Massimo Leone

Massimo Leone holds dual academic appointments as Tenured Full Professor of Philosophy of Communication, Cultural Semiotics, and Visual Semiotics at the University of Turin's Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, and as part-time Professor of Semiotics at Shanghai's Department of Chinese Language and Literature. He serves as Vice-Director for Research at the University of Turin and previously directed its MA Program in Communication Studies (2015-2018).

His research spans semiotic theory, visual communication, and religious symbolism with particular focus on facial imagery in digital contexts. Current work centers on the DEEP FACE project analyzing neural network-generated facial images and their societal impact, building on his extensive publications in semiotics and visual studies.

Leone directs Lexia (SCOPUS-indexed semiotic journal) and edits book series including "I Saggi di Lexia" and "Semiotics of Religion." His scholarly recognition includes Europe's most prestigious research grant, the ERC Consolidator Grant (2018).

• Chief Editor, Lexia: Semiotic Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Communication
• Editor, "I Saggi di Lexia" (Aracne Publishing)
• Editor, "Semiotics of Religion" (Walter de Gruyter)

With twelve single-authored books, thirty edited volumes, and over five hundred publications, Leone maintains active international collaboration as a visiting professor across five continents. His recent IDHN Seminar (April 30, 2021) addressed "Deep fake, deep face" concepts through experimental analysis of artificial facial imagery reception.