Floriana Giuseppina Maria FERRO

Floriana Ferro specializes in phenomenology, aesthetics, and the philosophy of technology, with an academic profile that combines theoretical inquiry, teaching practice, and interdisciplinary research. After studying at the University of Catania—where she earned both her BA and MA with highest honours and, in 2011, a PhD in Philosophy and History of Ideas—she devoted her work to examining the relationship between alterity, experience, and forms of subjectivity, engaging deeply with authors such as Levinas, Husserl, and Merleau-Ponty, and exploring their connection to Gestalt psychology.

Her academic career has developed primarily at the University of Udine, the University of Trieste, and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. After several years as teaching assistant, research fellow, and lecturer in philosophical writing at the University of Udine, she now holds adjunct positions as Lecturer in Theory and Criticism of Postmodern Architecture and Cities (University of Trieste) and Lecturer in Philosophy taught in English (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice). She has also contributed to the training of high school teachers, particularly on issues related to digital culture and artificial intelligence, collaborating with national programmes such as “I Lincei per la scuola” and PNRR-funded initiatives.

Her research focuses on the perceptual and cognitive transformations introduced by digital technologies, with particular attention to mixed reality (MR), human–machine interaction, and AI-assisted processes of imagination. She has received several competitive research grants, including three postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Udine. Her international research experience includes a Visiting Fellowship at Western Galilee College (Akko), as well as earlier academic periods at Stanford University and Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.

Scientifically, she is the author of four monographs—including Fenomenologia del digitale (Mimesis, 2024)—and numerous peer-reviewed articles in the fields of aesthetics, phenomenology, and the philosophy of technology. Her most recent work explores the concept of Entangled Twins, developed in collaboration with engineers and researchers in human–computer interaction, combining phenomenological analysis with HCI experimentation and artificial intelligence. Together with Prof. Michele Geronazzo, she coordinates an interdisciplinary research group on this topic across the universities of Padua, Trieste, and Udine.

She is actively involved in the organization of conferences, academic schools, and cultural festivals (including the international “Mimesis” festival), and is a regular speaker at national and international events, such as the World Congress of Philosophy, AI-focused conferences, and workshops on phenomenology, aesthetics, and cognitive sciences. She is a member of several scholarly societies—among them SIE, SiFiT, and SFI-FVG—and serves on the Executive Board of the regional section of the Italian Philosophical Society. Her editorial work includes serving as reviewer, member of scientific committees, and guest editor of special issues.

Alongside her university activity, she has been a permanent teacher of Philosophy and History in secondary education since 2018, maintaining a pedagogical perspective that integrates phenomenology, technology, and contemporary educational practices. She also holds advanced competence in foreign languages (English C1, French B2, German B1).

Overall, her professional profile stands out for its ability to combine theoretical rigor, interdisciplinary experimentation, and attention to the educational and social applications of philosophy—particularly regarding emerging technologies and the perceptual transformations of the digital age.