Research: Building Peace from Within - Sustaining Human Capital and Shock-Responsive Social Protection in Ukraine and the Lessons for European Policy Pathway
I am a PhD student in Peace Studies at Sapienza University of Rome, specializing in the Economics of Peace curriculum. My doctoral research project is titled: "Building Peace from Within - Sustaining Human Capital and Shock-Responsive Social Protection in Ukraine and the Lessons for European Policy Pathway." This research investigates how social protection mechanisms can be adapted to sustain human capital in modern conflict settings. I hold a Master’s Degree in Political Economy, a Bachelor’s Degree in International Economics, and a professional diploma in Development and International Cooperation.
My academic work is directly informed by my professional experience in humanitarian emergency response. I served as a Programme Policy Officer for the UN World Food Programme in Lviv, Ukraine, where I headed the field office's programme unit and managed programme activities across eight regions to support internally displaced people and vulnerable groups affected by war. In this role, I built positive relationships with local authorities and cooperating partner organizations to ensure coordinated, need-based programme response and led the process to select and onboard new local NGO partners. I led the launch and scale-up of the school meals programme to over 270 schools and organized the groundwork for innovative cash-based activities. I was also entrusted with facilitating group consultations for the UN Cooperation Framework and the Community Planning for Durable Solutions and Recovery working group, where I actively engaged stakeholders from fellow UN agencies, local government, academia, and the private sector.
Beyond humanitarian operations, I previously led the development of data-driven technological solutions for the public sector and corporations, translating business needs into concrete technical project proposals.
My interests include applying quantitative and qualitative methods to inform evidence-based social programmes, economic geography, international economics, and cultural diplomacy.