In 1995, he obtained a PhD in Condensed Matter Theory at SISSA - Trieste, and he has maintained regular collaboration with SISSA since then. He has worked at Yale University, USA, and also at ESRF Grenoble, France. His research has covered various topics in the theory and simulation of matter, including: the role of solitonic waves in atomic-scale friction, electronic and vibrational properties of metals, semiconductors, molecular materials, fullerene, geometric phases and the Jahn-Teller effect, and the collective dynamics of ultracold atomic gases.