Giovanna Mazzeo Ortolani is a dual-career PhD fellow with dual affiliations at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University.
Giovanna joined UNU-MERIT in 2022. Her main interests lie on social protection, poverty alleviation, food security, social inclusion, and gender equality. Her PhD research focuses on the social protection pathways to food security and nutrition through women's participation in decision-making in low- and middle-income countries under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Franziska Gassmann (Maastricht University), Dr. Nyasha Tirivayi (UNICEF Innocenti), and Dr. Keetie Roelen (Open University UK).
With over 10 years of experience in policy analysis and research on social protection, human capital development, and macroeconomics, Giovanna has worked in Belgium, Italy, and Brazil. Her experiences include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Directorate-Generals for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) and Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), Bocconi University, and A.C.Pastore & Associados – macroeconomic consulting.