He is also a member of the Global Young Academy. He received his Ph.D. in analysis and governance of sustainable development from the School for Advanced Studies in Venice Foundation at the University of Venice in 2008. He also holds two master's degrees, one in water resources engineering and the other in environmental engineering, from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven / Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and University of Trento (Italy), respectively.