About me
I am a dual national by birth (British-Italian) and a naturalized Senegalese citizen. Nomadic spirit, I have lived and worked in different European, African and Asian countries. Since 2009, I am based in the Netherlands. I have two beautiful children and in my spare time I love meeting people from different walks of life, am a keen Instagram user, enjoy walking in nature, as well as reading, listening to music, practicing yoga and meditation.
About my work
Borders fascinate me. Especially when they can be crossed. I specialize in research about international migration and in applied research in different professional fields, from international development and humanitarianism to sustainable energy and healthcare. Ethnography is my core research method.
I spent 20+ years researching how migrants live their lives across multiple worlds, promoting development and change in their home and host countries. From my ethnographic approach to research and my work among migrants I have learned that innovation requires stepping out of our comfort zone by experiencing and engaging with different worlds.
Today, I carry this insight into trans-disciplinary work with organizations and companies, in which I use ethnography to address their challenges. I ask questions, observe, listen and organize information in a coherent narrative to tell otherwise unseen stories. People I have worked with say our collaboration helped them reframe problems in a new light.
I have held positions at universities in Italy, Senegal, the UK and the Netherlands and have extensive experience working at the crossroads between academia and practice, working for the European Commission, United Nations, intergovernmental agencies, NGOs and industry companies.
I joined the Social and Cultural Anthropology Department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2014. Prior to this and after obtaining a PhD in comparative urban studies in 2006, I held positions at universities in Italy, Senegal, the UK and the Netherlands. Before making research my passion, I was an international development and humanitarian practitioner in Africa and Asia.
I spent 20+ years researching how migrants live their lives across multiple worlds, promoting development and change in their home and host countries. From my ethnographic approach to research and my work among migrants I have learned that innovation requires stepping out of our comfort zone by experiencing and engaging with different worlds.
Today, I carry this insight into trans-disciplinary work with organizations and companies, in which I use ethnography to address their challenges. I ask questions, observe, listen and organize information in a coherent narrative to tell otherwise unseen stories. People I have worked with say our collaboration helped them reframe problems in a new light.
I have held positions at universities in Italy, Senegal, the UK and the Netherlands and have extensive experience working at the crossroads between academia and practice, working for the European Commission, United Nations, intergovernmental agencies, NGOs and industry companies.
I joined the Social and Cultural Anthropology Department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2014. Prior to this and after obtaining a PhD in comparative urban studies in 2006, I held positions at universities in Italy, Senegal, the UK and the Netherlands. Before making research my passion, I was an international development and humanitarian practitioner in Africa and Asia.
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