Dr. Chesta holds a Bachelor degree in Sociology (University of Trento, 2009), a Master of Research in Social Sciences (EHESS and ENS in Paris, 2011), and a PhD in Political and Social Sciences (European University Institute, 2018). He has been a visiting researcher at New York University and Urban Democracy Lab (Spring 2017), Hebrew University in Jerusalem (Fall 2021-22). His research interests are in social theory and theorizing, sociological approaches to ideas, knowledge and expertise, collective action and political mobilizations. His first monograph The Contentious Politics of Expertise. Experts, Activists and Grassroots Environmentalism (Routledge, 2020) investigates the relationship between political activism and scientific experise in large infrastructural and technological projects.