I am an environmental scientist with over ten years of experience in climate change mitigation and the ecological restoration of coastal and estuarine habitats. Alongside my scientific work, I am a menstrual health advocate and the founder of STEM the Flow, a non-profit awareness campaign addressing period inequity in scientific workplaces.

Over the course of my career, I have lived and worked across different countries, having to adapt to new cultures and languages. This experience has been enriching but also very challenging, shaping my understanding of identity, belonging, and professionalism. I am currently based in the UK as an Italian immigrant, continuing to navigate the challenging realities of building a career away from home, working in a non-native language.

After several years in academic research, I found the courage to step away from academia to explore other professional paths and to pursue writing more seriously. I now work as a freelance consultant and writer, mainly for NGOs. I also have my personal Substack page, where I write about the intersection of social justice and climate change, as well as the structural challenges faced by those working in academia.

More recently, I have begun focusing on literary fiction. The Green Painting brings together many of the themes that have shaped both my scientific and personal lives, and I am very excited to submit it for the Women & Words 2026.