María Pina Fersini

María Pina Fersini serves as Assistant Professor of Legal Theory and Philosophy of Law at the University of Málaga's Faculty of Law, affiliated with the Department of Financial Law and Philosophy of Law. She holds dual accreditation as Profesor Contratado Doctor (eligible for Associate Professor promotion) and serves as Academic Secretary of the Open Chair of Law and Literature since 2020.

Her academic foundation includes a Law degree from the University of Salento (Italy) with highest honors (110/110 cum laude), followed by two summa cum laude doctoral degrees: a Ph.D. in Legal and Social Sciences from the University of Málaga and a Ph.D. in Theory and History of Human Rights from the University of Florence, both awarded European Doctorate distinction and research prizes.

Dr. Fersini's research bridges legal theory with emerging societal challenges through five core interdisciplinary domains: robotics/AI jurisprudence, digital care frameworks, law-literature intersections, arts in legal pedagogy, and violence jurisprudence. This approach is demonstrated through her monograph Derecho y violencia. Un análisis jusliterario and extensive international research stays at institutions including the Max Planck Institute and University of Antioquia.

Her scholarly recognition includes the 2018 Ciudad de Florencia Prize for her monograph, the 2024 Castrum Minervae Prize for humanities internationalization, and the UMA-Santander 2025 Postdoctoral Fellowship supporting her current work on social robotics ethics.

She actively contributes to five research projects (three ongoing): The Right to Care in the Digital Society (PID2023-152437NB-I00), Socio-Legal Transformations in Domestic and Care Work (25-5-ID23), and Law, Literature, and New Technologies (JA.B1-28), alongside three pedagogical initiatives integrating arts into legal education. In 2024, she directed the International Congress 'Legal Science and Science Fiction: Elective Affinities' at the University of Málaga.

Dr. Fersini maintains leadership in seven research networks including REMAD (World Network of Art and Law), ISLL (Italian Society for Law and Literature), and SEJ-406 (Theory of Legal Argumentation).