Dr Gianmarco Convertino - University of Portsmouth

UK IC Postdoctoral Research Fellowships 2026

The challenge

Intelligence officers routinely conduct critical interviews in stressful, non-standard settings without recording devices. These demanding operational constraints heavily tax the human cognitive system, making interviewers highly vulnerable to memory errors such as omissions and false memories that can subsequently drive flawed operational decisions and security risks. 

The research

Led by Gianmarco Convertino, the SOURCE project provides a targeted solution by translating cutting-edge memory science into applied enhancement techniques for encoding and retrieval. 

Leveraging AI-driven immersive technology, the research simulates complex operational scenarios to validate new methods for improving interviewer’s memory of critical information. This is achieved by empirically testing encoding, retrieval, and multiple-interviewer strategies. The project establishes validated cognitive techniques that mitigate memory errors, such as omissions and false memories, thereby improving information quality. SOURCE delivers actionable, evidence-based protocols and training tools that enhance intelligence gathering and improve security. 

The researcher

Dr Convertino was awarded his PhD from Sapienza University of Rome in 2025. With a background in cognitive sciences, his research stems from the study of human memory and its errors, ranging from the upper to the lower limits of human cognition. During his PhD, he turned the spotlight on the cognitive vulnerabilities of the interviewers themselves, examining the mechanisms leading assessors to rely on flawed heuristics when making judgements about truthfulness, and contributing to a shift in scientific focus from the interviewee to the interviewer. At the University of Portsmouth, he leads the SOURCE project, where his expertise translates into validated techniques for enhancing memory, with a direct impact on applied information-gathering practices in intelligence contexts. 

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