This page lists the research appointments currently active at DIEC. Please note that research fellowships are being phased out.
Research Contracts
Habitat - How European Big Cities and Legal System Trigger Urban Inequality: An Inquiry into Law and Economics
Research Contractor: Sara Geremia
Academic Supervisor: Marta Nai Ruscone
Project Description: This study applies network science frameworks to urban real estate markets in order to analyze housing price fluctuations and spatial segregation dynamics, focusing on the impact of neighborhood effects. The research is framed within the ERC HABITAT project, which examines the role of urban legal and regulatory systems in shaping socio-economic inequalities across European cities. Specifically, advanced statistical techniques and network analysis tools will be developed to identify neighborhood-level structures and evaluate how the structural position of neighborhoods within the urban network influences housing prices and spatial segregation.
Research Fellowships
Habitat - How European Big Cities and Legal System Trigger Urban Inequality: An Inquiry into Law and Economics
Research Fellow: Chiara Baggetta
Academic Supervisor: Gianluca Cerruti
Project Description: The project analyses economic and legal datasets through the application of econometric and statistical models. In particular, it employs multivariate regression models and time-series models to investigate regional and urban economics, with a specific focus on the European context and European cities.
Data Collection and Analysis for Urban Dashboards
Research Fellow: Monica Bruzzone
Academic Supervisor: Renata Paola Dameri
Project Description: The research is part of the project “From Inclusive Technologies to Inclusive Smart Cities” (RAISE – Spoke 1, WP5) and focuses on developing a model of indicators for measuring urban inclusiveness. The activity contributes to the creation of an innovative Urban Dashboard — a decision-support tool for local governance — based on territorial data and AI algorithms. The main activities include: conducting a literature review on IT tools for urban monitoring and decision-making support, with particular attention to the role of AI in data processing; defining indicators and optimal levels of granularity (spatial, temporal, social); constructing the urban grid and collecting urban data from public sources; developing the theoretical framework and the data model; supporting the design and implementation phases of the Urban Dashboard for Socio-Economic Empowerment, a demonstrator within the RAISE project.
Communication and Innovation within European University Alliances
Research Fellow: Cristina Chiaiso
Academic Supervisor: Renata Paola Dameri
Project Description: The project foresees that the research fellow will serve as Dissemination Officer within the European project Ulysseus (specifically WP9), leveraging their expertise and experience in the fields addressed by the project and making use of the University’s structures and related activities (Innovation Hub). In particular, the research fellow acts as project manager within the Innovation Hub in Tourism & Heritage, working in coordination with other activities related to Dissemination and Public Engagement of relevance to both the Ulysseus project and the University of Genoa. The role also contributes to the promotion of research within the University and across the local territory.
Mapping Accessibility for Transport Infrastructures. Description indicators and performance indices relating territorial connectivity and accessibility. Potential implications for policy evaluation and the development of guidelines for the replication of the methodology
Research Fellow: Valentina Costa
Academic Supervisor: Ilaria Delponte
Project Description: The project aims to build a dataset that integrates spatial, infrastructural and socio-economic information to support the conduct of accessibility and connectivity analyses on a national scale. This tool is intended to provide administrators and policymakers with a decision-support system for transport, social inclusion and territorial cohesion.
Economic Evaluation of Port Innovation
Research Fellow: Wouter Antoon Schmidt
Academic Supervisor: Claudio Ferrari
Project Description: The research activity focuses on the development of an economic and financial assessment model for the innovations studied within the European project PIONEERS, aimed at supporting the green transition of ports.
Habitat - How European Big Cities and Legal System Trigger Urban Inequality: An Inquiry into Law and Economics
Research Fellow: Simone Robbiano
Academic Supervisor: Gianluca Cerruti
Project Description: The project aims to analyse the economic impact of high-speed rail lines in Italy, focusing on production, productivity, and innovation. Particular attention is devoted to the proper identification of the counterfactual, the existence of heterogeneous and spillover effects, and the transmission channels. The analysis relies on economic and legal datasets and employs econometric and statistical strategies within a counterfactual framework, which allows for overcoming various issues associated with classical regression analysis, such as selection bias. These analytical methods are based on identification strategies designed to capture the causal effect of a specific policy and/or event on a given outcome.