I am an Italian archaeologist and Associate Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at Sapienza University of Rome, where I lead the DANTE - Ancient Diet and Technology Laboratory within the Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences. My research has focused on early prehistoric societies in southern Europe, particularly on the dietary behavior, technology, identities, and cultural traditions of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic foragers, and their evolution with the advent of farming. I have explored these topics through the study of human dental calculus, use-wear, and residue analysis of material culture.

As PI of the ERC StG Project HIDDEN FOODS, I led a 5-year initiative investigating the role of plant foods in prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies in southeastern Europe and Italy. This project provided key insights into how plant foods influenced dietary strategies, health status, and technological changes in ancient communities.

Recently, I expanded my research to explore ancient remedies and medical care practices through dental calculus analysis, supervising the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action Project MEDICAL - Medical Treatments in Medieval Leprosaria. Exploring Healing Remedies through Dental Calculus Analysis, GA: 844364, awarded to Dr. E. Fiorin). 

I am also the PI of the PRIN 2022 project ROMAN CALCULUS - Ancient Materia Medica, Modern Therapeutic Substances, and Drugs of Abuse Through Dental Calculus, which integrates archaeological and clinical disciplines to enhance understanding of medical care and lifestyles in both antiquity and today.

In 2022, I joined the project Caribbean Archaeology - Archaic Period Settlements in the Eastern and Northern Regions of the Dominican Republic and Human Adaptation to the Pre-Columbian Marine Ecosystem to study pre-Columbian Diet and lithic and shell technology in Santo Domingo and Cuba, in collaboration with Prof. A. Coppa and Dr. F. Genchi. The project involves excavation, bioarchaeological analysis, and research in these regions. As PI, I am supported by Sapienza University and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).