This website is a repository of my expertise and professional experiences.
It is also a gateway to key outputs of my latest research projects.
Picture by Daniele Brombal.
Verve
What will the future hold for rural and mountain areas? How can research empower communities to envision regenerative futures? Discover more about VERVE and the co-creative Labs conducted as part of the project.
Research
Dive into my research journey through my Projects and Publications. Curious about my academic outreach? Head over to Dissemination to learn about conferences I participated to or organized, and seminars I delivered for scientific and professional communities.
Co-Creation
As a participatory-action researcher, co-creation is at the heart of what I do. Discover my philosophy and methods in the page My approach. Looking for something beyond the ordinary? Learn how we blended creative methods and regenerative thinking through Re.imaginary.
Education
Education is a cornerstone of my academic work. In the page Transformative Learning I share innovative educational projects I co-designed and facilitated. For an overview of courses, guest lectures, and other formative engagements, explore the page Teaching & Supervision.
Outreach
Effective science communication is vital for societal progress. This section highlights projects designed to reach out to diverse audiences: writing a children’s book, making a video-documentary, participating in public talks, and more.
About me
I am a scholar, educator, action-researcher, and facilitator.
I am a passionate and curious critical mind, driven by a desire for people and the planet to thrive. I combine love for theories (that matter!), a strong analytical approach, and robust and innovative scientific methodologies.
I’m currently Marie Curie Individual Fellow at the University of Padova, Dept. of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry.
Since 2012, I’ve researched social change for sustainability from different perspectives. The red thread in my work is the use, design, and evaluation of participatory, action-oriented, and creative methods. Feminist scholarship, care ethics, and regenerative thinking inspire my approach deeply.
Most of my studying concerns rural-mountain areas and the socio-ecological innovations that emerge in those places.
Over the years, I have matured cross-disciplinary and transversal competences. Among others, I have managed EU-funded projects, designed cutting-edge educational programmes, facilitated multi-stakeholders’ dialogues, and co-written a children’s book.
I hold a PhD in Rural Sociology from Wageningen University & Research, with a study on Green Care practices in Finland, nature-based activities that meet different kinds of social needs.
In my adult life, I have lived and worked in China, Finland, the United States, the Netherlands, the UK. I currently reside in Mestre, Italy – with my partner, daughter, and dog. Things that lift my spirits lately: the Venice lagoon, Hollie McNish’ poetry, Jim Croce’s voice, Iyengar yoga.
