Team
Project Committee and Coordination
BOAS EREZ
Professor, Università della Svizzera italiana
Boas Erez obtained a degree in mathematics in 1985 and, in 1987, a Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Geneva. From 1985 to 1990, he was an assistant at the same university, before moving to Harvard University where he was Benjamin Peirce Assistant Professor from 1990 to 1993. In 1993, he was appointed Full professor of mathematics at the University of Bordeaux, where he held several executive positions at the level of institute, faculty, commissions, programmes, doctoral committees and international scientific projects. Prof. Erez was time and again a Board member of the University of Bordeaux 1, and was also vice-president of the university from 2005 to 2008. Prof. Erez is the author of numerous quality scientific publications and has regularly organised international activities in his subject field. He has great experience in the coordination of joint international projects in higher education.
On September 1st, 2016, Prof. Boas Erez was appointed Rector of the Università della Svizzera italiana.
GILLES KEPEL
Adjunct Professor - Faculty of Communication Sciences, Università della Svizzera italiana
Scientific Director, Middle East Miditerranean Freethinking Platform
Director Chaire Moyen Orient Méditerranée (MOM), ENS Paris Science et Lettres
Gilles Kepel is a French political scientist and Arabist, specialised in the contemporary Middle East and Muslims in the West. He is Adjunct Professor and scientific director of the Middle East Mediterranean Freethinking Platform. He is also Professor at the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) and director of the Middle East and Mediterranean Chair at PSL, based at Ecole Normale Supérieure.
Originally trained as a classicist, he started to study Arabic after a journey to the Levant in 1974. He first graduated in Philosophy and English, then completed his Arabic language studies at the French Institute in Damascus (1977–78), and received his degree from Sciences Po in 1980. His research interests focus on the current geopolitical configurations and conflicts in the Middle East Mediterranean region, including the impact of Jihadi terror in the wake of the Massive attacks on French and European soil.
He investigated the developments of Islam as a social and political phenomenon in France, with an innovative approach in Islamic studies in the West. He researched on the 2005 French Banlieues riots in the Clichy-Montfermeil area, north of Paris, whence the events sparked. He also carried out comparative studies of political-religious movements in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. His two latest books are titled: Away from Chaos, Columbia University Press (2020) and Le prophète et la pandémie. Du Moyen-Orient au jihadisme d’atmosphère, Gallimard (2021).
FEDERICA FREDIANI
Project Leader
Federica Frediani, Senior researcher and lecturer at the Università della Svizzera italiana, is currently Educational Programme Manager of the Middle East Mediterranean Freethinking Platform. She is a member of the Project Committee and Project Leader of the Middle East Mediterranean Summer Summit. She holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Università di Siena. Her research interests focus mainly on representations, narratives, cultural productions and political and intercultural dynamics of the Middle East Mediterranean region. She published books and articles on travel writing. In particular the women travel literature, and on the relationships between Northern and Southern shores of the Mediterranean.
Team
DIANA SOFIA DA COSTA SANTOS
Junior Project Assistant
Diana is currently working as Junior Project Assistant at the MEM Summer Summit, after her previous experience as a volunteer for the project.
Diana is finishing her Bachelor of Science in Communication, with a minor in public communication.
She is also working for the Institutional Communication Service of USI and for the Centro Competenze Non Profit in Ticino.
Diana is the Director of the students association journal L’universo, insert of Corriere del Ticino and the Vice-president of the Students Council of USI.
In the past she has worked for the Institute of Public Health of USI and for the Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care of SUPSI, as junior assistant in health-related research projects.
During the last years she has gained major experience in event organisation and social media management.
VITTORIA LOMAZZI
Logistics Coordinator
Vittoria Lomazzi is a Master graduate in International Tourism with a background in Foreign Languages. She has previously worked at the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), where she was responsible for the logistics of the Education Forums organised in Europe and Middle East. She has experience with event management and content marketing. She is currently working at the Communications office at the Università della Svizzera italiana as a Project Assistant and Marketing & Event Coordinator.
MONICA STEGER
Administrative Assistant
Monica Steger has over 22 years of experience in university administrative support. While assisting in the administration of the Rectorate office at the Università della Svizzera italiana, she is also occupied with the general administration of the MEM Summer Summit.
BORYANA STRATIEVA
Project Assistant
Boryana Stratieva is a Master graduate in Management and Informatics with a background in Mathematics. She has worked in the Human Rights Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. She also has experience with CRM systems, change management, and video making and video editing. She is currently working as a Project Assistant for the MEM Summer Summit.