Marcella Milana

Marcella Milana serves as Associate Professor of General and Social Pedagogy at the Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, and since 2019 has held the position of Honorary Professor of Adult Education at the University of Nottingham, School of Education (United Kingdom). With extensive international experience spanning North America (United States), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil), and Europe (Denmark, Italy), she maintains a prominent position in comparative education research.

Her research expertise centers on adult education and lifelong learning, with particular focus on education policies and governance processes operating at local, national, regional, and global levels. Methodologically committed to qualitative research while acknowledging the value of mixed methods, her work examines how neoliberal policy frameworks impact educational inclusion, active citizenship, and societal well-being. She contributes significantly to the Department's research area on 'Inclusive societies and citizenship practices' through her critical analysis of evolving educational governance structures.

As an influential figure in her field, Professor Milana chairs the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA), co-convenes the ESREA Network on Policy Studies on Adult Education, and participates in Network 23 (Policy Studies and Politics of Education) under the European Educational Research Association. Her editorial leadership extends to serving as Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Lifelong Education (Taylor & Francis) and the book series Studies in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning (Palgrave Macmillan/Springer).

Professor Milana directs the IRC-GloCoPoS (International Research Centre for Global and Comparative Policy Studies on the Education and Learning of Adults) and serves on multiple governance bodies including the Faculty Board of PhD in Human Sciences, the Departmental Research Policy Committee, and the Consiglio del Dipartimento di Scienze Umane. Her teaching portfolio includes core courses such as 'International organizations and adult learning policies' and 'Social Pedagogy' across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, demonstrating her commitment to training the next generation of education professionals.