Francesca is a PhD student at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences of the Scuola Normale Superiore. Since September 2022, she holds a visiting researcher position at the Centre for Research and Sociology Studies (CIES) at Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa.
She holds a BA in Philosophy (University of Milan), a MA in International Migration (University of Kent, Brussels School of International Studies), with a focus on migration and security studies, and a MA in International Studies (University of Turin), with a focus on peace and conflict studies.
Currently, her research focuses on the management of immigration in  border areas, with a focus on the Balkan route and the Italian-Slovenian border. Her research examines the dynamics and interactions between institutional and social actors, and in particular groups and movements that act in solidarity with migrants and refugees.
Outside the academia, she gained experience in the field of human rights and human mobility in different border zones in Europe and Central  America, both as an activist-volunteer and within international  organizations.

Research interests: borders, violence, solidarity, migration, and ethnography