Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano

Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano is a Full Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and serves as Provost and Vice-President, Academic at Toronto Metropolitan University. She holds a PhD in Italian Studies from the University of Toronto (2000). Her academic roles include previous positions as Associate Dean (Faculty Affairs) at York University and Associate Professor of Italian Studies there from 2006–2020.

Her research focuses on Southern Italian dialectology, Molisan literary traditions, and the intersection of language, food branding, and cultural identity. She explores how ethnicity and identity are mediated through social media platforms, particularly within Italian diasporic contexts. Notable contributions include co-editing Italian Foodways Worldwide: The Dispersal of Italian Cuisine(s) (2019) with Gabriele Scardellato, stemming from an international conference they organized in 2017.

Roberta currently leads academic governance at TMU while serving as President of the Canadian Association for Italian Studies (CAIS) and Vice-President of the Italian-Canadian Archives Project (ICAP). Her work bridges scholarly research with institutional leadership in higher education.