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Dr. Enrico Maria FARDELLA is the Director of the ChinaMed Project. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Naples ‘L’Orientale’ and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe. He also serves as Associate Director of the Guarini Institute for Public Affairs at John Cabot University in Rome, and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He is also an Honorary Life Member of Trevelyan College at Durham University and sits on the editorial boards of the European Journal of East Asian Studies and OrizzonteCina. Previously, he held the position of Associate Professor at Peking University, where he also served as Director of the Center for Mediterranean Area Studies. Additionally, he was a Fellow of the Science & Technology China Program of the European Commission. His research interests encompass the history of Chinese foreign policy, as well as China’s relations with the European Union, the Middle East, and Italy, from the Cold War to the present.
Dr. Andrea GHISELLI is Lecturer in International Politics in the Department of Social and Political Sciences, Philosophy, and Anthropology of the University of Exeter. He is a non-resident Research Fellow at the TOChina Hub and the Head of Research of the ChinaMed Project. He is affiliated with the Torino World Affairs Institute. His research focuses on Chinese foreign and security policy making and China’s policy toward the Middle East and North Africa
Leonardo BRUNI is the Project Manager of the ChinaMed Project. He is also a Doctoral Researcher in History at the European University Institute, a Junior Research Fellow at the Torino World Affairs Institute (T.wai), and a graduate of the Sciences Po–Peking University Dual Master’s Degree in International Relations. His research interests include China-EU relations, the history of Sino-European relations, and Chinese foreign policy in the wider Mediterranean region.
Amanda CHEN (陈心怡) is Project Officer and Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She is a graduate of the Sciences Po–Peking University Dual Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy and holds a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS University of London. Her research interests include China–Middle East relations and diplomacy, conflict mediation practices, and global philanthropy, with a specific focus on the role of civil society organizations in these processes.
Bianca PASQUIER is Project Officer and Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She is also a graduate student in International Sciences at the University of Turin and holds a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Naples "L’Orientale." Her research interests include the foreign policies of MENA countries and the media coverage of China in North Africa.
Dr. Mohammed ALSUDAIRI is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations of the Arabic Speaking World, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University. He is a former Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellow, and currently a DECRA-grant recipient from the Australian Research Council. He is also a non-resident Research Fellow at the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies. His work primarily revolves around intellectual history, sectarianism, and geopolitics between China and the Middle East.
Dr. Emilie TRAN SAUTEDÉ is an Associate Professor and leads the Politics and Public Administration programme and stream at Hong Kong Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on Global China, particularly China’s diplomatic, technological and strategic engagement across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Her recent work examines China’s health and digital diplomacy, including AI and ICT diplomacy, and its evolving role across the Middle East and North Africa, with particular emphasis on its relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council states. She also serves as an external expert for the GCC-China Programme, jointly conducted by the Oman-based Shaheen Institute for Strategy and Development and the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA).
Dr. Simone DOSSI is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Milan and a non-resident Research Fellow at the Torino World Affairs Institute (T.wai). He is also the Editor of Orizzonte Cina. His research interests include China’s foreign policy and the Belt and Road Initiative, the military doctrine and force modernization of the People’s Liberation Army, and Chinese views of the cyber domain.
Dr. Giovanni B. ANDORNINO is Assistant Professor of International Relations of East Asia at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society of the University of Turin. He is the President of the Torino World Affairs Institute (T.wai) and Coordinator of the TOChina Hub. His research interests are at the intersection of International Relations and Area Studies and include structural change in the international political system; foreign policy analysis; Chinese politics and political economy; China-Italy relations in the context of China’s increasing prominence in the wider Mediterranean region; and Chinese philanthropy
Dr. Giorgio PRODI is Associate Professor of Applied Economics at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Ferrara. He is also Director of Asia and Pacific relations at Bologna Business School and Vice-President of the Torino World Affairs Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Institutions from the University of Bologna, and his research interests span from the study of the Chinese economy to structural changes in industry.
Dr. Ahmet Faruk ISIK is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. He earned his B.A. in International Politics from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) and his M.A. in Political Science from National Chengchi University in Taiwan. He completed his Ph.D. at SISU in the field of Comparative Politics and Area Studies. His research interests focus on Türkiye’s relations with Greater China and the economic and political dimensions of Chinese foreign policy toward Türkiye.
Ádám KOI is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. He is a PhD candidate in Sinology at ELTE Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. He holds a master's degree in International Relations from the National University of Public Service of Hungary, and bachelor's degrees in China Studies and Public Administration. He made two year-long visits to China, during which his host institutions were the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai and Minzu University of China in Beijing. His primary areas of research are China's governance and administrative system, and China’s foreign policy and economic strategy.
Imane EZZEHOUANY is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She is also a Ph.D. candidate in History, Cultural Heritage, and International Studies at the University of Cagliari. She holds a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies from the Mohammed V University of Rabat and a second Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Cagliari, where she was subsequently involved in various academic projects as a researcher. Her research focuses on the implications of China’s Belt and Road Initiative for North Africa.
Theo NENCINI is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. He is also a Lecturer in International Relations and a PhD Candidate at Sciences Po Grenoble and the Catholic University of Paris. His research focuses mainly on Iran-China relations, approached from a long-term systemic perspective and through a multilevel analysis, both with regard to Iran’s strategic thinking, political complexity and regional integration dynamics, and China’s foreign policy toward the Middle East.
Francesco SCALA is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. He holds a Master’s Degree in Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa from University of Naples “L’Orientale.” His research focuses on the media coverage of China in the Gulf countries, including Iraq.
Giorgia FACCHINI is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She is also a graduate student in International Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa at the University of Naples "L’Orientale" and holds a B.A. in Cultural and Linguistic Mediation from the University of Bologna. Her research interests include Sino–Middle Eastern relations, with a focus on China’s role in key maritime chokepoints and strategic corridors, and its economic interests and foreign policy behaviour in the region.
Miriam VERZELLINO is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She holds a Master’s Degree in Language and Cultures of Asia and Africa from University of Naples “L’Orientale” and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Political Science (Chinese Language Program) at the School of Government and Public Affairs at the Communication University of China. Her research interests include scientific and technological cooperation between China and Europe, with a specific focus on Italy, as well as digital governance.
Davide DONALD is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. He is also a doctoral researcher in Political Science at the European University Institute. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Master's Degree in International Relations. His research focuses on migration and energy policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly Italo-Libyan relations in the post-2011 period.
Francesca DANIELE is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She is also a Research Assistant at the Gulf Research Center Foundation in Brussels and holds a Master’s Degree in Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa from University of Naples “L’Orientale,” specializing in the Middle East and North Africa. Her research focuses on the media coverage of China in the Middle East.
Eva RAGOZZINO is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Institutions of Asia and Africa from the University of Naples “L’Orientale,” specializing in East Asia and Chinese studies. Her research interests include China’s foreign policy and Sino-Middle Eastern relations.
Lorenzo TARCHI is a Research Fellow at the ChinaMed Project. He is also a graduate student in International Relations at the University of Bologna and an intern at the Commercial Office of the Consulate General of Italy in Chongqing. He previously worked as a Research Trainee at the Center for EU-Asia Connectivity (CEAC) at Ruhr University Bochum. His research interests focus on technological and industrial cooperation between China and Europe, the integration of artificial intelligence, and the application of data science methodologies in quantitative research.
