Prior research experience: I have devoted the last few years of research to the study of body representations (body schema and body image) from a cognitive, neural and behavioral perspective. In particular, I wrote my Master's thesis in Functional Neuroanatomy on the mechanisms underlying the plasticity of body representations in relation to tool embodiment in both real and virtual environments.
PhD Topic: I am currently studying how virtual environments can alter moral decision making by interfering with body representations and corporal awareness. Specifically, I am investigating whether the modifications of subcomponents underlying the embodiment of a virtual avatar affects our social actions. To this end, I am collecting behavioural and physiological data during an immersive virtual reality experience.