Professional Background

I come from a background of conflict studies and disaster management. In recent years, I have been working on food security in settings of intractable conflict and protracted crises. I hold a master’s degree in conflict management from the University of Haifa and I run a consultancy firm offering services for development and humanitarian actors. Further, I am currently researching at a Dutch University on the impact of humanitarian aid on conflict. Working in the humanitarian sector in an international environment and across borders and having lived in different countries within and outside of Europe, has shaped my understanding for intercultural conflict communication. These experiences have motivated me to absolve a master’s degree in conflict studies and to become a certified Mediator.

Biography Letter

I believe that in every-day conflicts and even in cases of intractable conflict and conflicts that have reached an impasse or mutually hurting stalemate, mediation and dialogue are the way forward to addressing conflicts on all scales. Only if all sides involved are granted the chances of being heard, of sharing their views and their respective narratives, finding an agreement becomes feasible.

Having lived and worked in areas that experience frequent conflict has further shaped my understanding of conflicts and I see mediation as the key component of any attempt for ‘partners in conflict’ to reach an agreement.

Being a European at heart and given my professional and personal background, I can best apply my knowledge and skills in cases of international, cross-border mediation.

Professional Background

My research activity develops around two main branches: i) Multi-risk analysis and risk pathways identification; ii) Science Communication and its evaluation, particularly focused on risk perception. I have almost a decade of experience in teaching from high school to University. Furthermore, I organized the S4CE project summer school NO RISK NO ENERGY for the University of Salerno. Finally, I am a Positive Peace Activator trained by Rotary International and the Institute of Economics and Peace.

Biography Letter

I have always been very interested in cross-cultural confrontation and mediation even though, as you can see from my curriculum, my chosen field of study and research is hard-science. On the other end, my field of professional intervention concerns not only the applicative aspects of research but also the area of cultural "absorption" of scientific notions. In other words, I deal with social representations and cultural mediation. Moreover, being involved in EU funded project I work every day with colleagues from all over Europe, with different backgrounds and interests, that I have to meet. A situation that is replicated in my associative life that places me in a series of international and intercultural relations that in fact requires mediation skills.

The added value of my associative life is precisely this: striving to combine differences and make them into resources: personal, relational, and community.