nikally

Anthropology · Neuro-cognitive research · Science communication

Nikally

A multidimensional world
that never stops.

Discover →
Illustrated portrait of Nikally in a red beret and scarf

Between the lab, the field
and the feed.

I'm Nika Nikousokhan. I was born in Tehran in 2001 and I hold an MS in Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology from the University of Bologna.

Biotechnology and cognitive neuroscience in Genoa. Anthropology in Bologna. For me they are not separate worlds, they are different ways of looking at the same person. Put together, they give me what I care about most: the whole picture of how we choose and what we want.

For six years I've also been speaking to people all over the world in Persian: social critique, lessons and open conversations. Today more than 100,000 people follow me across social media, and they taught me something no book did. People want to understand, and they deserve clear words.

A big dream.

I have a big dream. To change the way we think, the way we teach, and the way we do research.

I believe knowledge should be free. Not only free to access, but free to choose. Every person should decide what they want to know, how they want to learn it, and what kind of knowledge matters to them.

Your knowledge is yours. Like your home, like your name. No one should own it for you.

It's a dream that asks for a lot of work. I'm here to do it.

Ideas I stand for.

I speak about the ideas I want to fight for, for a long time. On stage, in classrooms and online.

01

What's yours is your freedom.

Private property and individual freedom stand or fall together.

02

Knowledge is power.

And power should belong to you.

03

Doubt. Bend. Change.

Doubt and flexibility are what move us forward.

04

Discipline sets you free.

Boundaries are not walls. They are the road.

Education

  1. 2024 to 2026

    MS, Cultural Anthropology & Ethnology

    University of Bologna. Political anthropology and digital ethnography.

  2. 2023 to 2024

    BSc, Biotechnology

    University of Genoa. Thesis on time and decision-making in risk situations.

  3. Languages

    Persian, Italian, English

    Persian native · Italian advanced, academic level · English upper-intermediate.

What I'm working on

Political anthropology · MS thesis · lead researcher

Political Anthropology & Digital Ethnography

I designed and led my MS thesis in political anthropology. Using digital ethnography and netnography, I analysed political subjectivity, lived experience and collective narratives online, through social media analysis, direct testimonies and a real-time digital archive I built myself.

AI & medicine · lead researcher · in progress

Diagnosing Bias

I designed and coordinate this study. I test the most used large language models with medical questions to measure gender bias: how reliable, accurate and fair their answers really are, and what that means for patients.

Neuro-cognitive science · lead researcher · in progress

Stress, Time & Decision-Making

I designed and coordinated this study from start to finish. It measures stress biomarkers and behaviour at the same time: I track the timing, frequency and trend of cortisol while people make decisions under risk, to see how the body and the choice move together.

Sports science · co-author · published in Sports

Competitive Stress and the Body

How does competition change what happens inside an athlete? We measured stress hormones and immune responses (salivary cortisol, IgA and cytokines) in water polo players.

Work & projects

18projects · 5 fields

5

Leadership

  • OmniThinkCEO. Ask five AI models at once and compare their answers.
  • Unix AcademyCo-founder of a divergent online academy for teachers and students.
  • XiencelyCo-founder of a research lab for developing startups.
  • Summer school~500 participants and 30 courses, built from scratch.
  • International & IT LeadInternational coordination and digital tools for a company working across countries.

4

Teaching & speaking

  • Seminars & webinarsScience, society, politics and life experience.
  • CoachingHelping people find their own way.
  • MentoringGuiding people as they start their own path.
  • SHARPER Night GenoaTeaching teenagers about risk, choices and gambling scams.

4

Media & community

  • Social critiqueIn Persian, for 100K+ followers across social media.
  • YouTube lessonsLife, politics, anthropology and more on my channel.
  • Online associationsCreated and coordinated across disciplines, ages and backgrounds.
  • Open discussionsHosting open conversations online.

3

Research & field

  • CGIL fieldworkMigrants' living conditions in Italy.
  • FAMI RETHINKEthnographic research with the University of Bologna on care for unaccompanied foreign minors.
  • Why the World Needs AnthropologistsPart of the event team.

2

Writing

  • Tempus FinisBook in Persian, 2022. On death, fear and the questions we carry.
  • About What It IsBook in Persian, 2021. Looking at what exists from new perspectives.

How I can help.

Find your own way

Coaching

I don't believe one discipline can explain a human being. That's why I created and led many projects to help people find their way in life.

Together we look at who you are, what you want, and the road that is truly yours. Your path, your choice.

Request a coaching session →

Say it out loud

Public speaking

I have strong ideas, and I say them out loud. For years I've spoken to thousands of people about freedom, knowledge and the choices we make.

Now I bring these ideas to stages, universities, podcasts and webinars: individual freedom and private property, knowledge as power, doubt as change, discipline as a road.

Invite me to speak →

Let's start a conversation.

I'm open to new opportunities in international project coordination and research.
If you share the dream, or just have a good question, write to me.

Propose a collaboration →