Doctoral Programme in Politics > About us > Current PhD Candidates > Ivan Zaccagnini

Ivan Zaccagnini

Ivan Zaccagnini is Ph.D. Candidate and Teaching Assistant in the Department of Political Science at Luiss University. He worked as Research Assistant at Luiss University since 2020 publishing as co-authour two papers on drones and the hider-finder competition in air warfare. His research interests focus on Emerging and Disruptive Technologies, Future of War and Great Power Competition. The provisional title of his thesis is “Industrial Policy in the Age of Complexity: Emerging Technologies and the International Competition in Commercial and Defence Markets.”

Email: izaccagnini@luiss.it

Ph.D. Candidate at Luiss University, Joint program with the CSDS at VUB University of Brussels (2022/2026).
Research Assistant at Luiss University (2020-2022).
Expert of the Subject, Course in Strategic Studies at Luiss University (2022).
Formal Tutor of the Luiss University – Mare Aperto 2021 and Mare Aperto 2022, Italian Navy training, embarked on the aircraft carrier STOVL Cavour C-550. (10/2021 – 11/2021 and 05/2022 – 06/2022).
Executive Course in Strategic Affairs at Luiss University (2021) – Dissertation: Drones and National Security.
Master’s Degree cum Laude in International Relations: Peace, War and Security at Roma Tre University (2019) – Dissertation: The Emerging Concept of Cyber Intelligence.
Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Relations at Roma Tre University (2016) – Dissertation: Cinema and Politics in The United States during the Cold War.

Research interests: Emerging Technologies, Great Power Competition, Unmanned and Autonomous Systems, Artificial Intelligence, International Relations and Security Studies.

Publications:

“Will The Drone Always Get Through? Offensive Myths And Defensive Realities”, Security Studies (Forthcoming 2022), with Antonio Calcara, Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli.

“Why Drones Have Not Revolutionized War, The Enduring Hider-Finder Competition in Air Warfare”, International Security (May 2022), with Antonio Calcara, Andrea Gilli, Mauro Gilli and Raffaele Marchetti.

“COVID-19 and the mobilization of the Armed Forces: The Italian case in a comparative perspective”, Centro Alti Studi della Difesa (CASD), Italian Ministry of Defence, Call for Papers (July 2021), with Antonio Calcara (in Italian).