Ada Barbaro is associate professor of Arabic language and literature. After perfecting the study of the Arabic language in Tunis and Damascus, she first obtained a Masters in Literary Translation for the Arabic Language at the SETL (European School of Literary Translation, Città della Scienza - Naples, 2004-2005 academic year), and subsequently a PhD in "Geopolitics and Cultures of the Mediterranean" at the SUM (Italian Institute of Human Sciences - Naples) in collaboration with the University of Naples "Federico II", in April 2011. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "Science fiction in modern Arabic literature between the importation of the Western model and socio-cultural specificities", awarded by the SUM Institute with a funding aimed at the publication, was then published by Carocci in 2013 with the title "La fantascienza nella letteratura araba". For this publication she was awarded the Ernesto Vegetti IV Edition 2015 Award (in collaboration with the "World Science Fiction" Association) as "Best science-fiction essay".
Since 2006 she has been a contract professor of Arabic language, translation and literature at various universities (Sapienza University of Rome, University of Salento, University of Naples L'Orientale, University of International Studies of Rome), at the Master in Languages and Oriental Cultures (MiLCO– IULM, Milan – Rome Foundation) and at the Istituto per l'Oriente C.A. Nallino of Rome. After obtaining the teaching qualification (TFA-Tirocinio Formativo Attivo) for class A112 (Arabic language and culture for second-level high schools) in 2013, in the two-year period 2013-2015 she was Research Fellow in the scientific-disciplinary sector L-OR/12 (Arabic language and literature) at the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies (ISO) – Sapienza, University of Rome. In the two-year period 2017-2019 she obtained another research grant in the scientific-disciplinary sector L-OR /12 (Arabic language and literature) at the University of Naples "L'Orientale". In July 2017 she obtained the National Scientific Qualification for the functions of second level university professor of the Sector 10 / N1 – CULTURES OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST, OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND OF AFRICA.
Member of the editorial board of the journal “La journal di Arablit” and of the Editorial Board of “Studies in Arabic Narratology” (Journal (SAN), Kharazmi University in Iran & Iranian Association of Arabic Language and literature), she is also a member of the European Association for Modern Arabic Literature (EURAMAL) and of the Academic Board of the Doctorate in "Civilizations of Asia and Africa", Italian Institute of Oriental Studies (ISO), Sapienza University of Rome. She presented lectures, seminars and conferences on the topics of her research in Italy and abroad, also carrying out numerous research periods abroad.
Among her most recent research interests: the emergence of new narrative genres and their pascein the Arab literary canon, the transfiguration of reality in contemporary Iraqi prose.