Francesca Gaiba

Francesca Gaiba serves as Research Associate Professor and Senior Director of Operations and Outreach at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research (IPR). She brings extensive research administration experience, having previously served as associate director at the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing (ISGMH) from 2015-2020 and at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP) from 2010-2015, where she helped grow ISGMH from 35 to over 90 employees.

Dr. Gaiba's educational background includes:

• PhD in Anthropology from Syracuse University (2007)
• MA in International Relations from Syracuse University
• Undergraduate degree from the University of Bologna, Italy

Her research spans cultural anthropology with a focus on gender, sexuality, and social justice. Dr. Gaiba specializes in transgender issues, LGBTQ rights, and racial justice, examining how these intersect with policy formation and implementation. Her anthropological approach provides unique insights into societal structures affecting marginalized communities and potential policy interventions for meaningful change.

Analysis of Dr. Gaiba's publications reveals an evolution from historical interpretation studies to contemporary social justice issues. Her early work centered on the historical development of simultaneous interpretation at the Nuremberg Trials, while her more recent scholarship addresses transgender identity, restroom access policies, and community partnerships for social change, reflecting her commitment to translating research into practical policy solutions.

Dr. Gaiba is recognized for her award-winning monograph The Origins of Simultaneous Interpretation: The Nuremberg Trial (1998), which remains the only book-length manuscript on this subject and was later translated into Japanese.

Throughout her career, Dr. Gaiba has demonstrated strong administrative leadership and commitment to social justice. She has advised on numerous community partnerships and advocacy initiatives, particularly around LGBTQ rights. Her leadership at ISGMH included overseeing the institute's move into a specially designed facility, and she previously co-founded WriteOut!, a writing retreat for scholars of race and ethnicity at IRRPP.

Dr. Gaiba co-founded an advocacy organization in Chicago fighting for equal restroom access for transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, demonstrating her commitment to applying research to real-world social justice issues.