Licia Cianetti

Licia Cianetti is a Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow. She holds a PhD from University College London (2015), an MA in Politics, Security and Integration from UCL, and a BA in International Studies from the University of Florence.

• Affiliations: Royal Holloway; Leverhulme Trust-funded researcher.

Her research focuses on democratic institutions in ethnically divided societies, Central and Eastern Europe, and 'democratic backsliding.' She authored The Quality of Divided Democracies (2019) and co-edited Rethinking 'Democratic Backsliding' in Central and Eastern Europe (2019). Current projects include a study on multicultural cities confronting austerity, nativism, and pandemic impacts, collaborating with artists on the multimedia web-book multiculturalcities.com.

Teaching includes courses on Russian and Eastern European politics. Her work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to education and inclusion.

Awards: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (2018–2021).

Grants/Projects: Leverhulme Trust grant for 'What happened to the multicultural city?' (2018–2021), exploring urban governance in crises. Collaborations span academic and artistic disciplines.