Education

• Alma Mater: Sapienza University of Rome

• Master (Laurea) in Physics at the Department of Physics of Sapienza University of Rome  (1987).
  Thesis title: Quantum Treatment of simple molecular ions: predissociation and photodissociation of NH+ and ArH+   (Trattamento quantistico di ioni molecolari semplici: predissociazione e fotodissociazione del NH+ e dell'ArH+); Supervisor: Prof. Francesco A. Gianturco

• PhD (Dottorato di Ricerca) in Physics at the Department of Physics of the University of Perugia (1993).
  Thesis title: Quantum Dissipative Systems (Sistemi Quantistici Dissipativi); Supervisor: Prof. Pasquale Sodano.

Grants and Projects

• PI of the project "Learning processes in language dynamics", supported by the Estonian Science Foundation, grant PRG1059 (2021-2025).

• PI of the Estonian Research Council grant PUT1356 Dynamics of languages: Models and methods from complex systems theory (2017−2020).

• Investigator in the Estonian Research Council grant IUT39-1 The role of diversity in complex systems (2015−2020).

• Investigator in the Estonian Science Foundation grant ETF9462 Spatio-temporal dynamics of condensed matter, biological and complex systems (2012-2015).

• PI of the Estonian Science Foundation grant ETF7466 Modern methods of statistical physics: applications to diffusion processes in complex systems (2008-2011).

• PI of the project ETF7466 Modern methods of statistical physics: applications to diffusion processes in complex systems (2008-2011), supported by the Estonian Science Foundation.

• PI of the Estonian-French co-operation program "G. F. PARROT" Analysis and modeling of languages and dialects using methods from complex systems theory. Modeling Language & Dialects with Complexity Theory" (2017-2018; French PI Prof. J.L. Leonard, Sorbonne University).

• PI of the joint Research Project under agreement on scientific cooperation between the Polish and Estonian Academy of Science Statistical physics of complex systems of interacting, diffusing, evolving units" (2010-2012; Polish PI: Prof. A. Pekalski, University of Wroclaw).

Previous positions

• Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Tartu

• Associate Researcher at Sapienza University of Rome

• Senior Researcher at Aalto University

• Associate Researcher at Philipps-Universität Marburg

• Associate Researcher at University of Augsburg

• Visiting Professor at IFISC, the Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems

Other activities

• Co-starter of the ComplexSimplex group (2021)

• TNA visits within the SoBigData++ Research Infrastructure to the group of Prof. Kimmo Kaski, Aalto University, Summer 2023 and Summer 2024

• Co-organizer of the COMPILA satellites on language dynamics:

  • CompiLa2025 – Complexity in Language, satellite meeting of CCS2025, the Conference of Complex Sytems 2025, September 4, 2025, Siena, Italy

  • CompiLa2024 – Complexity in Language Variation and Change, satellite meeting of CCS2024, the Conference on Complex Systems 2024, September 2-6 2024, Exter, England.

  • CompiLa2023 - Complexity in Language Variation and Change (August 4th) at StatPhys28 conference (August 7-11, 2023), with  Yoshifumi Kawasaki (University of Tokyo, Japan) and David Sanchez (IFISC).

  • CompiLa2022 - Complexity in Language Variation and Change at CCS2022 The Conference of Complex Systems, 2022 October 17-21, Palma de Mallorca", with David Sanchez (IFISC).

• Referee for Phys. Rev. Lett.; Phys. Rev. A; Phys. Rev. E; Physica A; Physica D; Eur. Phys. J. B; Chaos, Solitons & Fractals; Editor for FrontiersIn (Interdisciplinary Physics, Complex Systems).

Supervisions

• Renan Nunes (post-doc, language dynamics)

• Vivian Dornelas (post-doc, language dynamics)

• David Navidad Maeso (PhD in Physics, 2023, Tallinn University. Cosupervision with Dr. Els Heinsalu, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, and Dr. Astrid Rekker, Tallinn University). Thesis title: Finite-Range Competition And Natural Selection In Dispersal-Structured Populations.

• Gionni Marchetti (post-doc, 2016−June 2021, language dynamics)

• Ingel-Brit Parmas (Bachelor, Tartu University, 2019. Cosupervision with Dr. Els Heinsalu, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics). Thesis title: Searching Turing instabilities in the Abrams-Strogatz model.

• Jens-Kristjan Liivand (Master, Tartu University, 2018, Cosupervision with Dr. Els Heinsalu, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, and Prof. Teet Örd, Tartu University). Thesis title: Memory effects in language acquisition and attrition processes.

• Jürgen Rannap (Bachelor, Tartu University, 2017. Cosupervision with Dr. Els Heinsalu, National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics). Thesis title: Mathematical analysis of Numic languages.

• Peter Szelestey (PhD in Physics, 2004, Aalto University. Main supervisor Prof. Kimmo Kaski, Aalto University). Thesis title: Computational modelling of fracture and dislocations .

Teaching

• "Introduction to Econophysics", TalTech. Autumn 2025

• "Complex Systems and Self-Organization", TalTech. Spring 2025

• "Introduction to Econophysics", TalTech. Autumn 2024

• "Complex Systems and Self-Organization", TalTech. Spring 2024
  Collection of students' reports (Complex Systems 2024)

• "Introduction to Econophysics", TalTech. Autumn 2023

• "Introduction to Econophysics", TalTech. Autumn 2021 (with S. De La Torre)

• "Introduction to Econophysics", TalTech. Autumn 2018 (with J. Kalda)

• "Diversity-Induced Effects in Physics and Complex Systems", lecture at the 2014 EFS Exact Sciences Autumn School, 2014 November 7-9, Nelijärve Puhkekeskuses, Estonia

• "Models of cultural evolution through space and time", lecture at the 47th Karpacz Winter School "Simple Models for Complex Systems", 2011 February 7-12, Ladek Zdroj, Poland

• "Introduction to Complex Systems", University of Tartu, September-October 2007

• "Research-oriented course in Complex Systems", University of Tartu, November-December 2007

• "Econophysics", lecture in the Series of Seminars of Theoretical Physics, University of Tartu, November 2006

• "Introduction to Molecular Dynamics", lecture at the Kääriku Estonian Autumn School of Physics, 2004 October 8-10

• "Research-oriented Graduate Seminar on Complex Systems", Aalto University, Spring 2004 (with Jari Saramäki)