CIRM welcomes Alex Gaio and Fabio Scetti as visiting scholars for Summer 2022

This summer, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Montréal (CIRM) is happy to welcome Ph.D student in Geography Alex Gaio as well as lecturer and researcher in Sociolinguistics Fabio Scetti as part of a one-month and three-month research stay, respectively!

Alex Gaio

Alex Gaio’s research deals with Autonomous vehicles (AVs) and urban cycling. AVs are becoming increasingly capable at piloting themselves in more complex environments. Until there is widespread adoption and the technology matures, there will be a period of transition where both conventional and autonomous vehicles will operate simultaneously. During this transition period, there are many unknowns among occupant users and non-occupant users, specifically vulnerable road users (VRUs). Alex’s project, entitled Ride the Autonomous City, aims to close the research gap on cyclist perceptions, opinions, attitudes, and infrastructure preferences as it relates to AVs. His work during his time at CIRM is primarily focused on AV tests underway in and around Plaza St-Hubert. More information about the project.

Survey on cycling around Plaza St-Hubert

If you live in the Rosemont neighbourhood near Plaza St-Hubert, a few minutes of your time can help Alex Gaio to get your views on autonomous vehicle infrastructure. Thank you in advance to all those who will take the time to enrich his research. Take the survey.

Fabio Scetti

Fabio Scetti’s work in sociolinguistics and lexicography focuses mainly on migrations, language variations and minority languages in danger (notably Valoc’ and Ladin in northern Italy, and Arbëresh in central and southern Italy). His most recent book, La communauté portugaise de Montréal. Langue et identité, is an ethnographic survey of the status and evolution of the Portuguese language through the daily language practices of members of the Portuguese community of Montréal and their identity dynamics. Since completing his PhD in Language Sciences at Université Paris-Descartes (2016), Fabio Scetti has focused on Portuguese immigration to the United States and Australia, and more recently on Brazilian immigration to Japan. During his residency at CIRM, Dr. Scetti will continue his research on the Italian community of Montréal, started in 2018, with the aim of analyzing language practices and the representations that members of this “community” have of these practices.