korea’s Nation Branding strategies in terms of soft power and cultural diplomacy. Thanks to the College, he took part in the STEAM+ project, investigating the role of transdisciplinarity in addressing major societal challenges. During his Master’s studies, he spent a semester abroad in Seoul, South Korea, and another in Coimbra, Portugal, through Erasmus.

He began his university studies with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, where he wrote a thesis on tensions between India and Pakistan in the management of the Indus waters. During his undergraduate years, he took part in the Icaro project of Opificio Golinelli, was an active member of the Culturit Bologna student association, and was selected for the PIL curriculum – an integrated university–enterprise pathway – for which he wrote a second thesis on the potential benefits of e-commerce and social media marketing for craftsmanship.