Sveva Vitellozzi

Welcome to my website! 

I am an applied behavioral social scientist and gender specialist with a PhD in Development Economics, and field experience across East and West Africa. 

My work combines insights from economics, anthropology, cultural psychology, and social norms theory to understand how gender norms, social structures, and cultural contexts shape people’s everyday decisions and well-being. 

I am particularly passionate about understanding the psychological implications of social norms and how these shape individuals' behaviors in daily life. Over the years, I have worked closely with communities in Kenya to understand how people navigate gender norms, mental health challenges, and economic decision-making in their daily lives. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to producing research that not only explains behavior but also listens to lived realities and contributes to locally grounded, context-sensitive solutions that promote well-being and equality. 

I have expertise in designing and coordinating mixed-methods studies that combine survey data, behavioral field experiments, and qualitative research, and in translating research into accessible, policy- and practice-oriented insights that can drive meaningful social change.