Francesca Galli

Francesca Galli serves as a Lecturer at the Institute of Italian Studies within the Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society at the University of Italian Switzerland (USI), while concurrently leading an Ambizione research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation at the University of Zurich.

Her academic foundation includes an MLLCI from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan (2010), where she received the Alma Bacciarini Prize, followed by a Doctorate in Italian Language, Literature and Civilization from USI in 2016 under Professor Corrado Bologna's supervision.

Galli's research explores the convergence of medieval science, literature, and religious practice, with particular emphasis on 13th-century optics ('philosophy of light'), Franciscan scholarly networks, and mnemonic systems in mendicant preaching. Her work bridges philological analysis with historical investigations of scientific imagery and textual transmission.

Scientific Awards and Fellowships:

• Alma Bacciarini Prize (2010)
• International Balzan Prize Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016)
• SNSF Ambizione Fellowship (2019)

She directs the SNSF Ambizione project 'The «Ineffabilis Utilitas» of Optics', collaborates on the PRIN project LiLeSC (Books and Readers in Florence), and contributes to the 'In codice ratio' project at Roma Tre University, focusing on medieval manuscript cultures and library histories.

Dr. Galli maintains active affiliations with Collegium Romanicum, SIEPM (Société Internationale pour l'Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale), SISMEL (International Society for the Study of the Latin Middle Ages), and SISPM (Italian Society for the Study of Medieval Thought), while engaging with the Ordered Universe research collective.