Alessandro Busca is a law researcher from the European University Institute in Florence. He holds a law degree from the University of Bologna, where he spent one year as an exchange student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also holds a master degree LL.M. from the University of Chicago Law School. He has worked in a number of international institutions, such as the European Court of Human Rights as well as international law firms. He has just completed a Ph.D. at the European University Institute.

Dr. Nardini moved to the UK at age 18, where she completed her BA and Masters in Political Philosophy. She moved back to Italy for her PhD and taught at the University of Pisa and the University of Bologna. Dr. Nardini’s academic production includes two books, various publications on international relations and contemporary American political thought, and an extensive collaboration with the Vatican Radio. Dr. Nardini began teaching at the Italy Center in 2012 and has served as the Associate Director for Academic Affairs since 2017. She has overseen a broad range of academic, social justice and co-curricular programs. Specifically, Dr. Nardini has developed a number of interdisciplinary courses and initiatives that have deepened the Center’s commitment to human rights. She also offers an expertise in leading social justice focused student travel tours to include Southern Italy and Eastern European destinations. Dr. Nardini is an also one of the Italy Center’s Political Science Instructors.

Grew up in Middletown, Connecticut and has lived in Bologna since 2010. She holds an MA in Italian Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a PhD in Philosophy, Art, and Critical Thought from the European Graduate School, Switzerland. Her research interests are in Italian literature, particularly feminist literatures throughout history, experimental and avant-garde traditions, textual presence in contemporary art, deconstruction, and translation studies. Dr. Donahue first came to Italy to explore her own Sicilian heritage and study abroad as an undergraduate. She brings with her years of experience teaching in American liberal arts programs in Rome and Florence. She teaches courses in Italian literature in translation ranging from modern and contemporary texts to Dante and Gender Studies, with a particular emphasis on Italian feminism and intersectionality.Dr. Donahue has her own writing and artistic practice. She is author of Body to Mineral (Publication Studio Vancouver 2016) and On Endings (Delere Press 2019) and translator from the Italian of Blown Away by vito m. bonito (Fomite 2021) and Self-portrait by Carla Lonzi (Divided 2021). Her writing and translations have appeared in Another Gaze, Prairie Schooner, The Massachusetts Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, Brooklyn Rail, BOMB, FlashArt, Nero and other magazines. She has recently held poetic performances and built installations at institutions such as MAMbo, MACRO, Guggenheim Venice, Kunsthalle Bern, and MACTE Termoli. She is winner of the 2026 Premio Gallarate and the Italian Council Talent Development Prize 2025/2026.

Nomadic at heart, Chiara moved to Bologna in 2017, getting to know the city through grassroots community work. Born in Northern Italy with Southern roots, she has long combined advocacy for human rights with professional expertise in social and environmental justice, through local and global lens. Based on holistic and intersectional approaches, her work mainly spans public and private institutions, NGOs, and social enterprises focusing on marginalization, community empowerment, youth activism, culture and education. Founding member of a feminist and artistic collective and volunteer organizations, she manages projects and consults on DEI, gender, ethics, and sustainability, and designs ethical travel experiences grounded in sustainable tourism and community empowerment. After studying Political Science, she earned an M.Sc. in International Humanitarian Action, conducting research on community-based DDR and Climate Change in collaboration with Monash University, followed by a field research in South Asia. Her subsequent experiences ranged from participation in UN fora to fieldwork across Europe, Africa, and South America. At the Italy Center, she oversees and leads intentional, educational and sustainable travel experiences based on social and environmental justice; she is also the Service Learning and Internship Coordinator and Adjunct Professor of Social Sciences courses.

Dr. Claudia Marulo holds a PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Text Translation (University of Siena), as well as a bachelor's degree in Literature (University of Naples "Federico II"). She also earned a master's degree in Gender Studies and Policies (Roma Tre University) in 2026. In 2007, after a period in Paris, France, Dr. Marulo moved back to Siena where she continued teaching Italian language until 2015, when she finally moved to Bologna and began collaborating with the Italy Center. Her areas of expertise include diversity and inclusion, gender studies, and children's books. In addition to her academic work, she is also an illustrator. Over the years, Dr. Marulo has authored children books and online publications with a focus on diversity and equality studies. She is an activist for LGBTQIA+ rights and the editor-in-chief of the online journal La Falla del Cassero LGBTQIA+ Center.

Eleonora Morganti is a professor in History, where she teaches courses in European and Mediterranean history. During her academic career, she spent four years in Paris at École des Ponts (France) and seven years at the University of Leeds (UK), a Russell Group institution, where she developed her core research in economic urban history in Europe, focusing on topics related to food and transport. She holds a doctorate in Policies for Sustainable Development from the University of Bologna. Her expertise includes history of the European Union and of the Mediterrean region. She has published 14 peer-reviewed articles and 5 book chapters on food hubs, sustainable urban policies, and related topics, and has collaborated with research institutions in the United States (UCSC), Argentina (INTA), and China (SJTU).

Irene Valsangiacomo, originally from Switzerland, pursued her passion for drama by studying at the Theater School of Bologna A. G. Garrone. Following her graduation, she embarked on a volunteer experience in Sao Paulo, Brazil, contributing to a project focused on evangelization through social media. Irene then delved into theological studies at the Theology Faculty of Bologna, subsequently earning a master’s degree in “Science, Philosophy, and Theology of Religions” at the Theology Faculty of Lugano, Switzerland. Engaging with the “Rete Loyola,” the Jesuits of Bologna’s program for students, from 2008 to 2016, she demonstrated her commitment to educational initiatives. Currently, Irene Valsangiacomo brings her expertise as a religion professor to the public school system.

Dr. Lukrecia Štulić is a postdoctoral researcher in climate variability at the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bologna. She is a physicist with a doctorate in science from the University of Bremen. Her research is focused on the climate of polar regions and its impacts on the global climate. In her current work, she studies how changes in Antarctic sea ice are linked to climate patterns and atmospheric and oceanic conditions, using both climate models and observational data. Lukrecia collaborated with musicians in several science-art projects to communicate climate science and climate change to wider audiences.

Marco Giuliani, a skilled agronomist, has navigated the realms of agricultural research at UniBo within the faculty of agriculture. His experience includes hands-on work in the largest tomato greenhouse in the province of Ferrara, as well as serving as a freelance consultant for the strategic planning of advanced greenhouses and vertical farming projects across the entire Italian mainland. Born and raised in Bologna, Marco maintains a profound connection with his surroundings. His collaborations extend to working with entrepreneurs and researchers in Emilia-Romagna, focusing on diverse initiatives such as social agriculture, pharmaceutical plant production, reclamation of saline soils, and the design of aquaponic cultures.

Matteo Fusco has worked as Consultant in Green Finance and Innovation for the Ministry of Climate Change of Misiones (Argentina), Executive Director of the Argentine Institute of Fiscal Sociology and is currently a Sports Manager and Consultant in Marketing, Political Campaigns and Strategic Communications. Born in Torino (Italy), with a Master in Business Administration from the University of Bologna, he has studied and worked in Italy, Belgium, United States, United Kingdom and Argentina. Founder of FusConsulting, an independent consulting company specialized in strategic communication, marketing, political campaigns, identity and reputation, climate change management and green finance with over 10 years of international experience in the above mentioned fields working with private companies and public institutions in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Italy, advising them on identifying their goals, determining a strategic plan and implementing the necessary communication actions to create and maintain a good reputation and positive image with a heavy focus on sustainability and environmental impact. He now teaches for different U.S. Universities in Italy (Sustainable Business & Green Finance, Strategies for International Business in a Globalized Market, Money & Capital Markets, Sustainable Tourism, Intercultural Communications, Business Ethics, Business of Social Media) and is part of the extended leadership team of CANIE Europe (Climate Action Network of International Educators).

Piergiacomo Petrioli, PhD, is an art historian residing in Bologna. His fields of interest include Renaissance Art, History of Restauration and Art criticism, Italian Women Artists, Food and Culture. He has published several articles and books, and recently, with Alden Smith (Baylor University), “The Eloquent Artist”, about Ancient Rhetoric and Italian Prot Renaissance Art. Petrioli has taught History of Art Criticism at the University of Florence, and Art History for many American Universities programs abroad in Italy, such as New York University/Florence, and Dartmouth College/Siena, Boston University in Padua and Venice, University of Oregon/Siena, Brown in Bologna. He is also collaborating with the Japanese Art Magazine Bun-Ten and, as a member of SlowFood in Bologna, lecturing on Art and History of Food. His awards include two scholarships from the Armstrong Browning Library of Baylor University and a fellowship from the Roberto Longhi Foundation of Art History in Florence.