Giovanni Travaglino

Giovanni Travaglino is a Professor of Social Psychology and Criminology at Royal Holloway, University of London, within the Department of Law and Criminology. He directs the Institute for the Study of Power, Crime, and Society and leads the European Research Council-funded 'Secret Power' project, investigating criminal governance in Italy, the UK, and Japan. Previously, he held roles at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Kent. His research spans organized crime, political behavior, and vicarious dissent, with a focus on cultural, group dynamics, and intergroup relations.

Education:

• BSc in Psychology, University of Padua, Italy
• MSc in Social & Applied Psychology, University of Kent, UK
• PhD in Social Psychology, University of Kent, UK
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Research Interests:

Travaglino’s interdisciplinary work examines the nexus of culture, politics, and crime, including criminal groups’ legitimacy, radicalization drivers, and vicarious dissent mechanisms. He employs quantitative methods to analyze cross-cultural variations in political violence, cybercrime perceptions, and socio-legal dynamics.

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator for ERC-funded 'Secret Power' (2021–2027)
• Knowledge Exchange Forum with Police Forces (2023–2025)
• British Academy-funded research on radicalization (2024–2026)

Editorial Roles:

Founder and co-editor of Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest, and editorial board member of Asian Journal of Social Psychology and Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Institute Affiliations:

• Conflict, Violence and Terrorism Research Centre
• Honorary Member, Institute of Cyber Security for Society (iCSS) since 2022

Supervision:

Guides PhD and postdoctoral researchers in criminology, social psychology, and crime-related political dynamics. Collaborates widely across Italy, the UK, Korea, and the US.