cv

• I have great open source research skills as a result of an early entry into the world of academic research, thanks to Sant’Anna’s research-led coursework and theses.
  • particularly, i can synthesise and make sense of large amounts of qualitative data (better than a gpt!), including reports, policy documents, and legal documents.
• I have a strong instinct for niche and timely topics, such as my choice to investigate:
  • the protection of undersea cables under international law in march 2020
  • russian hostility towards ukraine in january 2022
  • internet standardisation starting march 2023.
• I can deliver timely and in-depth analysis in response to (public and private) clients’ specification. examples include:
  • being the lead analyst for an independent government evaluation project, maintaining a fair perspective while balancing stakeholder expectations and data confidentiality.
  • proposing successful innovative operational solutions under time pressure, to achieve military aims in compliance with international law as a political advisor for the italian navy.
• I have successfully delivered high-stakes presentations in front of both C-level executives and high-ranking military officials.
• I have produced research on the cyber threat landscape to prep CEO testimony at a parliamentary hearing before a national security commission.
• I have worked in international settings, both in-person and remotely with multi-cultural teams.
• I have held internal lobbying and advocacy positions in university bodies, successfully influencing the passing of concrete reforms.

• i can manage teams big and small…
  • i was part of the three-person team that managed 150+ mentors in a project serving 1500+ underprivileged high-school students over three consecutive years.
  • for the above project, i was responsible for the formalisation and tracking of activities, expenses, logistics, and individual students’ participation.
• … including under pressure:
  • i was directly involved in the covid response team at Sant’Anna, directly managing testing and quarantining procedures for my dorm during a covid outbreak in autumn 2020
  • i have participated as an actor and assistant to hostile environment training courses, testing participants’ ability to withstand pressure, cooperate, and improvise under time and resource constraints.
• i can facilitate stakeholder cooperation:
  • as student representative for political science, I coordinated faculty and students’ proposals and needs to produce the faculty course list for two academic years.
  • in this capacity, i successfully advocated for the extension of academic and admin support for students facing personal difficulties.
• i can help bring in funding:
  • I worked on the drafting and submission of a project that won funding for more than 4 million euros (more than 2 million of which coming from the Horizon 2020 program, the other half in public funds).
  • I researched and prepared submissions for multiple grants in the information security space.
• i have excellent organisation and prioritisation skills:
  • i did everything in this page over five years

• I passed the following competitive selections:
  • Sant’Anna: I was selected among a total of 50 students for my academic year who were allowed to attend Honours courses at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, a graduate Masters program that runs parallel to “standard” Bachelors’ and Masters’ studies.
  • ISI: I was selected to participate in the Cambridge International Security and Intelligence programme (ISI)
  • ESIL: I was selected to present my research on international standardisation fora before the interest group on international organisations at the European Society of International Law 2024 conference in Vilnius.
  • NATO: I have been selected for a highly selective spot as an intern.
• I was selected for the following scholarships and grants:
  • Sant’Anna: all Honours students at Sant’Anna benefit from a 5-year full-ride scholarship, including free accommodation and meals in the college campus, free tuition for the advanced classes and seminars, and further funding for research activities. in order to maintain the scholarship, excellent grades must be achieved throughout the “standard” university pathway of Bachelors’ and Masters’, and every year a research thesis must be written and presented.
  • Erasmus at UCL: I was awarded an Erasmus grant by the University of Florence, ranked as second out of all applicants.
  • Erasmus+ Traineeship to OXIL: I was awarded an Erasmus+ grant to further support me during my time at OXIL.
  • SFS to ISI: I received a grant covering the full cost of my participation at ISI from Sant’Anna following a competitive selection for funding.

• “Anna is an exceptional analyst”
• “They integrated into the work of our team very quickly”
• “Their intellect and capacity to process large volumes of work, delivering relevant analysis specially distinguish them in their research”
• “Anna always goes beyond the obvious sources and provides thorough analysis on relevant issues”

• Timely analysis, synthesis and categorisation of 700+ internet regulatory events, with a focus on cybersecurity, data localisation, and China.
• Lead data analyst for the Italy Digest
• Data analysis and drafting for the Data Governance in the G20 Report (Data localisation) and the Anatomy of AI rules Report (Data protection, System safety, Data security, Data composition).

Research and analysis on AI standards, ransomware, Internet standards, cross-border data flows, and more.

Standards:

• Lead data analyst and co-author of UK government commissioned AI Standards Hub evaluation report
• Cooperation in the setup of the Internet Standards Observatory: tracking of ITU related standards that could transform Internet networking, routing, addressing and naming.

Ransomware:

• Helped OXIL CEO Emily Taylor prepare for giving oral evidence to the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy on ransomware
• Provided desk-based background research and a succinct summary of the relevant literature

Other research:

• Research assistance and legal analysis concerning Cross-border data flows
• Assistance in briefing notes on diverse topics such as the potential for exploitation of HikVision camera vulnerabilities

Research support:

• Researched document disclosure policies at ITU
• Assisted in proof-reading an academic article (then successfully published in a peer-reviewed journal)

Stakeholder engagement:

• Scouted for researchers and research institutions working on Internet standards and Internet fragmentation
• Provided commentary for news article on the Telegraph on undersea Internet cables

Funding and admin:

• Completed membership applications at ETSI and ITU
• Prepared backgrounders on opportunities for funding

Served as POLAD for the red team during Italy’s largest naval exercise onboard Italian flagship Cavour, working directly with the fictional hostile nation’s top military commander.

• Proposed creative operational solutions in accordance with International Humanitarian Law and Law of the Sea to advance military objectives, as directly requested by the red team command under strict time constraints. Amongst the options presented, the ones chosen by the commander at sea proved to be successful in achieving the desired goals.
• Consolidated the realism of the exercise scenario through the drafting of policy pronouncements and the enactment of diplomatic measures on behalf of the fictional hostile country.
• Briefed several high-ranking officials, including a number of Admirals, on political, legal and operational developments throughout the exercise.
• Specific focus on methods and implementation of military intelligence.

Microcyber

• Research work on a project proposal that achieved millions of euros in funding, including through Horizon 2020.
• Further details under NDA. From the public webpage (see link below): “The MicroCyber EDIH (European Digital Innovation Hub) aims at establishing a set of services and infrastructures focusing on cybersecurity, to be offered to Micro and Small, and enterprises (MSE) in the South of Italy while also supporting public entities – both local and central – in understanding their cybersecurity needs”.

Cyberreadiness.IT

• Research and development of the proprietary Cyber Security Human Readiness Index (CSHRI).
• Active involvement in the tailoring and deployment of CSHRI questionnaires to the needs and specifications of various medium and large public and private stakeholders.
• Further details under NDA. From the public webpage (see link below): “The CyberReadiness.IT program aims to provide methodologies and tools to measure the impact of the human factor in assessing the cyber risks of an organisation. This is done based on the responses provided to a specific questionnaire by individuals within the organisation.”

• Published the “Geostrategic value of submarine Internet cables – Italy as a strategic key point” Policy Paper with coauthor Irene Spadaro (February 2021).
• Published “Critical Information Infrastructure Protection: Between Cybersecurity and Policymaking” and presented it at ITASEC21.
• Center contact point for the CyberEquality project.

Special-statute, full-ride public Graduate School program, parallel to university courses. Political Science with a concentration in international law and security studies.

Expected graduation in May ’25.

Courses:

• EU Cybersecurity Law
• Non-Territorial Spaces in International Law
• Research Design (SNS)
• Food Security: the Impact of the Ukrainian War
• The Regulation of the Use of Force in International Relations in light of the Recent Events in Ukraine
• Border Governance and Digital Technologies: Law and Security Issues
• Introduction to the Italian Intelligence System
• Interdisciplinary Course on Africa
• The Obligation to Solve Disputes through Peaceful Means in International Law
• Terrorism and International Law
• Cybersecurity: a Multidisciplinary Perspective, Migration Governance and Border Management
• Chinese Language (Advanced)
• Introduction to African Security: Theories and Case Studies
• Introduction to the Law of International Organisations
• Governance and Management of Public Institutions
• Ethics for Institutions: Duty
• Chinese Language (Intermediate)
• Spanish Language (Advanced)
• The Italian Intelligence System
• Qualitative Methods for Political Sciences (SNS)
• Power and Violence: an Essential Conceptual Map
• Populism and Democracy
• Politicization Of and Protest Against the European Union: Elections, Parties and Decision-Making Processes
• Law of the Sea
• Diplomacy
• Concepts and Categories in Contemporary History and Social Sciences
• China Issues

• six-week course with academic experts and practitioners
• Supervised research project on the use of standardisation processes to deliver malicious effects in cyberspace, under prof. David V Gioe

International Relations curriculum. Expected graduation in early ’25.

Courses (grading out of 30):

• International Law (28)
• Energy, Environment and European Security (26)
• History of contemporary Europe (27)
• Law and Governance in Contemporary China (UCL – 30L)
• War and Peace (UCL – 30L)
• Wars and Violence (UCL – 30)
• Political Economy of East Asia (UCL – 30L)
• Competition and Regulation in the EU (30L)
• Genocide and International Crimes (26)

Courses:

• Law and Governance in Contemporary China (74)
• War and Peace (72)
• Wars and Violence (65)
• Political Economy of East Asia (72)

Political Science, graduated cum laude

Courses (Grading out of 30):

• History of Political Institutions (30)
• Contemporary History (29)
• Public Law (30)
• Sociology (30)
• History of Political Doctrines (30)
• Private Law (29)
• Economics (26)
• English Language (30 cum Laude)
• EU Law (26)
• Methodology of Social Sciences (29)
• Comparative Public Law (30 cum Laude)
• Sociology of Communications (29)
• Economic Policy (28)
• Political Philosophy (27)
• History of International Relations (30)
• International Law (30)
• Political Science (28)
• International Relations (30 cum Laude)
• Anglo-American Public Law (30 cum Laude)
• Tools and Techniques for Digital Communication (Pass)
• Spanish for Political and Social Sciences (28)
• History of Afro-Asiatic Countries (30)
• Research Internship (Passed)
• Statistics (24)
• Final Exam – Thesis Defense (Pass).