BA, John Cabot University, 2015
MSc, London Metropolitan University, 2016
PhD, University of Kent, 2024
Carolina Trella started her academic career at John Cabot University (Class of 2015) with a B.A. in Marketing and a minor in Philosophy. She went on to get an M.Sc. with distinction in Consumer Psychology at London Metropolitan University. There, she researched how the practice of mindfulness meditation changes consumption habits.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Trella found inspiration for her Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Kent: she developed research on the roots of belief in conspiracy theories. She has since become an expert in the psychology of conspiracy theories and non-rational thinking, with her thesis focusing on the socio-political issue of climate change. Her research interests additionally include gender, feminism, and socio-economic inequality.
Professor Trella, who started teaching at JCU in 2024, has contributed a chapter to a new Cambridge Press book titled The Social Science of QAnon, as well as articles on conspiracy belief in esteemed peer-reviewed journals. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the American University of Rome, where she teaches Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Marketing.
