Teaching Philosophy
My teaching is grounded in the belief that learning happens through curiosity, collaboration, and critical engagement with real‑world challenges. I encourage students to question assumptions, explore multiple perspectives, and connect theory with lived experience. Whether we are studying migration, humanitarian action, healthcare teamwork, or emerging biotechnologies, I emphasise ethnography as a tool for understanding how people make sense of complex situations.
My classrooms are interactive, international, and interdisciplinary, shaped by my own academic journey across Europe, Africa, and Asia and by my experience working at the interface of academia, policy, and practice.
My classrooms are interactive, international, and interdisciplinary, shaped by my own academic journey across Europe, Africa, and Asia and by my experience working at the interface of academia, policy, and practice.
Courses I Teach
At Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, I contribute to teaching in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, within both bachelor’s and master’s programmes. I also contribute to PhD training at the Graduate School of Social Sciences. My courses focus on skill development (ethnographic methods, research design, interdisciplinary collaboration), inspired by examples from my own work on migration governance, humanitarianism, healthcare.
Supervision
I supervise MSc, BSc and PhD theses on topics related to:
- migration, mobility, and diaspora studies
- humanitarianism and development
- healthcare practices, teamwork, and ethnography in clinical settings
- the social dimensions of biomedicine, genomics, and emerging biotechnologies
- interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge‑making
Pedagogical Commitments
Learning Across Disciplines
I enjoy teaching students from anthropology, global health, biomedical sciences, development studies, and related fields. Bringing diverse perspectives into the classroom enriches the learning environment and mirrors the interdisciplinary worlds in which I conduct research.
Ethnography as Practice
I teach students how to use ethnography not only as a research method but as a mode of attention, a way of learning from people, noticing what often goes unseen, and engaging with complexity rather than simplifying it.
Connecting Theory & Practice
My years working with international organisations, NGOs, and interdisciplinary scientific teams inform my teaching. I encourage students to think critically about how academic knowledge travels into policy, healthcare, and public debate.
I enjoy teaching students from anthropology, global health, biomedical sciences, development studies, and related fields. Bringing diverse perspectives into the classroom enriches the learning environment and mirrors the interdisciplinary worlds in which I conduct research.
Ethnography as Practice
I teach students how to use ethnography not only as a research method but as a mode of attention, a way of learning from people, noticing what often goes unseen, and engaging with complexity rather than simplifying it.
Connecting Theory & Practice
My years working with international organisations, NGOs, and interdisciplinary scientific teams inform my teaching. I encourage students to think critically about how academic knowledge travels into policy, healthcare, and public debate.
Teaching Across Institutions
I have taught at universities in:
- Italy (University of Milan‑Bicocca)
- Senegal (CODESRIA, Cheikh Anta Diop University)
- the United Kingdom (LSE, Goldsmiths)
- the Netherlands (Erasmus ISS, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
For Prospective Students
If you are interested in supervision, coursework, or exploring a project idea, feel free to contact me via email with:
- your programme and level (BSc/MSc/PhD)
- a short description of your interests
- any initial ideas for topics or methods
Photo: Giulia Sinatti, Wageningen (Netherlands) 2026