Francesca is the Institute's Research Facilitator. She works closely with the Director, Professor Sarah Harper, the Senior Research Co-ordinator, Nana Nanitashvili, and the Research Grants and Finance Facilitator, Rebecca James, to support a range of research activity including grant applications, research communication, and the Institute's research strategy.

Before joining the Institute Francesca worked in research facilitation in the Department of Politics and International Relations; prior to this she managed a large government-funded project in the Department of Materials.

Before moving into university administration Francesca worked as a Commissioning Editor in academic and educational publishing at OUP and Taylor & Francis, supporting academics to develop book proposals and successful publications across the social sciences, physical sciences and humanities. 

Francesca holds an undergraduate degree and MPhil in Classics from the University of Cambridge, where she studied ancient literature, philosophy and linguistics.