Valerio Elia is a psychologist and neurobiologist and is currently a PhD student in Humanities and Technologies at Suor Orsola Benincasa University in Naples, Italy. His research focuses on the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying the ability to understand and actively manipulate the physical world to create tools and technological innovations. Recently, his work has centered on tracing the phylogenetic origins of this capacity. To achieve these goals, he conducts experimental studies with humans and animal models of technical cognition, including birds, cephalopods, and marine mammals. His doctoral research is supervised by Professor Antonella Brandimonte and Dr Giovanni Federico.