I graduated in Pedagogy at the University of Florence, Italy, and subsequently I was awarded an MSc in Social Psychology from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Exeter. After spending one year as a research fellow at the University of Surrey, in 1996 I became a lecturer at the University of Dundee, where I was eventually promoted to senior lecturer, reader, and finally professor of social and health psychology. I have held visiting positions at the Australian National University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Bari, and the University of Queensland. 

• Social Psychology
• Health Psychology
• Psychopathology
• Research Methods

I have a broad interest in the psychology of the self and identity, and in their implications for both physical and mental health. Over the past decade I have investigated the positive influence of subjective identification with social groups such as the family, friends, and workplace, on various mental health dimensions, e.g. depression, anxiety, borderline personality, and substance misuse. In recent times I have also devoted attention to the factors (e.g., child maltreatment) that may impair one's ability to identify with social groups, and studied the experiential correlates of lack of group identifications (e.g., sense of emptiness). 

Methodologically, I use both quantitative methods (e.g., survey/epidemiological studies) and qualitative methods such as thematic and phenomenological analyses.

Due to the interdisciplinarity of my work, my research is typically published in journals within a variety of fields, particularly social, developmental, clinical and health psychology, as well as psychological medicine and psychiatric epidemiology. 

Research Grants and Fellowships

• F. Sani & A. Malaguti (principal co-applicants). Designing a Behaviour Change Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Overdose. Scottish Government: Drug Deaths Taskforce Research Programme. (Start and end dates: 01/08/2020 – 31/01/2022). £88,328.
• F. Sani. Working towards a research programme on the psychosocial challenges faced by Ghanaian HIV seropositive children and adolescents.  Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF); Mobility Award. (Start and end dates: 01/03/2019 – 31/09/2019). £4,963.
• F. Sani, (principal investigator), M. Norbury & V. Madhok. Health in groups: A longitudinal and cross-national study. ESRC; Ref.: ES/I038349/1. (Start and end dates: 01/11/2011 – 31/08/2015). £504,000.
• F. Sani. Perceiving collective continuity: Social psychological implications. ESRC Fellowship; Ref. RES-000-27-0185. (Start and end dates: 01/09/2005 – 31/08/2008). £ 166,530. 
• F. Sani. Perceived group historical continuity: A cross-cultural investigation. ESRC; Ref.: RES-000-22-0738. (Start and end dates: 30/06/2004 – 31/07/2005). £ 46,925. 
• S. Reicher (principal applicant), C. Cassidy, F. Sani & P. Cronin. Social immersion lab for the Tay Social Psychology Group. ESRC; Ref.: RES-474-25-0015. (Start and end dates: 01/11/2003 – 31/10/2005). £. 150,411. 
• F. Sani (principal investigator) & M. Bennett. The ingroup becomes part of the self: The genesis of children’s sense of “we”. ESRC; Ref.: RES-000-22-0494. (Start and end dates: 01/08/2004 – 31/07/2005). £ 35,085. 
• M. Bennett (principal investigator) & F. Sani. A developmental investigation of stereotype variability. ESRC; Ref.: RES-000-22-0203. (Start and end dates: 01/11/2003 – 31/07/2004).         £ 28,126.
• F. Sani. Extending the social psychological model of schisms in social groups. British Academy; Ref.: SG-35625. (Start and end dates: 01/03/2003 – 31/08/2003). £. 4,890.
• F. Sani (principal investigator) & M. Bennett.  Developmental aspects of social identity.  ESRC; Ref.: R000223776. (Start and end dates: 01/08/2002 – 31/10/2003). £ 42,661. 
• F. Sani. An empirical testing of a social psychological model of schisms within social groups. British Academy; Ref.: SG-30189. (Start and end dates: 01/05/2000 – 30/09/2000). £ 2,510.
• M. Bennett (principal investigator) & F. Sani. Developmental aspects of the process of social categorization. ESRC; Ref.: R000222801. (Start and end dates: 30/04/1999 – 31/05/2000).            £ 35,296. 
• M. Barrett (principal investigator) et al. (including Fabio Sani). The Development of national, ethnolinguistic and religious identity in children and adolescents living in the NIS. EC INTAS; Ref.: INTAS 97 – 1363. (Starting and end dates: 01/12/1998 – 30/11/2001). 80,000 ECUs.