People
CISRE Director
Massimiliano Costa is Full Professor of General Pedagogy at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the Rector’s Delegate for University Teacher Training. He is Director and Scientific Coordinator of the International Centre for Studies on Educational Research (CISRE). He is a member of the ministerial commission established by the Ministry of Education and Merit for the revision of the National Guidelines for the curriculum of pre-primary and first-cycle education (2024–2025). His teaching and research focus on general pedagogy, educational policy, the pedagogy of work, lifelong learning, competence certification, and innovation in education and training systems. He has coordinated and participated in numerous European, national, and regional research projects on education, work, and skills development. He has also held leadership roles in advanced professional education programmes, contributing to the development of innovative models for competence certification and the education of teaching and education professionals. He actively promotes interdisciplinary research and collaboration among universities, public institutions, and local stakeholders in the fields of educational innovation and lifelong learning. He coordinates the national SIPED Network on the Pedagogy of Work, serves as Vice-President of SIREF, and is the author of numerous scientific publications on education, the capability approach, innovation, and the relationship between education and work.
Barbara Baschiera is a Researcher in Didactics and Special Pedagogy at Ca’ Foscari University. Her research focuses on initial and in-service teacher training, the promotion of inclusive teaching, intergenerational learning, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and active teaching methodologies in secondary school and university education. She has gained experience as a Senior Lecturer in Special Pedagogy and Inclusive Education at the University of Malta, where she carried out teaching and research on the themes of educational inclusion. She is a member of the research group of the European alliance EUTOPIA and of the Technical-Scientific Committee of the Active Teaching Laboratories (CLAB). Her scientific output explores models and strategies for educational innovation, with particular attention to the development of accessible, participatory learning environments oriented towards the educational success of all students. She also works on inclusive instructional design and the professional development of teachers, promoting evidence-based approaches aimed at enhancing active participation, the personalisation of learning pathways and the quality of educational processes in different training contexts.
Camilla Brandão de Souza holds a PhD in Human Sciences. During her doctoral studies she was a visiting researcher at Université Paris Descartes (Paris V).
Her research focuses on the development of transversal skills, particularly emotional and creative competencies, and on innovative teaching approaches from a neuroscientific perspective.
She worked at the OECD, within the Directorate for Education and Skills, contributing in particular to the CLA+ project, focused on the development of soft skills in higher education.
She also collaborated with INVALSI on the VALES project and with Observa Science in Society on science education and public engagement initiatives.
Alongside her academic career, she has worked as a primary and secondary school teacher and as a project manager in the field of education.
She further developed her expertise in emotional competencies through “The Anchors of Emotional Intelligence” programme at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.
She also expanded her expertise in learning and assessment through the “Cultures of Thinking” framework by participating in “Project Zero” initiatives at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a particular focus on educational innovation, metacognitive reflection, and meaningful learning.
At CISRE, she conducts research on innovative pedagogy and the integration of transversal skills across educational and technological contexts.
She is a member of the national PRISMA project, which promotes psychological, emotional, and relational well-being within university communities.
She coordinates the Emotions and Creativity Laboratory, an interdisciplinary educational and career guidance program that supports school students in discovering their talents and making informed educational and career choices.
He holds a Master's degree in Semiotics from the University of Bologna, where he completed a thesis on tabletop role-playing games and the cognitive and communicative processes involved in gameplay. He is currently pursuing his research at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, investigating the educational potential of tabletop role-playing games and their capacity to enhance cognitive processes in adult education and training contexts. Alongside his academic work, he is a professional Dungeon Master with extensive experience at major gaming events, including Play – Festival del Gioco and Lucca Comics & Games. By combining professional practice with educational research, he aims to contribute innovative and highly interactive approaches to the field of Educational Sciences. His work is driven by the idea of transferring the playful mindset of creative recombination from gaming environments to educational and workplace learning contexts.
Ines Giunta is Associate professor of General and Social Pedagogy at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage of Ca’ Foscari University, where she teaches Theory of Education and Complexity, Social and Intercultural Pedagogy and Education for Sustainability for Inclusion. She is Department Delegate for Placement, internships and traineeships, Ca’ Foscari representative for the Education Working Group of the Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (RUS), member of the University Board for Sustainability and scientific lead of the “Sustainability Talks - Ideas on Sustainability for a New Humanism”. She also coordinates the Proposal, Research and Study Group on the Ecosystemic Foundations of Education of SIPeGeS. Her research focuses on the themes of complexity, flexibility as a pedagogical category, ecopedagogy and education for sustainability, with particular attention to the ecosystemic foundations of education, human ecology and the educational challenges posed by social and environmental transformations. Her publications explore the relationship between educational responsibility, sustainability and moral formation from a critical and interdisciplinary perspective.
Alessandra Cecilia Jacomuzzi is a Researcher in the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage at Ca’ Foscari University. She specialised in multimedia perception and the application of psychology to the economic and social sciences, and she teaches General Psychology, Foundations of Cognitive Science, and Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience. Her research focuses on cognitive processes, perception, and the interaction between human behaviour, technologies, and social contexts, with particular attention to the application of psychology and neuroscience in educational and organisational settings. She is currently Coordinator of the University Psychological Counselling Service and Department Delegate for Student Services and Guidance. She has also held institutional roles in the areas of sustainability and inclusion and is a member of several scientific and editorial bodies. She is the Ca’ Foscari Coordinator for the national PRISMA project, dedicated to promoting psychological, emotional, and relational well-being within university communities.
Anna Lazzari is a PhD candidate in Educational Sciences at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Her research explores the integration of AI literacy into art history education and informal learning contexts. She holds a Master's degree in Economics and Management of Arts and Cultural Activities. Since 2016, she has designed and delivered creative educational workshops, introductory theatre programmes, social inclusion and museum accessibility projects, and cultural initiatives in collaboration with a range of organizations across the Veneto region. She also holds a Master's degree in Art Therapy and has completed professional training in museum education and digital innovation through programmes offered by Fondazione Scuola dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali, ICOM, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Fondazione Cariverona. As a museum educator, she has collaborated with Palazzo Grassi - Punta della Dogana, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, La Biennale di Venezia, and the Civic Museums of Venice.
Mustafa Marchych is a Research Fellow at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. He holds a PhD in Educational Sciences and conducts research in the fields of Experimental Pedagogy and General and Social Pedagogy. His research interests focus on the intersection of gender and culture, theories and models of human agency, and processes of sociocultural and digital adaptation. He also conducts research in education, with a particular interest in participatory research approaches involving children and adolescents.
Sibilla Montanari is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the FWF-funded research project EQoL – Teaching the Good Lifeat the Centre for Teacher Education, University of Vienna. She is a Junior Member of SIPED (Italian Society of Pedagogy). She holds a PhD in Philosophy and Educational Sciences from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and earned a Master's degree in Educational Sciences for Training and Pedagogical Consultancy in Organizations from the University of Siena in 2019. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a social and healthcare educator. Her current research focuses on adult and workplace education, lifelong guidance, education for sustainable development, and sustainability competencies. In 2023, she co-organized the Fifth Doctoral Conference, jointly hosted by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, entitled Environmental Issues. From 2019 to 2021, she also co-organized the first three Italian editions of the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) on Climate Change.
Cinzia Ritt is a PhD candidate in Educational Sciences. She graduated with honours in Philosophy from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice after nearly two decades of professional experience in the banking sector, with particular expertise in financial advisory services. Her extensive professional background represents a distinctive strength in her current research, which is co-funded by ENAIP Veneto and focuses on the development of a system for assessing and monitoring the strategic competencies of the institution’s trainers. The project is grounded in a heutagogical and capability-based framework, with the aim of promoting an innovative educational approach centred on the development of individual potential.
She is a PhD candidate at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, a tenured school teacher, and a psychologist. She previously served as a Coordinating Tutor at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro” and the University of Calabria, where she also taught in teacher specialization programmes for special educational needs (SEN). She is a teacher educator for educators across all levels of education and serves as a member of editorial and organizing committees, as well as a peer reviewer for academic publications. She has presented her research at national and international conferences and is the author of scientific publications in both national and international journals. Her research interests include teacher education, with a particular focus on new technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as methodologies and educational tools for students with special educational needs (SEN).
He holds a PhD in Philosophy and Educational Sciences from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, following a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and History and a Master's degree in Human Resource Development and Training. His research focuses on comparative education and the professional development of secondary school teachers. Methodologically, he specializes in qualitative research and completed a study period at University College Dublin (UCD). He is currently involved in a research project at IUSVE under the scientific supervision of Professors Massimiliano Costa, Arduino Salatin, and Andrea Giacomo Antonio, focusing on the professional profile of vocational education and training (VET) teachers in the Italian Education and Vocational Training (IeFP) system. Previously, he served as Coordinator of Educational Activities at the Inter-University Centre for Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schools in Venice. During his doctoral studies, he contributed to the instructional design of initial teacher education programmes for secondary school teachers. He also collaborated in the organization of events promoted by CISRE, including the Talk UNIVE seminar series on sustainability, and participated in international academic events such as the International PhD Symposium in Philosophy and Educational Sciences (2023 and 2024 editions) and the 2022 Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS).