Michela's Professional Background

Michela's Biography

Michela’s career has been shaped by bringing people together across disciplines, organisations and professional cultures, and helping them find ways to work together.

After moving to France, she worked in several companies from different sectors. In 2010, she found a professional environment that truly resonated with her in 2010: the world of research. She was drawn to its curiosity, the opportunity to explore complex questions, and the encounters between people with different expertise and perspectives.

At CNRS, she connected research laboratories with industry and negotiated collaborative research agreements. As Head of Academic Partnerships at the AXA Research Fund from 2011 to 2016, she built relationships between the academic world and the AXA Group, supporting researchers throughout the funding selection process.

From 2019 to 2021, at Aix-Marseille University’s Cité de l’Innovation et des Savoirs, she brought together researchers, incubators, accelerators and other innovation stakeholders. Coordinating working groups with different perspectives and priorities deepened her interest in collective dynamics: what helps people connect, how they navigate differences, and what makes collaboration possible.

Since 2019, Michela has worked independently as a coach, trainer and facilitator. She also trained in team coaching, building on her experience of working across organisational boundaries. Today, she helps teams and groups create the conditions to learn from one another, broaden their perspectives and move forward together.