Alessandro Toso, PhD

Welcome! 

I'm Alessandro Toso, an economist and social researcher, working on the captivating intersection of social economics, gender studies, and public health.

I hold a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Siena (Italy) and a Master's in International Cooperation Policies for Development at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart (Milan).

My research journey is a multidisciplinary exploration into the connections between economic and health systems and individual well-being. I'm particularly interested in the dynamics of social capital, subjective happiness, mental health, and substance use.

In recent years, I've developed a broad research profile across several fields.

• From 2019 to 2022, I worked as a research analyst in geoeconomics at the Italy China Council Foundation (Milan), where I gained a solid grounding in macroeconomic dynamics, globalization, and trade flows. I was part of the first Italian research team to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on bilateral trade between Italy and China.

• Fieldwork has always played a central role in my research. I've conducted surveys and interviews in working-class neighborhoods of Milan, several Italian prisons, and marginalized districts of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. During the latter, I built a dataset of over 500 entries in a three-month study focused on mental health in vulnerable populations.

• I have completed two recent visiting periods at the European Union Drug Agency (EUDA) in Lisbon (Sept-Dec 2023) and the Doctoral Program in Public Health at the Universidade Federal do Ceará in Fortaleza (Mar-Jun 2024).

Looking ahead, I'm committed to continuing this path, seeking new, integrated strategies to foster well-being and resilience among vulnerable individuals and communities. As an advocate for social inclusion, I believe that systemic approaches, rather than isolated interventions, are essential for meaningful policy design and impact.

Languages: Italian (native), fluent in English, Slovenian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Last update: February 2026