Tommaso Virgili

Tommaso Virgili is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center's Research Department for Migration, Integration, and Transnationalization, where he investigates Islam, individual rights, and Muslim integration with regional focus on Europe and the MENA region. He concurrently serves as a Research Associate at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies in Brussels and is a 2023/2024 Fellow at the Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (Université de Tunis). Previously, he was Programme Director at the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels.

Education

• Ph.D. in Comparative Public Law, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa
• Master’s degree in Law, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa
• Master of Arts in Middle East and Islamic Studies with Arabic, American University of Paris/Cairo

Research Focus

Dr. Virgili's interdisciplinary research bridges constitutional law, Islamic studies, and sociology, examining tensions between religious norms and human rights. His work critically analyzes Islamism, secularization dynamics, and legal frameworks affecting sexual minorities and freethinkers in Muslim-majority societies, employing comparative methodologies across European and MENA contexts.

Publication Trends

His scholarly output demonstrates consistent focus on Islamist movements, human rights jurisprudence, and democratic transitions, particularly in Tunisia and Egypt. Recent works analyze blasphemy laws, pandemic governance, and transnational networks, utilizing legal analysis, political theory, and empirical case studies to explore conflicts between religious traditions and modern rights frameworks.

Awards and Recognition

• 2023/2024 Fellowship at Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb