Simona Sciara

Simona Sciara is a Fixed-Term Researcher (RTD-A) in Social Psychology (M-PSI/05) at the Faculty of Psychology of Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and graduated with honors in Psychology from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. She serves as Research Director of the Social Psychology Research Laboratory (UniSR-Social.Lab) and is a Lab Affiliate at New York University's Motivation Lab.

• Education: PhD in Social Psychology (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan), Honors in Psychology (Vita-Salute San Raffaele University).

Her research focuses on emotional and motivational processes in social behavior, particularly through experimental paradigms. Key areas include self-completion via social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook), emotions as goal-oriented states, empathic responses, and science/health communication. Her work combines theory-driven experiments with real-world applications.

Recent publications highlight her expertise in social media psychology, pandemic behavior, and romantic relationships. She has secured funding from international institutions like the Society for the Science of Motivation (SSM) and the Psychology of Technology Institute.

• Society for the Science of Motivation (SSM)
• Psychology of Technology Institute (Los Angeles)
• Italian Psychological Association (AIP)

Her teaching includes Social Psychology and Psychosocial Research Methodology across disciplines like Cognitive Psychology in Health Communication, Dentistry, and Political Science. She employs both laboratory and field experiments to explore identity goals, emotional barriers, and online activism.