Romain di Stasi, Ph.D.

Introductory course on Bayesian Statistics [in French]

This course introduced Bayesian statistics to master's students and was structured in three parts. First, we covered Bayes' theorem, its reformulation by Laplace, and the role of priors in Bayesian statistics. Second, we introduced likelihood and maximum-likelihood estimation for linear and generalized linear regression and contrasted it with Bayesian inference using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to estimate a posterior distribution rather than a single point estimate. Third, I illustrated the Bayesian approach using a simple example based on the binomial distribution.

Research and Clinical Interviewing Methods [in French]

This course aimed to introduce students to various interview techniques, including clinical and research interviews, as well as methods to foster a strong therapeutic alliance. I introduced fundamental concepts essential for building this alliance, such as empathy, and presented research defining cognitive and affective empathy, as well as cognitive and affective theory of mind. To provide students with practical tools for conducting effective interviews, I covered various probing techniques, including Cunji's '4 R's.' We also discussed the distinctions between clinical and research interviews.

As part of this course, I supervised second-year psychology students on a research project. Working in groups of four or more, they were tasked with conducting multiple interviews, including exploratory and semi-structured interviews, followed by content analysis. Finally, they submitted a scientific report detailing the findings from these interviews.

Observation Methodology (Human and Non-Human Ethology) [in French]

The objective of this course was to guide first-year psychology students (L1) through an observational project. At the end of the semester, they were required to submit a scientific report in the format of an academic article, including an Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. Students were free to choose their own topic but were required to design a coherent ethogram to address their hypothesis/hypotheses. In their introduction, they were expected to present both their general and operational hypotheses, as well as their results and interpretations. Additionally, they had to calculate an inter-observer reliability score to validate their ethogram. The observational project could focus on either human or non-human animals and had to be presented in a 15-page document, including the bibliography.

Before submitting their final report, students delivered an oral presentation of their project, allowing me to provide guidance on writing their report. My role was to support them throughout the project, explain the differences between dependent and independent variables, as well as between general and operational hypotheses. I also provided theoretical lessons to clarify the requirements for each section of the report and directed them toward feasible observational protocols that could be completed within a four-month period.

Infant Developmental Psychology [in French]

During these courses, I supervised a developmental psychology research project for several groups, each composed of two second-year undergraduate students, over 12 sessions of 1.5 hours each. The students were required to recruit an infant for two sessions, design an experimental protocol including an ethogram, and analyze their results.

Subsequently, they were tasked with producing a 25-page report (including an introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion) and presenting their findings to me. I provided step-by-step guidance throughout the process, as they had to submit four intermediate reports before the final version. For each of these submissions, I provided detailed feedback to ensure they could complete their final report under optimal conditions.

Adolescent Developmental Psychology [in French]

The course focused on adolescent development, with discussions based on academic texts. I enriched the students' reflections by providing complementary theoretical insights and encouraging them to adopt a critical perspective on the articles. Topics covered included cognitive development, the psychosocial effects of puberty, and the importance of attachment quality.

The materials studied consisted of book chapters and articles, in both English and French, sourced from peer-reviewed journals. The course explored Piagetian theories of formal operations, brain development as revealed through imaging techniques (e.g., fMRI), and studies on attachment in both humans and non-human species. We highlighted the robustness of attachment theory from both phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives, examining research conducted on adolescents.

Neuroanatomy for Psychology Students [in French]

This course focuses on the different components of the central nervous system. It begins with an overview of the various cells that make up the nervous system (glial cells and neurons), including its formation during embryogenesis. Subsequent sessions explore the main structures of the nervous system, such as the spinal cord, brainstem, and cerebellum, concluding with a discussion of the components involved in sensory and motor functions.

Life Sciences (Tutorials for Students in Teaching, Education, and Training Careers) [in French]

This course is composed of several subfields. It includes a module on the components of biodiversity, discussing various groups of animal and plant species. We also cover the theory of evolution, embryogenesis, and nutrition. Additionally, we explore different approaches to teaching life sciences in the classroom with a pedagogical focus.

In another module, I evaluated presentations (master's level, M2) where students designed and presented a lesson or pedagogical sequence for teaching life sciences to primary school students. Another component of the course was the "Read, Speak, Write" module, where I prepared first-year master's students for their teaching certification exams, specifically for the life sciences section.

Bayesian statistics – Theory and Practice [in French]

8-hour workshop delivered to researchers (doctoral, postdoctoral, lecturer, or professor level). The workshop was divided into two parts: a theoretical introduction and a practical session.

The theoretical part explained the fundamentals of Bayesian statistics, including Bayes' theorem, the concept of priors, and the historical reasons why frequentist statisticians long excluded Bayesian methods. I began by introducing priors using a simple example based on binomial theory. I then demonstrated how, in Bayesian statistics, the slope of a regression line is estimated using the concept of maximum plausibility rather than simply relying on the least squares method. Finally, I introduced the brms package and explained how to perform simple linear regression using the brm function. We discussed how to evaluate the quality of parameter estimation and how to conduct post hoc contrast analyses.

The second part of the workshop was a 5-hour practical session. During this session, I guided participants through hands-on exercises that utilized the brms package to define priors, fit models, and assess model quality.

Two reviews for Cognition (peer-reviewed journal)

July 2025 September 2025

Budapest CEU Conference on Cognitive Development (BCCCD)

Reviewed 7 abstracts for the BCCCD 2024

PhD Day at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

Reviewed 4 abstracts for the PhD Day 2026

Member of the EPN-R Federation Council (a federation of seven research laboratories in Psychology, Movement Sciences - STAPS, and Neurosciences). As a council member, I was required to attend federation meetings every two months to participate in votes and decisions regarding its operations and research activities.

Representative of PhD students at my PhD's laboratory (Laboratoire Ethologie Cognition Développement, LECD). In this role, I was required to attend laboratory council meetings every two months and to participate in decision-making and voting processes.

Member of the organizing committee for the EPN-R federation's Research Day (research colloquium for all laboratories in the federation), three years running. This annual colloquium brings together all researchers in the federation, with oral presentations in the morning and poster sessions in the afternoon. It was held on 4 June 2021, 15 April 2022, and 14 April 2023.

Presentation of the EmoLearn project on the influence of humor on infant learning at the Paris Nanterre University Festival of Science, Friday 14th and Saturday 15th October 2022, Friday 13th and Saturday 14th October 2023.

Oral presentations on the development of humor in infants and its implications for learning, delivered at Hes.so study days in Sion, Switzerland, on November 5, 2022, and May 10, 2022.

Interview with Louie Media journalist Lena Coutrot on February 15, 2022, about the development of baby humor and our EmoLearn research project. The podcast was published on April 4, 2022.

Supervised 17 trainees in ethology and psychology (from Bachelor's to Master's level). Served as a jury member for three master's theses and four pre-thesis projects. See my Europass profile for full details.