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.

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).
'L'intenzionalità. Breve storia di un concetto filosofico', La voce e il logos 2020, ed. S. Gensini, pp. 451-471.
"Simbolicità e emotività negli animali non umani: un tema attuale con radici lontane", Rivista italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio 2020, pp. 230-241 (with Stefano Gensini).
Marin Cureau de la Chambre: Cognition and Language in Animals”, Blityri 2017, 6(2): 55-78.

Book reviews

R. Humphreys, “Animals, ethics, and language. The philosophy of meaningful communication in the lives of animals”, for Bioethics (invited)
S. Monsó, “Schrödinger’s possum: How animals experience and understand death (Italian edition)”, for Humanimalia (invited).

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).

Selected conference talks

Invited

TBD, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina (expected May 2027).
TBD, University of Rome La Sapienza (expected May 2026).
TBD, Pragmasophia, University of Messina (expected May 2026).
TBD, ECOM Spotlight Series, University of Connecticut (expected April 2026).
'A bounded hierarchy framework for the study of the evolution of human syntax', Psychology Language and Learning Group Away Day, University of Warwick (June 2025).
'Is a maximally unified account of animal and human communication achievable and desirable?', ARED Conference, University of Stirling (June 2025).
‘A bounded hierarchy account of the evolution of human syntax’, Workshop Animal Communication, Universitat de València (May 2025).
‘Toward a bounded hierarchy framework for the study of the evolution of human syntax’, Keynote Prize talk at PAMBA Conference, University of California, Santa Barbara (April 2025).

‘The evolution of human syntax’, Roma Tre (Dec 2024).
‘What is animal communication?’, UNED Madrid (Oct 2024).
‘The evolution of syntax’, University of Warwick Psychology (Oct 2024).
‘Thinking of animal and human communication together’, Evolutionary Pragmatics Forum (Apr 2024).

Peer-reviewed

The evolution of syntax

Italian Association for Cognitive Science (Sep 2024).

What is animal communication?

World Congress of Philosophy (Aug 2024).
Evolang (May 2024, Madison, WI).
Animal Minds Workshop (April 2024, London School of Economics).

The evolution of reference

The Philosophy of Language Society Congress (Sep 2024, University of Rome La Sapienza).
Protolang (Sep 2023, Roma Tre University).
Inaugural Meeting of the Philosophy of Animal Minds and Behaviour Association (PAMBA) (Apr 2023, UNED, Madrid).
Worskshop on Embodied Creativity (2019, University of Bologna).
The Philosophy of Language Society Congress (2019, University of Cagliari).

Public philosophy

Organisation of the exhibition "What is it like to be another animal?"in collaboration with the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery with funds from London School of Advanced Studies Innovation Award.

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.