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RusLab

The Russia Observatory (RUSLAB) is a dedicated research hub for the study of Russia, its domestic politics, historical trajectories, and international role, combining academic rigour with policy-relevant analysis and public-facing outputs. The research is situated within the broader debate on post-liberal contestation and the transformation of the international order.

RuLAB’s work aims to integrate close analysis of domestic governance, political economy, and social dynamics with a strong historical perspective rooted in Soviet and imperial legacies. It also examines how past institutional configurations, political cultures, and identity narratives continue to shape contemporary Russian politics and society.

Thematically, the Observatory covers four main interconnected areas:

Domestic politics and society — governance structures, center–periphery relations, regional identities, social stratification, ideological, religious and cultural evolutions, and the interaction between elites and the Russian society.
Russia–Europe relations — historical entanglements, energy interdependence, security architecture, and the reconfiguration of ties under war and sanctions.
The Eurasian space — relations with neighboring states, regional integration, and alignments involving China, Turkey, India, and other major Global South actors.
Global footprint — Russia’s political, economic, and security presence in Africa, the Middle East, and Russia’s role in reshaping the broader international order.

Head of Unit

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Alfonso Giordano

Alfonso Giordano is an associate professor of Economic and Political Geography at Niccolò Cusano University of Rome and an adjunct professor at LUISS University, where he teaches “Exogeography, Astropolitics, and Space Economy”. His research focuses on population geography, political demography, and human-environment interactions, with a particular emphasis on border studies. Recently, he has investigated the geographical, political and economic dimensions of space exploration, analysing its implications for governance, resource allocation, and territoriality beyond Earth.
Angelo Mario Taraborrelli

Angelo “Mario” Taraborrelli has held strategic senior roles for over three decades in the national and international energy sector, significantly contributing to the definition of industrial and corporate policies in the oil & gas field and, more recently, in the electricity sector. With a strong background in international law and oil economics, he began his career at Eni in 1973, progressively taking on top positions, including that of CEO of the Refining & Marketing division, where he led a thorough strategic restructuring program and important international M&A operations. As Senior Vice President of Strategic Control, he directly influenced capital allocation decisions and key investments for the entire Eni group. Subsequently, he expanded his influence in the energy sector by joining the Board of Directors of Enel SpA, where for years he chaired the Internal Control and Risk Committee, contributing to the evolution of corporate governance in the context of the energy transition. Since 2015, he has been an Adjucnt Professor of Energy and Climate Policies at Luiss University, combining managerial expertise and academic vision in the global political-energy field.
Antonio Leandro

Antonio Leandro (Law Degree, Bari; PhD, Rome-La Sapienza) is a Full Professor of International Law at the Department of Law of the Aldo Moro University of Bari, where he teaches public and private international law, international law of the sea, and international trade law. Expert for the European Commission and UNIDROIT, member of the Italian Foreign Policy and Security Laboratory at the CISS, he has been appointed as Scientific Advisor to the Italian Navy. He served as a director of a short-term master’s program on safety and security at sea in cooperation with the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).

Author of five monographs and several scientific papers, he is also editor or co-editor of six collective volumes. He serves on the editorial boards of several academic journals and co-directs an international law book series. His research interests range across private international law, public international law, and their intersections with European Union law.

As regards maritime topics, he particularly focused – through scientific publications, workshops and lectures – on the Exclusive Economic Zone, maritime security, piracy, criminal jurisdiction at sea, migration by sea, maritime labour safety standards, naval peace-keeping, maritime spatial planning, underwater normative and regulatory framework, foreign direct investments in port and maritime environment, economic warfare in maritime activities, GHG emissions, and sustainable development in ocean governance.
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Emiliana De Blasio

Emiliana De Blasio is Advisor to the Rector for Diversity, Inclusion and Sustainability and Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at LUISS, where she teaches Sociology of Communication, Open government, Political participation and governance and Gender politics. She has been awarded research grants such as FIRB and PRIN and coordinated several research projects throughout her career.

She has taught at Italian and foreign universities, including New York University, SciencesPo, Pontifical Gregorian University, University of Molise. She regularly teaches at LUISS Masters, Executive Masters and School of Journalism on topics related to inclusion, diversity and sustainability. She is also part of the Italian Open Government Forum and member of several scientific associations such as SISCC, AssoComPol, ECPR, ESA, SISP.
Francesca Maria Corrao

Francesca Maria Corrao is Full Professor of Arabic Culture and Language in the Department of Political Science in LUISS University of Rome, director of MISLAM Program (Master in Economics and Institutions of Islamic Countries) of the School of Government at the same university. Previously she was Professor at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” (1996-2011), and visiting professor at the Alsun Faculty of the ‘Ayn Shams University in Cairo (2004), École Pratique des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (Paris 2007), at Fudan University (Shanghai 2017), Science Pò (Menton 2017/19). She held conferences and seminars at the Universities of Cairo, Beirut, Amman, Rabat, Tunis, Cambridge, Oxford and Harvard. The main focus of her scholarly activity is on Arabic Literature, Islamic Culture and History, Mediterranean Studies, Intercultural dialogue.

In “L’Orientale” University of Naples, Corrao was in charge of the Socrates European Projects: “Les Communautés Africaines en Europe” ( Paris 2000), Les Communautés Musulmanes en Europe” (Paris 2001). She is the “contact person” for the “Manifesto” for Inclusive University” (http://manifestouniversitainclusiva.unhcr.it/), Universities network for peace (RUniPace http://www.runipace.org/ ) and for the University Corridors for Refugees UNICORE 3.0 (http://universitycorridors.unhcr.it/ ); the latter is promoted by Italian universities with the support of UNHCR, in cooperation with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other partners. Corrao chairs the Scientific Committee of the Fondazione Orestiadi in Gibellina (Sicily); She is Overseas Research member of the Institute of Oriental Studies (Soka University, Tokyo); and is also Member of the European Union of Arabist and Islamist (UEAI), the Scientific Council of the Cortile dei Gentili (Pontifical Coucil for Culture, Vatican), International Affairs Institute IAI-Rome, the European Teachers of Modern Arabic Literature (EMTAR), Member of the Scientific committee of the Journals: Rivista Africa e Orienti, Semicerchio, ARABLIT, Journal of Arabic Literature, Dialoghi Mediterranei, open access e-journal of the Istituto Euro-Arabo.

Her most recent books include: Corrao F.M., Redaelli R., States, Actors and Geopolitical Drivers in the Mediterranean, Palgrave 2021; I cavalieri, le dame e i deserti. Storia della poesia araba (Istituto per l’Oriente, 2020); In guerra non mi cercate. Poesia araba delle rivoluzioni e oltre, with O. Capezio, E. Chiti e S. Sibilio (Le Monnier, 2018); L’Islam non è terrorismo, with L. Violante (Il Mulino, 2018); Islam, Religion and Politics (LUP, 2017); Islam, State and Modernity. Mohammed Abed Al-Jabri and the Future of the Arab World, with Z. Eyadat and M.Hashas (Palgrave, 2017); Le Rivoluzioni Arabe. La transizione Mediterranea, (Mondadori, 2011); Poeti Arabi di Sicilia (Mesogea, 2002); Giufà il furbo, lo sciocco, il saggio (Sellerio 2001, Nawādir Juhā, in Arabic 2020).
Francesco Cherubini

Francesco Cherubini is Associate Professor of EU Law at the Department of Political Science, Luiss “Guido Carli”, Rome. He is also the Director of the Luiss intensive course for the diplomatic career and the coordinator of the Luiss Master in Art Law. From 2022, he is UNCHR independent expert at the Rome Commission for asylum. Among his recent publications: Decisions under the Law of European Union: ‘You May Be Six People, but I Love You’, in YEL, 2022, pp- 1-60. 
Gianfranco Pellegrino

Gianfranco Pellegrino is an Associate Professor at LUISS Guido Carli Rome, where he teaches Political Philosophy. His interests are in the history of political thought (mainly Jeremy Bentham and Henry Sidgwick), distributive justice theories, migration, and environmental ethics. He wrote on global justice, the ethics of climate change and the Anthropocene. Among his publications: The Handbook of the Philosophy of Climate Change (edited with M. Di Paola), Springer, Switzerland, 2023, “Sidgwick and the Many Guises of the Good”, Philosophical Explorations, 2021; “Robust Responsibility for Climate Harms”, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 2018, “Climate Refugees: A Case for Protection”, in G. Pellegrino e M. Di Paola, eds, Canned Heat. Theoretical and Practical Challenges of Global Climate Change, London/Delhi: Routledge, 2014.
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Researcher

Ilaria Lorusso

Ilaria Lorusso is a PhD candidate in Politics at LUISS Guido Carli. Her research focuses on EU external action, particularly in migration policy, and on the role of gender in EU foreign policy. She holds a Research Master in European Studies from Maastricht University, where she also held the role of research assistant within the EU-funded PhD program “LIMES – The Hardening and Softening of Borders: Europe in a Globalizing World” and later of teaching fellow for the European Studies and Global Studies programs. She is currently a teaching assistant at LUISS.
Ilaria Tani

Attorney-at-Law in Milan (Italy). Associate Professor of International Law of the Sea, Ocean Affairs Law and Policy, Maritime Law (Master courses), and Polar Law (PhD course) at University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy). Deputy-Director of the PhD programme in Marine Sciences, Technology and Management at University of Milano-Bicocca and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). Scientific Advisor to the Italian Navy since 2023. Visiting Fellow at Center of Maritime Military Studies, Venice, since 2026. Visiting lecturer at NATO Defense College and other higher education institutions. Member of the Italian Delegation in United Nations’ and International Hydrographic Organization’s working groups, negotiations, and processes related to the law of the sea, including its technical aspects. Legal consultant for States, private sector, and international secretariats on matters related to the law of the sea. Former Associate Legal Officer at the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations (UNDOALOS, New York, United States).
Irene Olmi

Irene Olmi joined Reverdin Consulting in April 2025 as a consultant, specialising in the agrifood sector and contributing to the firm’s work on sustainable food systems and multilateral organizations. Within CISS, she supports Marc Reverdin as a Strategic Advisor in the Agrifood Unit. Irene previously worked as an EU Policy Consultant in Brussels with a focus on the agrifood, tech, and defence sectors. She holds two Master’s degrees from SOAS, University of London, in International Politics and Diplomatic Studies.
Irene Rusconi
Ivan Cardillo

Ivan Cardillo is an Adjunct Professor at China University of Political Science and Law and a Senior Advisor to the ‘Faren’ Think Tank of the Chinese Ministry of Justice. He is also the Director of the Institute of Chinese Law and Chairman of the Italy-China Business Development Forum. Cardillo serves as a scientific expert for the Knowledge Network on China and the EU-China Research and Innovation Dialogue at the European Commission. He has been appointed as an Arbitrator at the Weihai Court of International Arbitration and frequently serves as an expert witness in U.S. judicial cases involving China-related issues. With a background in teaching Chinese law at institutions such as the University of Trento and the University of Eastern Piedmont, Cardillo has published extensively on various aspects of Chinese law. He recently co-edited the book The Chinese Civil Code in the Global Legal Order: Inner and Outer Perspectives (Brill, 2024).
Ivan Zaccagnini

Ivan Zaccagnini is a PhD candidate and a teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science at LUISS Guido Carli University. He is enrolled in a joint PhD program between LUISS and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He received his MA in International Relations from Rome Tre University in 2019. His research interests focus on emerging and disruptive technologies and future of war. His Twitter account is @ZaccagniniIvan.
Jasmina Saric
Jean-Pierre Darnis

Jean-Pierre Darnis (MA Université Toulouse, Université Paris X; PhD Université Paris X Nanterre) teaches Contemporary History at LUISS. A full professor at the Université Côte d’Azur (Nice, France), he directs the master’s degree program in French-Italian relations. He coordinates the research program “France, Italy and their Mediterraneans” in the CMMC (Centre de la Mediterranee Moderne et Contemporaine) in Nice and is a member of the scientific council of the Courtyard of the Gentiles (Pontifical Council for Culture) in Rome. He is also an associate fellow of the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS, Paris). He was previously director of the Security, Defense, Space program at the International Affairs Institute (IAI) in Rome, and there created the Technology and International Relations program. Email : jpdarnis@luiss.it
Jorge Viñuales

Professor Jorge E. Viñuales is the Harold Samuel Chair of Law and Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge and a Professor of International Law at LUISS. In Cambridge, he founded Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG). He is also a Member of the Institut de Droit International, the Chairman of the Compliance Committee of the UNECE/WHO Protocol on Water and Health, the co-General Editor of the ICSID Reports, the General Editor of the Cambridge Studies on Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Governance and a member of the Panel of Arbitrators of ICSID, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center and other institutions. Jorge has published widely in his specialty areas, including several reference works, such as The International Law of Energy (2022), the ICSID Reports (since 2018), International Environmental Law (2018) and The Foundations of International Investment Law (2014). His research has ranked him in Stanford University’s 2022 World Top 2% scientists list for research quality and impact. Jorge also has a wide portfolio of practice in transactional, pre-litigation and litigation matters, including as arbitrator, expert, counsel, co-counsel and policy advisor. He received his education in France (PhD, Sciences Po, Paris), the United States (LL.M. Harvard), Switzerland (LL.B, Freiburg; B.A., M.A., Geneva; B.A. M.A. IUHEI) and Argentina (LL.B. Unicen). He is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in English, French and Italian.
Jose Carlos Mariátegui

Writer, curator, scholar and entrepreneur on culture, and technology. Dr. Mariátegui is the founder of Alta Tecnología Andina – ATA, an organization working at the intersection of art, science, technology and society in Latin America. His multidisciplinary research embraces media archaeology, digitization, archives and the impact of technology in memory institutions. He is a Lecturer at LUISS (Rome) and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Media and Communications at the LSE. He is a Board Member of Future Everything (UK) and chairs the Education Committee at the Museo de Arte de Lima – MALI. Has published in journals such as AI & Society, Third Text, The Information Society, Telos and Leonardo and curated art and technology projects internationally for more than two decades.