Mélinda Pozzi

I specialize in how people build, calibrate, and manage trust—both individually and in groups—with a focus on epistemic vigilance (“who or what to believe?”) and strategic vigilance (“with whom to collaborate?”), and their application to understanding our information environments.

Through a combination of behavioral experiments and agent-based modeling, I study the cognitive foundations of trust and investigate how these mechanisms shape collective behaviors, including cooperation and societal resilience to mis- and disinformation.

Beyond academia, I apply my cognitive science research to policy, governance, and diplomacy as a foraus Neuchâtel Co-Head.