Giulia Palazzolo
I am a Research Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. I completed my PhD at the University of Rome La Sapienza in September 2022.
I work on topics in, and at the intersection between, philosophy of mind, science and language. My research focuses on the origins of distinctively human forms of cognition, communication and cooperation. I bring together insights from developmental and comparative psychology and linguistics to understand the evolutionary pathways underlying distinctively human ways of thinking and interacting. I have a special interest in the continuities and discontinuities between animal and human minds; and in second-order questions about how we should approach and interpret animal capacities to inform our understanding of human evolution. I have published on the evolution of human syntax, the theoretical and methodological foundations of the comparative study of animal and human communication, and the evolution of reference.
I am a postdoctoral researcher on "The Communicative MindLink opens in a new window", a UKRI-funded project which investigates why humans are the only species to acquire language (Grant Number: MR/S033858/1). From May 2026, I will be pursuing a project on animal hierarchical cognition, funded by a BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grant (2025-26).
I am also Assistant Director of "The Groups NetworkLink opens in a new window", a trans-disciplinary network of researchers aimed at advancing research in group behaviour, developing societal impact, and supporting the use of cognitive and behavioural science in policy formation. This project is supported by a UKRI Plus Funds Grant.
In addition, I am a Fellow of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI)Link opens in a new window, a network of scholars devoted to transdisciplinary inquiry into the origins, nature, and future of intelligences. I am co-organiser of “What is it like to be another animal?Link opens in a new window”, a project that develops interactive museum exhibitions to introduce children to the philosophical problem of animal minds. I am also an affiliated member of the Expression, Communication and the Origins of Meaning Research GroupLink opens in a new window (University of Connecticut) and a member of the Warwick Mind and Action Research CentreLink opens in a new window.
Academic CV
You can find my Academic CV hereLink opens in a new window.
Recent publications
- "What is Animal Communication?Link opens in a new window", Ergo an Open Access Journal of Philosophy 2026, 13(3): 71-95.
- "A Bounded Hierarchy Framework for the Evolution of SyntaxLink opens in a new window", Biology and Philosophy 2025 (*winner of PAMBA 2025 Essay Prize).
- "Animal CommunicationLink opens in a new window", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2024, ed. E.N. Zalta (with Richard Moore).
- "A Case for Animal Reference. Beyond Functional reference and meaning attributionLink opens in a new window", Synthese 2024, 203(59).
- "Pragmatic Interpretation and the Production of Ideographic CodesLink opens in a new window", Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2023, 46, e236 (with Leda Berio, Berke Can, Katharina Helming and Richard Moore).
Teaching
Modules
- Group Mindedness: Perspectives from Economics, Philosophy and Psychology (3rd year honours course, University of Warwick; 2025–).
- Dolphin Minds (York University Toronto Summer School, Roatàn, Honduras; 2023).
Guest lectures
- Personal Identity (Warwick Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning – IATL; 2026).
- Intentionality (Philosophy of Language, La Sapienza University; 2020).
- Theory of Mind (Philosophy of Language, La Sapienza University; 2021).
- Grice on Meaning (Philosophy of Language, La Sapienza University; 2019).
- Speech Act Theory (Philosophy of Language, La Sapienza University; 2019).
Seminars
- Mind and Cognition: Minds, Machines, and Mental Representation (University of Warwick; 2026–).
- Group Mindedness: Perspectives from Economics, Philosophy and Psychology (University of Warwick; 2025–).
- Mind and Reality (University of Warwick; 2025).
- Introduction to Philosophy (University of Warwick; 2024-2025)
- Philosophy of Language (La Sapienza University; 2019-2021).
Contact details
Email:
Giulia.Palazzolo.1[at]warwick.ac.uk
Room: S2.63
Advice and Feedback Hours:
Monday: 14:00-15:00 (S2.63)
Monday: 16:00-17:00 (S2.63)
Here is the linkLink opens in a new window to book a 15-minute slot in my office hours.