Margherita is an expert on development economics and resilience in a multi-hazard context. She specialises in research exploring how uncertainty presents both risks and opportunities for the realisation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. She has 10 years of work experience and holds a PhD in development economics. She has published in academic journals in her field and received media coverage of her work.

Margherita has provided technical advice on the themes of economic development and resilience to a range of governments, multilateral organisations (i.e. the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Food Policy Research Institute, and the World Bank), and UN agencies (i.e. UNESCO and UNU-WIDER), as well as to a series of international universities and research institutes. She has a strong proficiency in micro-economic, econometric, programme evaluation, and policy analysis skills. She also has extensive experience in designing and managing multi-year and multi-partner projects.

Before joining ODI, Margherita was a Research Fellow at the University of Turin and the University of Leuven (KU Leuven). She completed her PhD in development economics from the Humboldt University of Berlin and worked as Research Associate at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW). She has published articles and book chapters on various topics, including climate shocks, poverty-conflict traps and complex risks, financial inclusion, targeting of social protection, and private sector development.