Meet our staff
Francesco Battaglia
Chair holder
Professor of European Union Law at the Department of Political Science of the Sapienza University of Rome. He holds the bachelor course of “EU law and institutions”, as well as the master course of “EU policies and law”. Since September 2024, he has been serving as an expert in international protection and human rights for the UNHCR. He is a member of the Academic Board for the Ph.D. in Public, Comparative, and International Law and the Scientific and Educational Board of several LLM at the Department of Political Science, Sapienza, University of Rome, such as the LLM in International Protection of Human Rights “Maria Rita Saulle”. Hi is the coordinator of the editorial board of the Journal “International Order and Human Rights”. Professor Battaglia is author of numerous publications both on the institutional and the material aspects of EU law. His last two books are The Digital Consumer in European Union Law and The European Ombudsman.
Valentina Zambrano
Teaching Staff Member
Professor of International Law at the Department of Political Science, Sapienza University
of Rome, where she holds the bachelor courses of “International Organization” and the
master course of “International Health Governance”. She has participated in several
national and international research projects and has given seminars and conferences at
several Italian and foreign universities. She is a member of the editorial board of Focus
Human Rights of federalismi.it and the journal International Order and Human Rights. She
is the author of several publications, including two monographs: The Principle of
Sovereignty of Peoples over Natural Resources between Old and New Violations and
Effective Control” in the Distribution of Responsibility between International Organizations
and States.
Gianfranco Nucera
Teaching Staff Member
Tenure Track Researcher in International Law at the Department of Political Science, Sapienza University of Rome, where he holds the master courses of “Environmental Justice and Climate Change Law” and “Space Law”. He is a member of the Academic Board for the Ph.D. in Public, Comparative, and International Law and the Scientific Board of the LLM in International Protection of Human Rights “Maria Rita Saulle”. He has coordinated scientific projects, such as The Protection of Refugees and Migrants in the Current Changing World: Fostering New Approaches within the Existing System or Time to Reform? and The Protection of Girl Children in Armed Conflicts: Legal Challenges and Institutional Perspectives. His research focuses on international law, sustainable development, climate change, space law, human rights protection, and refugee law. He is the author of several publications, including the monograph Adaptation Measures to Climate Change: Between International Obligations and Human Rights Protection.
Lorenzo Di Anselmo
Research Fellow
Research Fellow in EU Law at the Department of Political Science in Sapienza. He has a PhD in Public, Comparative and International Law (curriculum International Order and Human Rights) at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Sapienza University of Rome. He was a Visiting Researcher at the Maastricht Centre for European Law (MCEL). He is Teaching Assistant for the Chair of European Union Law and tutor for the LLM in International Protection of Human Rights “Maria Rita Saulle” at the Department of Political Sciences of Sapienza University. His main research interests have been focusing on the field of European Union law, with a focus on environmental law, external action and protection of human rights.
Luigi Pigna
Collaborator
Ph.D. student in Public, Comparative and International Law (curriculum: International Order and Human Rights) at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Sapienza, University of Rome. He holds a degree in International Relations with a thesis on European Union Law, focusing on personal data protection, and a postgraduate Master’s degree in International Protection of Human Rights. He is currently undertaking an internship at UNIDROIT (International Institute for the Unification of Private Law) on a joint UNIDROIT/ICC project concerning international investment contracts. His main research interests lie in EU law, particularly in the areas of climate change law, business and human rights (CSR and due diligence), and funding of ecological transition.