Our Team
Sonia Marcantonio
Research Manager
Sonia holds an LL.M. in Public International Law and Human Rights from Utrecht University and a master’s degree in Italian and European Law from the University of Bologna. She has extensive experience in research and project management on various human rights-related issues.
After her LL.M, Sonia joined JUSTLAW, a Dutch human rights law firm based in Amsterdam. She was a research partner in the RICHWE project, a UN Reporting Initiative on Climate Change, Health, Water, and Environment. She has also worked on projects in Tanzania (focused on deforestation, indigenous rights, and gender-related issues) and Paraguay (focused on migration, deforestation, child labour, women's rights, and WASH issues). She has also worked as a communication and legal assistant for the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), based in Perugia, Italy. In her free time, Sonia likes to read books about psychology and anthropology while listening to jazz music. She also loves travelling and hiking.
Areas of interest/expertise: international law, human rights, migration, asylum, business and human rights, environmental law, policy and legal analysis.
Research Manager
Sonia holds an LL.M. in Public International Law and Human Rights from Utrecht University and a master’s degree in Italian and European Law from the University of Bologna. She has extensive experience in research and project management on various human rights-related issues.
After her LL.M, Sonia joined JUSTLAW, a Dutch human rights law firm based in Amsterdam. She was a research partner in the RICHWE project, a UN Reporting Initiative on Climate Change, Health, Water, and Environment. She has also worked on projects in Tanzania (focused on deforestation, indigenous rights, and gender-related issues) and Paraguay (focused on migration, deforestation, child labour, women's rights, and WASH issues). She has also worked as a communication and legal assistant for the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), based in Perugia, Italy. In her free time, Sonia likes to read books about psychology and anthropology while listening to jazz music. She also loves travelling and hiking.
Areas of interest/expertise: international law, human rights, migration, asylum, business and human rights, environmental law, policy and legal analysis.
Interns and Research Assistants
Eva Beggiato
Projects and Research Assistant
Eva holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Trento, Italy and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the UCD College in Dublin. During her studies, she was able to participate in various webinars on the situation of human rights in Italy and participate in projects of the European Union (Jean Monnet Center) which allowed her to better understand the situation of minorities in Europe and pushed her to focus her Masters in Human Rights. Eva has been involved in some voluntary groups for the protection of human rights such as Amnesty International (Dublin), World Beyond War Irish Chapter in which she directs the media part and organises Webinars with experts in peace & conflict and World Beyond War Youth Network as an anti-war activist. Volunteering experiences and academic studies abroad have confirmed her interest in developing a career in the field of human rights especially in the protection of the rights of women and children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, especially in Asia, embroidering and cooking.
Projects and Research Assistant
Eva holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Trento, Italy and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the UCD College in Dublin. During her studies, she was able to participate in various webinars on the situation of human rights in Italy and participate in projects of the European Union (Jean Monnet Center) which allowed her to better understand the situation of minorities in Europe and pushed her to focus her Masters in Human Rights. Eva has been involved in some voluntary groups for the protection of human rights such as Amnesty International (Dublin), World Beyond War Irish Chapter in which she directs the media part and organises Webinars with experts in peace & conflict and World Beyond War Youth Network as an anti-war activist. Volunteering experiences and academic studies abroad have confirmed her interest in developing a career in the field of human rights especially in the protection of the rights of women and children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, especially in Asia, embroidering and cooking.
Monica Molinari
Projects and Research Assistant
Monica holds a Master's degree in Law from the University of Bologna, conducting research on the criminalisation of migrants and asylum seekers in Italy. She is interested in migration as a macro-area characterised by complexity concerning numerous issues such as human rights, security, cooperation and so on and so forth that have marked the European and international debate for years. This interest grew as she experienced first-hand the difficulties and injustices suffered by many migrants living in Italy. She has worked as a legal advisor for a law firm specialising in immigration law, handling cases involving applications for international protection, family reunification and citizenship proceedings. In addition, she provided legal advice for migrants held in detention. She is currently enrolled in a M.A. in International Relations at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan. This academic experience has allowed her to study human rights and international law in depth, as well as to train her for a career in this field. She was a volunteer in an association where she taught Italian to asylum seekers and refugees, and volunteers in the legal desk of an association in Milan that provides support to migrants. In her spare time, Monica enjoys playing the ukulele, reading and writing, watching old movies and travelling whenever she can.
Monica Molinari
Projects and Research Assistant
Monica holds a Master's degree in Law from the University of Bologna, conducting research on the criminalisation of migrants and asylum seekers in Italy. She is interested in migration as a macro-area characterised by complexity concerning numerous issues such as human rights, security, cooperation and so on and so forth that have marked the European and international debate for years. This interest grew as she experienced first-hand the difficulties and injustices suffered by many migrants living in Italy. She has worked as a legal advisor for a law firm specialising in immigration law, handling cases involving applications for international protection, family reunification and citizenship proceedings. In addition, she provided legal advice for migrants held in detention. She is currently enrolled in a M.A. in International Relations at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan. This academic experience has allowed her to study human rights and international law in depth, as well as to train her for a career in this field. She was a volunteer in an association where she taught Italian to asylum seekers and refugees, and volunteers in the legal desk of an association in Milan that provides support to migrants. In her spare time, Monica enjoys playing the ukulele, reading and writing, watching old movies and travelling whenever she can.
Vlad Melnic
Projects and Research Assistant
Vlad holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Human Rights from the University of Padova. He is currently enrolled in his final year of a Master's Degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs at the University of Bologna. Concern for human rights stems mainly from his origins. Born in Moldova, but resident in Italy, he has often faced social exclusion and integration difficulties. Vlad has been involved in numerous voluntary activities throughout his studies: Within the Youth Committee for UNESCO he organised conferences and meetings aimed at making the local community aware of the problems of climate change and the degradation of the national artistic heritage. He also contributed to promoting intercultural exchanges and human rights awareness for the younger generation. In 2017 he spent a semester in Poland with the Erasmus+ programme, while the following year he lived and worked abroad for 7 months in the reception service in Budapest, Prague, Antwerp, and Lisbon. Traveling is his greatest passion, but he also loves reading, watching racing competitions, playing sports, cooking, and brewing beer.
Sara Salmi
Projects and Research Assistant
Sara's career began in the aviation industry, based both in England and in the United Arab Emirates. During her travels, she came across a wide range of social issues sparking an interested in this field. Hence, to gain a more global understanding of these, she studied for a B.A. in Anthropology and is now completing a M.A. in International Relations in Milan. Sara continued to seize the opportunity to enrich her education such as the TEFL certificate which has allowed her to teach English in Thailand as well as with a British Charity working with newly arrived migrants and refugee girls. She also chose to put into practice her ethnographical knowledge for her dissertation and travelled to Nepal to spend three months conducting research on Human Rights, Gender and Education. This experience confirmed her interest in developing a career in the field of human rights and humanitarian action. In her spare time, Sara enjoys cooking and eating, travelling and she loves the sea.
Projects and Research Assistant
Sara's career began in the aviation industry, based both in England and in the United Arab Emirates. During her travels, she came across a wide range of social issues sparking an interested in this field. Hence, to gain a more global understanding of these, she studied for a B.A. in Anthropology and is now completing a M.A. in International Relations in Milan. Sara continued to seize the opportunity to enrich her education such as the TEFL certificate which has allowed her to teach English in Thailand as well as with a British Charity working with newly arrived migrants and refugee girls. She also chose to put into practice her ethnographical knowledge for her dissertation and travelled to Nepal to spend three months conducting research on Human Rights, Gender and Education. This experience confirmed her interest in developing a career in the field of human rights and humanitarian action. In her spare time, Sara enjoys cooking and eating, travelling and she loves the sea.
Claudia Sosio
Projects and Research Assistant
Claudia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Milan-Bicocca in Italy and she has volunteered as a teacher assistant in Zambia for a local NGO that provided education and healthcare for orphans. She worked for five years in London as a neonatal intensive care nurse. During this time living and working in a multicultural environment her interest in the topic of migration and integration was enhanced. She is currently enrolled in a M.A. in International Relations at the ASERI Graduate School of the Catholic University of Milan. This academic path has offered her the opportunity to focus on the issue of human rights violations and the complex relationship between different stakeholders in the international arena. Enthusiastic about the Sustainable Development Goals’ agenda, she aspires to actively contribute to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable in the world, particularly women and children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, musical theatre and live jazz concert as well as photography.
Projects and Research Assistant
Claudia holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Milan-Bicocca in Italy and she has volunteered as a teacher assistant in Zambia for a local NGO that provided education and healthcare for orphans. She worked for five years in London as a neonatal intensive care nurse. During this time living and working in a multicultural environment her interest in the topic of migration and integration was enhanced. She is currently enrolled in a M.A. in International Relations at the ASERI Graduate School of the Catholic University of Milan. This academic path has offered her the opportunity to focus on the issue of human rights violations and the complex relationship between different stakeholders in the international arena. Enthusiastic about the Sustainable Development Goals’ agenda, she aspires to actively contribute to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable in the world, particularly women and children. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, musical theatre and live jazz concert as well as photography.
Senior Consultants
Dr Carol Bohmer
Carol Bohmer, a lawyer and sociologist, is a Visiting Associate Professor in the Government Department at Dartmouth College, and a Teaching Fellow at King’s College, London. She has worked extensively in the area of law and society, examining the way legal and social institutions interact, in the United States, the UK and elsewhere. Her current research interests are in the field of immigration and asylum. She also does pro bono legal work for asylum seekers. She has been involved in setting up a project to register children as British citizens in London, UK. Her most recent book is Rejecting Refugees: Political Asylum in the Twenty-First Century with Amy Shuman, (Routledge, 2007), a comparative study of the asylum process in the US and the UK.
Carol Bohmer, a lawyer and sociologist, is a Visiting Associate Professor in the Government Department at Dartmouth College, and a Teaching Fellow at King’s College, London. She has worked extensively in the area of law and society, examining the way legal and social institutions interact, in the United States, the UK and elsewhere. Her current research interests are in the field of immigration and asylum. She also does pro bono legal work for asylum seekers. She has been involved in setting up a project to register children as British citizens in London, UK. Her most recent book is Rejecting Refugees: Political Asylum in the Twenty-First Century with Amy Shuman, (Routledge, 2007), a comparative study of the asylum process in the US and the UK.
Professor Patricia Mallia
Patricia Mallia obtained her law degree from the University of Malta in 1999. Her post-graduate studies were carried out at Oxford University where she graduated in Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) in 2000. She then returned to Malta to lecture in Public International Law at the University of Malta where she is now Head of the International Law Department. She obtained her PhD from the IMO, International Maritime Law Institute, focussing on combating contemporary threats to maritime security. Her research interests focus on the analysis of contemporary maritime threats, primarily piracy and migrant smuggling. Her book, ‘Migrant Smuggling by Sea: Combating a Current Threat to Maritime Security through the Creation of a Cooperative Framework’ was published by Martinus Nijhoff in 2010. In her free time, Patricia enjoys tennis, swimming, baking and reading.
Areas of interest: Settlement of International Disputes, Law of the Sea, Maritime Security, Maritime Migrant Smuggling, Human Rights
Patricia Mallia obtained her law degree from the University of Malta in 1999. Her post-graduate studies were carried out at Oxford University where she graduated in Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) in 2000. She then returned to Malta to lecture in Public International Law at the University of Malta where she is now Head of the International Law Department. She obtained her PhD from the IMO, International Maritime Law Institute, focussing on combating contemporary threats to maritime security. Her research interests focus on the analysis of contemporary maritime threats, primarily piracy and migrant smuggling. Her book, ‘Migrant Smuggling by Sea: Combating a Current Threat to Maritime Security through the Creation of a Cooperative Framework’ was published by Martinus Nijhoff in 2010. In her free time, Patricia enjoys tennis, swimming, baking and reading.
Areas of interest: Settlement of International Disputes, Law of the Sea, Maritime Security, Maritime Migrant Smuggling, Human Rights
