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SIMS

The SIMS (Scenario Intelligence, Modeling and Simulation) Lab at the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) at Luiss Guido Carli dedicates itself to advancing strategic foresight in international relations and security studies through scenario building and analysis and by designing and conducting advanced serious games and simulations. The unit operates to build models for research and practice based on both solid theoretical premises and empirical evidences. This specialized unit produces future scenarios, strategy development, simulation tools, and serious games like Global Tensions (GT), providing analytical insights and training for stakeholders across academia, government, and international organizations.

Comprised of senior and junior researchers with expertise in international relations theory, futures studies, intelligence analysis and modeling & simulation, SIMS delivers comprehensive analyses of geopolitical dynamics. Their multidisciplinary approach spans games design grounded in IR theory, scenario testing with partners and modeling of complex risks, from nuclear proliferation and submarine cable cybersecurity to trade wars and Indo-Pacific rivalries. This enables the unit to interpret emerging global tensions and simulate policy responses, fostering informed decision-making in an uncertain world.

SIMS ensures game dynamics in projects to align precisely with educational purposes and learning needs. The unit is authoring a Palgrave monograph (Teaching International Politics with Wargames, 2026), presented preliminary findings on serious games for IR teaching at the IPSA World Forum in Seoul (2025), and is currently developing new games and analysis for the defense sector, public authorities and private entities. Beyond analysis, SIMS organizes events, scenario workshops, and policy foresight sessions to bridge research, training, and real-world strategy.

Head of Unit

  • Manfredi Valeriani

    Manfredi Valeriani

    Manfredi Valeriani earned his PhD at Hamburg University and Luiss University with a thesis on “Funding Instruments to Italian NGOs” is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Luiss where he also teaches Political Risk Analysis and International Politics and Businesses. He has been Adjunct Professor at the University “L’Orientale” in Naples and at the American University of Rome. His research currently focuses on Structured Analytic Techniques, Scenario Analysis, and Italian Foreign Policy.

Researcher

  • Martina Lucaccini

    Martina Lucaccini is a PhD candidate in Cybersecurity and a teaching assistant at LUISS Guido Carli University. She is enrolled in a joint PhD program between LUISS and Sapienza. Her research focuses on cybersecurity and Internet controls. Currently, she investigates digital transnational repression targeting political exiles and diaspora communities. She received her MA in International Relations and European Studies at the University of Florence.

  • Manfredi Valeriani

    Manfredi Valeriani

    Manfredi Valeriani earned his PhD at Hamburg University and Luiss University with a thesis on “Funding Instruments to Italian NGOs” is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Luiss where he also teaches Political Risk Analysis and International Politics and Businesses. He has been Adjunct Professor at the University “L’Orientale” in Naples and at the American University of Rome. His research currently focuses on Structured Analytic Techniques, Scenario Analysis, and Italian Foreign Policy.

  • Gabriele Marchionna

    Gabriele Marchionna is a Cyber Strategy Manager, currently at BIP Spa – CyberSec CoE. He serves as Cultore della Materia in Political Risk Analysis and as Research Fellow at LUISS MedPlatform, and works with several private entities. He is a Next-Gen Fellow at the NATO Defense College and a member of the EU CyberNet Expert Pool. Areas of Expertise: cyber risk management, critical infrastructure protection with a main focus on energy security and submarine infrastructure, tech geopolitics, national and international security.