We are pleased to announce the first edition of the BExR Research Group Workshop, a focused two-day meeting dedicated to the intersection of behavioural economics and extended reality (XR) technologies. The event brings together an international group of researchers to explore how immersive environments can be leveraged to study and model human decision-making in ecologically valid contexts.

The workshop will feature invited talks by leading scholars from economics, behavioural science, and human-computer interaction, as well as a session showcasing ongoing research and live demonstrations from the BExR Research Group.

Organizers

Manuela Chessa, Lorenzo Gerini, Matteo Martini - University of Genoa, Italy

Michela Chessa, Kaloyana Naneva - Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, GREDEG, France 

The event is organized with the support of the Ulysseus Seed Funding Program for Joint Research and Innovation Groups

Registration

Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory at the following link: 

1st BExR Research Group Workshop Registration Form – Fill out form

Program (tentative)

Monday 27 April

Tuesday 28 April

Speakers

Alberto Greco

Title: Biofeedback systems in affective computing

Abstract: Affective computing aims to develop systems capable of recognizing, modeling, and responding to human emotional states. Among the most promising approaches, biofeedback systems leverage physiological signals to enable a closed-loop interaction between the user and adaptive technologies. In this talk, I will present recent advances in biofeedback systems grounded in autonomic nervous system (ANS) dynamics and their application in affective computing.
Starting from wearable sensing technologies (e.g., ECG, electrodermal activity, respiration), I will discuss how physiological signals can be processed and modeled to estimate latent emotional states in real time, combining physiologically inspired approaches and data-driven models . Particular attention will be devoted to the role of causal and machine learning models in capturing the dynamics of emotional processes at the individual level.
Building on this framework, I will introduce biofeedback paradigms in immersive environments, such as virtual reality systems for personalized exposure therapy in anxiety disorders, where the environment adapts continuously to the user’s internal state. Finally, I will extend the discussion to the social domain, presenting recent work on interpersonal physiological causal coupling (IPCC), a novel framework to quantify directional emotional influence between individuals.
 

Speaker Bio: Alberto Greco is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, and a member of the E. Piaggio Research Center at the University of Pisa. He received his M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering in 2010 and his Ph.D. in Robotics, Automation, and Bioengineering in 2016 from the University of Pisa.
He is the coordinator of the PRIN 2022 project BRAVE (Biofeedback-based personalised Virtual Reality Exposure therapies for anxiety disorders) and has been co-coordinator of the H2020 FET-Proactive project POTION (Promoting social interaction through emotional body odours). His research focuses on physiological signal processing and modeling, affective computing, wearable monitoring systems, biofeedback systems, and social interaction models. He has authored over 150 scientific publications in international journals and conferences. In 2025, he co-founded CARTESIA s.r.l., a University of Pisa spin-off developing technologies for empathetic artificial intelligence solutions.
 

Venue

Genova Blue District
Via del Molo, 65 · 16128 Genova, Italy

The Genova Blue District is a hub for maritime innovation and blue economy research, located at the heart of the historic Genoese port.