About
Francesca joined the School of Law, University of Liverpool in October 2025. Prior to this, she was a Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen (2022-2025). She holds a PhD from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, an LLM from McGill University, Montreal, and an LLB from Trinity College Dublin.
Her research interests include law and development, business and human rights, and freedom of expression. In relation to law and development, her research focuses on institutional theories of law and rule of law promotion. In the sphere of business and human rights, she is particularly interested in the private international law dimension of transnational corporate accountability.
Since 2022, Francesca has been heavily involved in reforming the law on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). She is an associate member of the Anti-SLAPP Research Hub, University of Aberdeen, having previously served as the Hub's Co-Convenor (2024-2025). She has acted as a consultant on SLAPPs for the United Nations, European Parliament, and Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe. In 2024, she was appointed as a TrialWatch expert for the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
Francesca is also a research associate at the Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge and a member of the Rule of Law and Economic Development (ROLED) Working Group, McGill University.