Elvira CELARDI

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2022 - Present - Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania UniCT, Assistant Professor of Sociology.

 

• From September 12, 2023, to December 22, 2023, Visiting Scholar in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, & Assessment, Department of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College.

 

• From 15-05-2023 through 15-08-2023Visiting Researcher/Scholar (Investigador Visitante) in the Department of Ciencia Política y de la Administración, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

Applied evaluation experience

 

• 2022 - present – DSPSS Department, University of Catania, Italy

Member of the evaluation team - Impact evaluation of the project to combat educational poverty "RI-BELLI”

 

2022 - present – DSPSS Department, University of Catania, Italy

Member of the evaluation team - Impact evaluation of the project to combat educational poverty "Giocare per Diritto”.

 

• 2022 – present – DSPSS Department, University of Catania, Italy

Member of the evaluation team - Impact evaluation of the project to combat educational poverty "Hub Rurali” -

 

• 2018-2021 – CORIS Department - Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
• Member of the evaluation team - Impact evaluation of the project to combat educational poverty "Nido Educazione Servizi Territorio"(NEST) -”

 

• 2020 – CORIS Department, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Member of the evaluation research team of the project " La Gazzetta Olimpica newspapers of the school and the neighborhood " commissioned by the primary school "Olympic Village” to the CORIS Department, Sapienza, Rome.

 

• 2018 – CORIS Department, Sapienza University of Rome- Roma, Italy

 

Member of the evaluation research team on the social impact generated by the activities of Fondazione Con il Sud in three territories (Locride, Salento, Palermo). Research commissioned by the Fondazione CON IL SUD to the CORIS Department of Sapienza University.

 

Social research

• 2022 – present - Laposs Unict, Bench S.r.l; Neodata Group, Catania Italy
• Member of the research team on Artificial Intelligence and text analysis: challenges and opportunities in evaluative research. The case study of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

 

• 2018 – 2020 - Coris Department, Sapienza University of Rome.

Member of the research team - small/medium projects funded by Sapienza University - Project title: Spirituality and Lifestyles in the Contemporary World, Coris Department, Sapienza University of Rome.

Consulting

• 2019-2020 – Fondazione. Con il SUD, Roma Italy

External consultant for ex-post monitoring of the Foundation's activities

 

TEACHING

§  Academic Year 2022/2023: SPS-07- Sociological theories and models of complexity

Module 1016504 - The main sociological theories in contemporary debate.

(6-credits), Sociology of networks, information, and innovation, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Catania University- Unict

 

§  Academic Year 2022/2023: SPS-07- Methodology of Social Research (3-credits)

Sociology and Social Work, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Catania University- Unict

 

§  Academic Year 2022/2023: SPS-07- General sociology (3-credits)

History, Politics and International Relations, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Catania University- Unict

 

§  Academic Year 2021/2022: SPS-07- General sociology (3-credits)

History, Politics and International Relations, Department of Political and Social Sciences, Catania University- Unict

 

Guest lectures and seminars

 

• Academic Year 2024/2025: Gest lecture Understanding the relationship between a program and its outcomes. Course of Readings and Research in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment- Prof. Emily Gates, Department of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College.

§  Academic Year 2023/2024: Gest lecture Inteligencia artificial y análisis de textos en la evaluación de fenómenos sociales complejos. Taller práctico Big data, textual analysis a través de Python: extracción de textos de redes sociales, Sentiment Analysis y visualización de los datos, 29- 09-2023 - máster en evaluación de programas y políticas públicas
Escuela de Gobierno. UCM

§  Academic Year 2022/2023: Gest lecture (4 hours) “Approcci innovativi per la valutazione di interventi sociali complessi. Possibilismo e approcci di pensiero positivo. Srtumenti teorici ed esperienze di ricerca”. Graduate course "Design and Evaluation for Social Innovation. Laboratory of Evaluative Research", Prof. Veronica Lo Presti, November 9, 2022, Department of Communication and Social Research at Sapienza - University of Rome.

§  Academic Year 2021/2022: Gest lecture (4 hours) “Approcci innovativi per la valutazione di interventi sociali complessi. Possibilismo e approcci di pensiero positivo, Graduate course "Design and Evaluation for Social Innovation. Laboratory of Evaluative Research", Prof. Veronica Lo Presti, November 9, 2022, Department of Communication and Social Research at Sapienza - University of Rome.

• Academic Year 2022/2023: Gest lecture (2 hours) “L’autovalutazione nel Terzo Settore”, Evaluation Theories and Practices. Prof. Veronica Lo Presti - Department of Communication and Social Research at Sapienza - University of Rome.

PUBLICATIONS

 

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• 2022- Celardi E. (2022). Positive Thinking approach e complessità. Un focus sulle strategie di collaborazione legate ai cambiamenti positivi generati dai progetti finanziati dalla Fondazione CON IL SUD nel medio lungo-periodo in "RIV Rassegna Italiana di Valutazione" 83-84/2022, pp 74-92, DOI: 10.3280/RIV2022-083004

·       2019 - Lo Presti V.; Celardi E. (2019), Towards a COVID-safe and COVID-ready assessment: teaching, family, and territory at the time of COVID-19. The case of the Olympic newspaper, school, and neighborhood newspaper, In "RIV Rassegna Italiana di Valutazione" 75/2019, pp. 7- 22. ISSN 1826-0713.

§  2018 - Lo Presti V., Dentale M., Celardi E., (2018), Evaluation and Cade Study Research: a positive evaluative case study of social infrastructure in Palermo, in "RIV Rassegna Italiana di Valutazione" 71-72/2018, pp. 9-30. ISSN 1826 – 0713.

Book Chapters

·      2020- E. Celardi; F. Mazzeo Rinaldi, (2020) Le strategie di contrasto alla homelessness in Italia: indirizzi valutativi per i nuovi piani di intervento in Italia, pp. 206-230. In M. T. Consoli; A. Meo, cura di, Homelessness in Italia. Biografie, territori, politiche, Franco Angeli, Milano. ISBN: 9788835109723.

§  2021- Celardi E; Dentale M. (2021); Valori, domini motivazionali e "morale postconvenzionale", In, Bonolis M., a cura di, " Lo «spirito» nell’anima. Indagine sulla spiritualità giovanile”, Franco Angeli, Milano. ISBN: 9788835117063

§  2021- Bonolis M.; Celardi E.; D'Ambrosio G.; Dentale M.; Laurano P.; Nobile M. (2021), Conclusioni e richiami, In, Bonolis M., a cura di, " Lo «spirito» nell’anima. Indagine sulla spiritualità giovanile”, Franco Angeli, Milano. ISBN: 9788835117063 1

Conferences proceedings

§  2021- Celardi E (2021), Reinventing experiential learning: La Gazzetta Olimpica newspapers of the school and the neighborhood", Book of Proceedings of the Second International Conference of "Scuola Democratica".

§  Antonutti, M.; Celardi, E.; Ciammella F.; Kaddar, M. A - (2020), Love at the time of e-dating. -A case study of Tinder as a technological platform and catalyst of social representations. In CNDSS 2019, Atti della IV Conferenza Nazionale delle Dottorande e dei Dottorandi in Scienze Sociali, Sapienza Società Editrice, Roma. ISBN: 978-88-9377-155-9.

§  2020- Celardi E. (2020), Evaluative analysis of strategies to fight homelessness in Italy, In Brancato G.; D’Ambrosio G, De Marchis E.; Gallo R., Stolfi M., Tedesco M., a cura di, CNDSS 2019 Atti della IV Conferenza Nazionale delle Dottorande e dei Dottorandi in Scienze Sociali, Sapienza Università Editrice, Roma. ISBN: 978-88-9377-155-9.

§  2019- Lo Presti V., Dentale M., Celardi E., (2019), Evaluative Research and Case Study: an assessment of social infrastructure in the case of Palermo, XIX European Conference on Social and Behavioral Sciences, edited by Ruggiero C., Arslan H., Gianturco G., in Contemporary Approaches in Social Sciences Research, pp.213-223. ISBN: 978-83-953142-1-6.

§  2019- Celardi E. (2019), The 'implementation of the Experimental "Carta acquisti" in Catania. What effects? In CNDSS 2018 Atti della III Conferenza Nazionale delle Dottorande e dei Dottorandi in Scienze Sociali, Sapienza Società Editrice, pp.381-390. ISSN 978-88-9377-127-6.

 

 

Abstracts in books proceedings

 

§  2021- Celardi E. (2021), Reinventing Experiential Learning: “La Gazzetta Olimpica , Newspaper Of The School And The Neighbourhood”, In: SCUOLA DEMOCRATICA (Eds.). Book of Abstracts of the International Conference of the journal Scuola Democratica. Reinventing Education, Rome, Associazione “Per Scuola Democratica”, p.310. ISBN 978-88-944888-4-

§  2021- Antonutti, M.; Celardi, E.; Ciammella, F.; Khaddar, M. A. - (2019), A Swipe And A Half. A Mixed Methods Research On How Dating Apps Changed The Way We Think About Love, in Abstract Book, 14th ESA Conference. Europe and Beyond: Boundaries, Barriers and Belonging. 20-23 August 2019, Manchester, p. 449. ISBN 978-2-9569087-0-8.

 

EVALUATION REPORTS

• 2021- E. Celardi; V. Lo Presti, Dentale M.; Calderamo A., Evaluation report of the NEST project, commissioned from the C.O.R.I.S. Department, of Sapienza University by Fondazione Con i Bambini. https://www.mitades.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Report-NEST_I-bambini-per-primi_low-def_-doppie.pdf
• 2020 – E. Celardi, V. Lo Presti, evaluation report of the project " La Gazzetta Olimpica", commissioned to the C.O.R.I.S. Department, of Sapienza, University of Rome by the Villaggio Olimpico elementary school.
• E. Celardi, (2019), Ex-post 2019 monitoring report, commissioned by the CON IL SUD Foundation.
• E. Celardi et al., Report on the social impact evaluation of the FCS activities in three territories, commissioned by Fondazione Con il Sud.

SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS

 

Paper Presentations

• 2023- Celardi E, Mazzeo Rinaldi F., Miracula V., Picone A, Machine Learning algorithms for predicting university student dropout. EVALUATION 2023 October 9-14, 2023 • Indianapolis, Indiana
• 2023- Mazzeo Rinaldi F., Celardi E., Miracula V., Picone A, Artificial Intelligence and text analysis: challenges and opportunities in evaluative research. The case study of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Convegno "Le cornici dell'emergenza" 1-2/12/ 2022, DISUM and DISFOR, Catania Univerity.
• 2022-Mazzeo Rinaldi F., Celardi E., Miracula V., Picone A.,“Why you shouldn’t blindly trust AI”, “New technology tools for evaluation: new applications and new challenges” in occasione della AEA, 2022 Conference: (re) shaping evaluation together”, November 7-12 in New Orleans, LA.
• 2022- Celardi E., Mazzeo Rinaldi F., Occhipinti O., The use of the Positive Thinking Approach as a research framework for analyzing, with a mixed approach, complex social projects. The case of  Ri-belli project, Congresso dell’Associazione Italiana di Valutazione, “Valutare nella complessità e promuovere il cambiamento. Quale supporto a territori e stakeholder nella riflessione e nella prassi valutativa?”,”21 – 22 – 23 september 2022, Aurum – La fabbrica delle idee Largo Gardone Riviera, Pescara.
• 2022- Celardi E. (2022), Positive thinking and complexity. A mid-term analysis of the changes produced by projects funded by the CON IL SUD Foundation, “Valutare nella complessità e promuovere il cambiamento. Quale supporto a territori e stakeholder nella riflessione e nella prassi valutativa?”,”21 – 22 – 23 setptember 2022, Aurum – La fabbrica delle idee Largo Gardone Riviera, Pescara.

·      2021- Celardi E (2021), Reinventing experiential learning: La Gazzetta Olimpica newspapers of the school and the neighborhood", II Conferenza Internazionale della rivista "Scuola Democratica", 3-4-5 June 2021 2019

§  2019- Celardi E. (2019), Evaluative analysis of strategies to fight homelessness in Italy. IV Conferenza Nazionale delle Dottorande e dei Dottorandi in Scienze Sociali, 5 - 6 /09/ 2019 - Sapienza - Via Salaria 113, Roma. 2019

§  2019- Antonutti, Celardi, Ciammella, Khaddar (2019), Love in the time of e-dating. Tinder as a technological Platform and dating apps as catalysts for social representation. IV Conferenza Nazionale delle Dottorande e dei Dottorandi in Scienze Sociali, 5 - 6 September 2019 - Sapienza - Via Salaria 113, Roma.

§  2019- Celardi, Lo Presti, Dentale (2019), Evaluative Research and Case Study, an assessment of social infrastructure», XIX European Conference on Social and Behavioral Sciences. Università di Roma La Sapienza, 31/01/ 2019.

§  2019- Antonutti, Celardi, Ciammella, Khaddar (2019), Tinder as a technological Platform and dating apps as catalysts for social representations. XIX. European Conference on Social and Behavioral Sciences. Università di Roma La Sapienza, 31/01/ 2019.

§  2019- Antonutti, Celardi, Ciammella e Khaddar (2019) “A swipe and a half. Mixed methods research on how dating apps changed the way we think about love, 14th Conference of the European Sociological Association 2019, 20-23 August 2019, Manchester/UK.

§  2018- Celardi E. (2018), The 'implementation of the Experimental "Carta acquisti" in Catania. What effects? Conferenza Nazionale delle Dottorande e dei Dottorandi in Scienze Sociali tenutosi a Roma; Italy.

§  2018- Celardi E.; Lo Presti V. Evaluation and Cade Study Research: a positive evaluative case study of social infrastructure in Palermo. Convegno internazionale “Case studies: riflessioni di metodo ed esperienze di ricerca”,11-06- 2018. DISFOR - Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione - Università̀ degli Studi di Genova.

 

 

Panel Discussant

§  2022- “Tra possibilismo e valutazione: Judith Tendler e Albert Hirschman” di Nicoletta Stame – Rubbettino (book presentation), Congresso dell’Associazione Italiana di Valutazione, “Valutare nella complessità e promuovere il cambiamento. Quale supporto a territori e stakeholder nella riflessione e nella prassi valutativa?”,”21 – 22 – 23 september 2022, Aurum – La fabbrica delle idee, Largo Gardone Riviera, Pescara.

 

Poster Presentations

 

§  2023- Celardi E et al. Machine Learning algorithms for predicting university student dropout EVALUATION 2023 October 9-14, 2023 • Indianapolis, Indiana

 

§  2022- Celardi E et al., How Homeless is Felt: A Computer-Based Approach”, 16th European Research Conference - 22nd and 23rd September 2022, VENUE: University of Bergamo, Italy

 

TRAINING COURSES, SUMMER SCHOOLS, AND SEMINARS

 

• 2019, Summer school on evaluation "Evaluation literacy for evaluative thinking: resources, contexts, actors "AIV, LVD and Coris Lab, Department of Communication and Social Research, University of Rome Sapienza Via Salaria. 113, Rome.
•  2019, Seminar "Limits and virtues of a web survey" CorisLab, Department of Communication and Social Research, of Rome Sapienza University. Via Salaria, 113, Rome.
• 2019 Course "DATA MATRIX BASE - From data matrix design to bivariate analysis "CorisLab, Department of Communication and Social Research, of the University of Rome Sapienza. Via Salaria, 113, Rome
• 2019 Seminar "Content Analysis. Techniques in use and contexts of application." CorisLab, Department of Communication and Social Research, of the University of Rome Sapienza. Via Salaria, 113, Rome
• 2020, Specialized course for writing scientific articles in English. British School Address: Via Nizza 49, Rome.
• 2018- Collective English course (Level B2), The British institute of Rome,Via delle Quattro Fontane, 109, Rome.
• 2018- Specialized English course for conference paper presentation (Level B2). The British institute of Rome, Via delle Quattro Fontane, 109, Rome.

 

 

INTERNSHIPS AND TRAINEESHIPS

 

• 2022 - present: NeoDATA group, Viale XX Settembre, 21 - 95128 Catania, Italy, Internship on Big data and artificial intelligence in online news analysis
• Laposs, Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Catania, Via Cardinale Dusmet 163, Catania, Italy, Internship in the field of evaluation research.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

§  2022 – present: American Evaluation Association (AEA)

§  2020 – present: Italian Association of Sociology (AIS)

§  2020 – present:  Thematic group "Evaluating in -Development Cooperation" (AIV)

§  2018 – present:   Italian Association of Evaluation (AIV)

§  2019 – Thematic group “Social policies" (AIV)

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

§  2023 - Manuscript reviewer – RIV Rassegna Italiana di Valutazione"

§  2022-present - Manuscript reviewer – Frontiers in Sociology

 

HONORS, AWARDS AND FELLOWSHIPS

• 2022 – Best Ph.D. Thesis Award, Italian Association of Evaluation https://valutazioneitaliana.eu/premi-aiv/
• 2021 "Anna Crocioni" Research Fellowship, by A Colorni-Hirschman International Institute and Entopan.
• 2017- PhD Fellowship, Coris - Communication and Social Research Department, Sapienza - University of Rome.
• 2017 - Master Thesis Award, - Italian Association of Evaluation, 20th National Congress AIV. http://www.valutazioneitaliana.it/270/Vincitori-Premio-Tesi-2017.html