Managing the Atom Welcomes Francesca Giovannini as its New Executive Director

The Project on Managing the Atom (MTA) at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center is pleased to welcome Francesca Giovannini as its new Executive Director.  With more than a decade-long career in international security, nuclear non-proliferation, and multilateral diplomacy, Dr. Giovannini brings to MTA an exceptional mix of professional skills, robust nuclear expertise, and an extensive network of diplomatic, political and technological partnerships.

“I’m thrilled to have Francesca joining our team,” said Matthew Bunn, MTA’s faculty lead and James R. Schlesinger Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security, and Foreign Policy.  “Her combination of energy, insight, and knowledge of the issues and the community are just what we need to take Managing the Atom to the next level.”

Dr. Giovannini comes to Belfer after serving for two years as Strategy and Policy Officer to the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) at the United Nations in Vienna. In that capacity she organized diplomatic missions in the Asia-Pacific region and in North America, initiated a collaboration with the University of Cambridge for the launch of a study on the CTBT, guided the expansion and strategic focus of the CTBTO Youth Initiative, and co-authored the Organization Policy Directive on Business Continuity and Organizational Resilience in a Time of Crisis.

"In a time of global insecurities and geo-political tensions, initiatives like MTA become indispensable avenues to articulate sound policies and advance international cooperation."–Francesca Giovannini

“I’m deeply honored to work with Matt and the rest of the team to support the vision of the Managing the Atom Project,” Dr. Giovannini said. “I have long admired this initiative as it has drawn the most talented and brightest minds in this field. In a time of global insecurities and geo-political tensions, initiatives like MTA become indispensable avenues to articulate sound policies and advance international cooperation.

“My appointment at MTA comes after the death of Marty Malin, who was to me a great friend and a role model,” she added. “I share Marty’s commitment to academic integrity, dignity and respect for all people and unwavering intellectual honesty. His legacy will live on for many years to come.”

Prior to her international appointment at the United Nations, Dr. Giovannini led the Research Area on Global Security and International Affairs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for five years. In that role, she worked closely with MTA experts including Bunn, Malin, and International Security Program Director Steven Miller.

“I have had the distinct pleasure of working with Francesca both at MTA and while she was here in Vienna in her capacity as Strategy and Policy Officer,” said Laura Rockwood, Director of the Open Nuclear Network and a former Senior Fellow with MTA. “She is a credit to both academia and the work of international organizations. She is an excellent successor to our mutual friend and colleague Marty Malin, both in terms of her expertise and her collegiality.”

Dr. Giovannini holds a D.Phil in Politics and International Relations from Oxford University, and spent a post-doc year at the Centre for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.  She has taught at the University of California at Berkeley, Oxford, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. She has served as consultant for various international organizations including the UN Mission in Lebanon and the UNDP Crisis Management and Recovery Network in the Middle East and the Pacific Region.

Dr. Giovannini has written extensively on issues related to the role of regional and middle powers in the changing global nuclear order and ways to strengthen and improve multilateral nuclear organizations. At MTA, she is interested in exploring the role of nuclear energy in mitigating climate change and analyzing the key factors that drive innovation and cooperation in the global nuclear energy market.

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