I trained as a computer scientist in Bologna and Pisa before moving to Henley for a PhD on service robots and online reviews, which I passed with no corrections in 2020.
That mix still defines my work. I combine big data and machine learning with theory from service marketing and entrepreneurship to understand how AI and robots change customer experience, frontline work and the way services are designed. My research appears in journals such as the Journal of Travel Research, Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management and Psychology & Marketing, and I sit on the editorial boards of Tourism Management and the Journal of Travel Research.
In the classroom, I design modules where students learn entrepreneurship by doing it, from Dragons’ Den competitions judged by industry experts to start-up boot camps in Malaysia. With Dr Andrew Hull, I built an AI-supported marking system for more than 550 students that won the AI in Marking Award at the 2026 International e-Assessment Awards.
I also care about how academia works. As Research Division Lead I’ve set up writing labs, research away days and an early-career forum, and I advocate for responsible research assessment. Beyond the university, I work with the PropTech community as a member of the US PropTech Council, and as a moderator and jury member at PropTech Connect events.