Elena is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Scuola Normale Superiore. She holds a degree in Communication Sciences (University of Padova, Italy, 2004) and a PhD in Sociology (University of Trento, 2009). She developed her expertise in the study and the use of social network analysis in various field of research (from supra national governance political processes to human-computer interaction) and in conjunction with other analytical techniques, such as lexicon-content analysis. Her most recent research interests pertain to the relationships between collective action/political participation and social media use. Within this area, she is working interdisciplinary to combine technical and social knowledges into the study of socio-technical systems and is employing network analysis techniques and tools. She recently published in international journals and in relevant Italian journals. Her PhD dissertation on Internet governance and multistakeholderism has been released in January 2012 as a book for Lexington Publications. Elena was involved, on a pro bono basis, in the EINS Network for the Nexa Center, in particular within the research group focusing on “Virtual Communities". Currently, she is contributing to Nexa on the nexus between digital media and society, in particular from a gender perspective.