F. (Francesca) Giardini, PhD
Universitair Hoofddocent SociologieHer/Hers
E-mail:
f.giardini rug.nl
Vakgebied
Expertise
Francesca is an interdisciplinary social scientist whose research focuses on the micro-foundations of social phenomena. Her work combines theoretical analysis, agent-based modeling, and laboratory experiments to examine how individual cognitive and behavioral processes give rise to social sustainability and resilience. She investigates decision-making under uncertainty and the role of information sharing—such as opinion dynamics, gossip, and risk communication—in shaping collective outcomes.Her research further addresses reputation-based cooperation and cooperative dynamics within inter-organizational networks. Francesca is a work package leader in the EU-funded project PrepShield, which focuses on preparedness for health crises. Within this project, she develops cognitively and behaviorally grounded models of artificial populations to study the emergence of compliance and polarization, and to explore how such models can support evidence-based policy design.
Overige functies
Director of the research theme “Risk, crises and resilience” of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development at the University of Groningen. Coordinator of the Special Interest Group of the European Social Simulation Association SIG-BRICSS: Building Resilience with Social Simulations .
Laatst gewijzigd:22 januari 2026 11:20