EDUCATION

.Italian baccalaureate at the Liceo Classico ‘Torquato Tasso’ in Rome with a final grade of 100/100 (July 1999).

.Class I BA in Social Anthropology at Cambridge University (June 2002), elected Scholar of King’s College and awarded the Richards Prize for academic achievement. Awarded an MA in 2006.

.Masters degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid at the University of Bologna (December 2003).

LANGUAGES

Fully bilingual in English and Italian. Fluent written and spoken French. Intermediate Spanish.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

.Senior EU Migration and Asylum Analyst with the Open Society European Policy Institute, the EU advocacy branch of the Open Society Foundations. Monitoring developments at EU level and in key member states, conducting targeted advocacy vis-à-vis EU policymakers as well as liaising with other civil society organisations to push for changes in policy. December 2016-ongoing.

.Senior Adviser to the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies on international and EU affairs, human rights, migration and asylum. Based at the Lower House of Parliament in Rome. Overseeing organisation of, and taking part in, President’s missions overseas and relevant events in Italy, producing high-quality content by drafting speeches, briefs and updates, and monitoring domestic, European and international policy developments. Developing a wide-ranging global network of contacts by liaising with relevant departments in parliament and at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as with Italian embassies abroad, foreign diplomats, other national parliaments, the EU institutions, international organisations and civil society actors. March 2013 – November 2016.

.Freelance migration and asylum expert. Last assignment (November 2012-March 2013): consultancy for the Brussels-based Open Society Justice Initiative (identifying opportunities for advocacy and strategic litigation in the field of migration and asylum in Italy). February 2012 – March 2013.

.Field Officer and Team Leader in Sicily (Italy) for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Monitoring reception conditions in dozens of migrant-hosting facilities and migrant detention centres in Sicily and representing UNHCR in Italian Civil Protection-led monitoring missions across Italy. Also providing legal information to asylum seekers, strengthening the capacity of camp managers and of other stakeholders and assisting the authorities at landings of boat people. Leading a multi-national team providing direct assistance – legal information provision and the referral of vulnerable individuals - at a government facility hosting over 2,000 adults and family units from more than 30 countries. March – December 2011.

.Community Relations Researcher with UNHCR Italy. Drafting a comprehensive report on the protection challenges posed by unaccompanied Afghan minors in transit in Italy through fact-finding, interviews with members of target groups, meetings with stakeholders (local and national authorities, CSOs, INGOs). November 2010 – January 2011.

.Junior Professional Officer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Liaison Office in Brussels, working as a Programme Officer for the EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative (EC-UN JMDI), a global EU-funded programme implemented by UNDP in partnership with ILO, IOM, UNFPA and UNHCR. Contributing to the identification of good practice and overseeing implementation of 22 projects (funded by grants worth a total of over €4 million) linking civil society organisations and local authorities in EU countries with counterparts in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Mali and Cape Verde. Monitoring projects remotely and through ad hoc missions, which included field visits and meetings with government representatives, the EU Delegation and UN Country Teams. Also responsible for EC-UN JMDI global communications efforts. October 2008 – October 2010.

.Consultant with the Public Information (PI) Unit at UNHCR Italy. Drafting and circulating press releases, contributing to preparation of a code of conduct for the Italian media on how to tackle migration and asylum. Also briefing and liaising with HQ in Geneva, and undertaking missions to visit field operations in southern Italy. May 2007 – September 2008.

.Migration officer at SOLIDAR, a Brussels-based network of European NGOs. Organising events and drafting papers on EU migration policy, lobbying the EU institutions, liaising with other NGOs and NGO networks, international organisations, think tanks and trade unions, as well as running an EU-funded project on migrant integration in five European countries. Attended conferences and meetings organised by the European Parliament, the OSCE, leading think tanks and other organisations as a speaker/chairperson. June 2006 – May 2007.

.Intern at the European Commission's Directorate General for Development. Assisting the Director General's Unit. October 2005-February 2006.

.Intern with the PI Unit at UNHCR Italy. July-September 2005.

.Intern at the Associated Press newsroom in Rome. March-June 2005.

.Intern at Médecins Sans Frontières Mission Italy collaborating in preparation of a report on seasonal migrant workers in agriculture in Southern Italy. Also supporting the communications unit and assisting asylum seekers with their asylum applications. October 2004-February 2005.

.In charge of communications for an Italian member of parliament. April 2004-June 2006.

.Intern at VOICE (Voluntary Organisations In Co-operation in Emergencies) in Brussels. September-November 2003.

FURTHER TRAINING

.Odysseus Academic Network European Summer School on EU law and policy on immigration and asylum (Brussels, June-July 2009).

.Oxford University Refugee Studies Centre summer school in forced migration (July 2012).

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS

.Headed Italian delegation to the European Youth Parliament session in Vienna (1998). Organiser of EYP session in Rome (1999) and chairperson at sessions in Helsinki (1999), Athens (2000) and Bern (2000).

.President of the Cambridge University Italian Society, 2001-2002.

.Extensive travel for work and leisure in 16 countries in Africa and the Middle East.