MSCA PF Fellow: Libera Ylenia Mastromatteo

Libera Ylenia Mastromatteo obtained her PhD in Psychological Sciences in 2025, from the University of Padova (UNIPD). She is currently a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation (DPSS). Her research adopts a biopsychosocial approach to adolescent mental health and well-being, focusing on how physiological regulation, individual characteristics, and environmental factors jointly shape developmental trajectories.

With the support of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, she will lead the BRAVE project (Biomarkers of Risk-taking and Anxiety in Adolescents: An InVestigation on the Effects of Stress). Building on an international collaboration initiated during a nine-month visiting period at the University of Connecticut (UConn) during her PhD, the project investigates how stress and anxiety may dynamically influence neural and autonomic functioning in youth, contributing to divergent behavioural patterns ranging from maladaptive avoidance to heightened risk-taking. By integrating experimental paradigms, central and peripheral physiological measures, and ecological momentary assessment (EMA), BRAVE combines laboratory precision with real-world assessment to identify early, scalable markers of vulnerability to maladaptive developmental pathways.

Alongside her research, she is actively involved in third-mission activities and school-based initiatives aimed at promoting psychological well-being and fostering dialogue between research and the community.