He received a Doctorate in Economics (Dottorato di Ricerca in Economia Politica) from the University of Ancona (now Marche Polytechnic University) in 2001 and a PhD in Economics from the University of Warwick in 2005. His main research fields are education economics, health economics, household economics and labour economics. He is currently working on the non-market returns to education (health), the impact of parental health on children's outcomes, the effect of fertility timing on mother's labour market outcomes and the effect of migration on trade and innovation.