Science cOMMUNICATION

This section brings together my interviews and media contributions addressed to wider, non‑specialist audiences. Through these conversations, I engage with public debates on research culture, the relevance of ancient and medieval philosophical traditions, and the role of cross‑cultural dialogue in contemporary intellectual life. Rather than presenting academic results, these interventions aim to open philosophical perspectives to broader discussion beyond strictly disciplinary contexts.

Public Interviews

让学术评价回归以人为本 [Let Academic Evaluation Return to a People-Centered Approach]
2026 | Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), 7 January 2026. CN: 11‑0274. read

In the interview I discuss the pressures and pitfalls of the European tenure system, pointing to its intense competition, forced transnational mobility, and the psychological toll on early-career researchers. I argue that current evaluation metrics favour rapid, high-impact outputs over slow, foundational scholarship, risking long-term intellectual depth. I call for reforms that take disciplinary differences seriously, ease existential pressure on academics, and value career paths beyond academia. I also stress the need to address mental health openly and to build a research culture that treats scholars as people, not merely as producers of measurable outputs.

拿什么来激励科研人才? [What Motivates Research Talent?]
2025| Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), 13 October 2025. CN: 11‑0274. read

In this interview, I discuss current debates on performance-driven academic evaluation systems and their impact on research. I argue that rigid, metric-based criteria risk discouraging long-term and foundational inquiry, pushing scholars towards short-term productivity instead of sustained intellectual work. I emphasise the need for evaluation frameworks that respect disciplinary diversity and foster environments where ambitious, long-range research can genuinely flourish.

古典文明研究在创新中走向未来 [Classical Civilisation Studies and Innovation]
2025 | Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), 2 July 2025. CN: 11‑0274. read

In this interview, I discuss how research on classical civilisations can contribute to a more inclusive understanding of world history beyond Eurocentric narratives. I emphasise the importance of cross-cultural dialogue and international collaboration, and reflect on the role of new research institutions in fostering broader, global perspectives on human civilisation.

点燃古典学研究的璀璨思想火花 [Igniting Thought in Classical Studies]
2025 | Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), 5 February 2025. CN: 11‑0274. read

In this interview, I explain why the study of ancient and medieval traditions remains intellectually relevant today. I argue that engaging with these historical forms of thought helps us better understand the foundations of contemporary debates and supports meaningful cross-cultural dialogue. I also stress the importance of communicating ancient and medieval philosophy beyond academic circles, particularly to younger generations, as part of a broader responsibility to connect scholarly research with public understanding.

文明交流互鉴的新平台 [A New Platform for Civilisational Dialogue]
2024 | Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), 29 November 2024. CN: 11‑0274. read

In this interview, I reflect on the establishment of the China Classical Civilisation Research Institute in Athens as a platform for intercultural exchange bringing ancient and medieval traditions into dialogue across civilisations. I emphasise its potential to foster international collaboration and to broaden how classical studies are understood in a global context.

传承与时代并进古典与现代共生 [Tradition and Modernity in Dialogue]
2024 | Chinese Social Sciences Today (中国社会科学报), 7 November 2024. CN: 11‑0274. read

In this interview, I reflect on the relevance of ancient and medieval traditions for contemporary intellectual life. I argue that classical thought should not be confined to the past but understood as evolving in dialogue with modern perspectives. I also emphasise the importance of integrating Eastern and Western traditions in a global humanities framework, fostering mutual understanding across cultures.

Outreach Articles

Layered Stories in Colours: The Artistic Vision of MarieArt
IPM Monthly 4/1 (January 2025). read

In this interview, I explore how MarieArt’s paintings weave together colour, texture, myth, and contemporary concern, showing how artistic practice can open broader questions of memory, hope, and social responsibility, while holding in tension personal vision, Sicilian cultural inheritance, and a sustained impulse toward experimentation.

A Cinematic Journey Through History and Duty: Hu Mei’s Confucius (2010)
IPM Monthly 3/1 (January 2024). read

In this film reflection I explore how Confucius (directed by Hu Mei) brings the life and teaching of the ancient philosopher to the screen, showing how historical cinema can open philosophical questions to broader audiences while balancing narrative and historical interpretation.

Philosophy and Snickerdoodles: An Interview with Richard Taylor on Festive Recipes and an Old Tradition
IPM Monthly 2/1 (January 2023). read

In this interview, I explore how a long-standing recipe tradition started by Richard Taylor at Marquette University uses shared festive cooking to build rapport between students and teachers, showing how simple cultural practices can open up reflections on community, care, and the teaching of philosophy.

Хранители – The Soviet Version of The Lord of the Rings You Need to Watch
IPM Monthly 1/7 (December 2022). read

In this piece, I reflect on Khraniteli – the Soviet adaptation of The Lord of the Rings – and consider how unlikely cinematic retellings can reveal different cultural values and interpretive possibilities, showing how classic narratives are reimagined across contexts.

The Ros Beiaard of Dendermonde
IPM Monthly 1/2 (June 2022). read

In this piece I reflect on the Ros Beiaard parade in Dendermonde – a decennial event rooted in medieval legend – and include an interview with the mayor of Dendermonde on the civic role of communal rituals in linking history, identity, and contemporary public life.

叙事的打破者 [= The Breaker of Narratives]
Critique of Andrea Fagioli’s sculptures for 苏州市雕塑协会, Jan 2022. read

In this piece, I reflect on Andrea Fagioli’s artworks through the lens of time: its relentless reshaping of forms, its ability to undo our comforting stories, and its paradoxical role in exposing what our self-deception tries to keep hidden

L’ombra di Brexit sull’accademia inglese
In circolo. Rivista di filosofia e culture 2 (2016). read

In this essay I reflect on the impact of the Brexit referendum on British academia, describing how political shifts began to affect scholarly life, international collaboration, and the everyday experience of academic researchers.

Science communication events

Scienza e filosofia nel medioevo: un’epoca oscura?
2025 | Seminar, Laboratorio ConsapevolMente. University of Messina (IT), 21 February 2025.

What Did Medieval Philosophy Do for Us? Cross-Disciplinary Entanglements
2023 | Round-table participant, 2023 International Medieval Congress Leeds, University of Leeds (UK), 4 July 2023.

Ancient and Medieval Ontology
2020 | With Jenny Pelletier and Nicolas Zaks. Workshop: Question Lab. KU Leuven (BE), 27 November 2020.

Richard Rufus on Matter
2020 | Round-table with Rega Wood and Neil Lewis. Conference: Virtual Colloquium. Paris Institute of Advanced Studies, 25 June 2020.

Structuring Nature: An Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Summer School
2019 | Co-Organiser, Summer School, 15 July to 3 August 2019. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and MPIWG Berlin. Organisers: Nicholas Aubin, Vincenzo Carlotta, Mattia Cipriani, Katja Krause, and Nicola Polloni.

Presence in Absentia
2019 | Outreach event realised by Rosie Reed Gold, Joshua Harvey, and Nicola Polloni. Berlin, 2 August 2019. Art performance by Rosie Reed Gold on the cognisability of what is present without being perceivable, following Calcidius’s texts on prime matter and the contemporary psychological discussion on perception.

Premodern Natural Philosophy
2019 | Seminar, OxNet Initiative Course “The World Machine”. University of Sunderland. Schools Outreach and Access Programme for the OxNet Initiative, Durham University, University of Oxford, University of Sunderland

Philosophy and Translations in the Middle Ages
2019 | Seminar, OxNet Initiative Course “The Ordered Universe”. University of Sunderland. Schools Outreach and Access Programme for the OxNet Initiative, Durham University, University of Oxford, University of Sunderland.

Science communication Platforms

IPM Monthly: Medieval Philosophy Today | 2022-2025
Chief editor and founder of the digital periodical IPM Monthly (ISSN: 3051-6242) dedicated to the dissemination of content and the fostering of academic dialogue in medieval philosophy, broadly conceived and with a global perspective. Website: ipmtoday.com

Iberica Philosophica Mediaevalia | 2017-2022
Editor of the monthly newsletter of Sociedad de Filosofía Medieval aimed at fostering interdisciplinary sharing of news and information among different branches of medieval scholarship.

Potestas essendi Website and Channel | 2015-present
Owner and editor of the website, which includes videos, lectures, written and multimedia materials, and research popularisation. The website is linked to the YouTube Channel Medieval Philosophy Unleashed (since 2017), which offers a wide and varied selection of videos on medieval philosophy and science including lectures, conferences, popularising items, interviews.