Gabriele Abbondanza

I am an international relations expert. I work as a Marie Curie Fellow at the Complutense University of Madrid, a position funded by the European Union (grant no. 847635). I am also an Associate Researcher at the University of Sydney, and an Associate Fellow at the Italian Institute of International Affairs (IAI), a global top-20 international relations think tank.

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My fields of expertise comprise Australian and Italian foreign and security policy; middle and great power theory; the Indo-Pacific; and irregular migration. I was awarded my PhD in International Relations in 2019 by the University of Sydney.

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My research has been published by top-tier scientific journals, including International Affairs, International Political Science Review, European Political Science, Contemporary Politics, and many others. I have co-edited a volume on Italy-Australia relations, and another one on "Awkward Powers", a new concept in international relations. My latest book is "The foreign policy of irregular migration governance". I regularly conduct peer-reviews for the leading journals and publishers in my fields (see this website's "research" section).

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I have taught a number of courses in different universities, including World politics and international relations, International security, Contemporary global issues, European politics, Migration politics, Development politics, and Australian foreign and security policy.

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I have a strong institutional engagement. I have been invited as an expert several times at the Italian Parliament (both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies) and the Spanish Ministry of Defence (IUGM Institute). I often cooperate with policymakers and diplomats on areas of common interest.

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I have an extensive experience with media and public relations. Prior to joining academia, I worked in television (EcoTv) and radio (SBS) broadcasting companies, as well as in political foundations (UniVerde), dealing with domestic and global political affairs. I am often interviewed by media on international relations and security issues.

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At the beginning of 2024 I was Visiting Fellow at the FIERI Institute, a leading think tank in Turin; in 2021-2022 I was Honorary Research Associate at ACIS, the Australasian Centre for Italian Studies. I have been named one of Italy's "most brilliant researchers in Australia" in 2022. I have been Vice President and Board Member of the Dante Alighieri Society Sydney (a not-for-profit) from 2017 to 2022.

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I am a member of the International Studies Association (ISA), the Italian Political Science Association (SISP), and the Australian Political Science Association (APSA). I serve as a member of the International Relations Standing Group (SGRI) at SISP, and a member of the Research Group on International Migrations (GEMI) at the University of Madrid, two well-known research groups with international impact.

 

I read, cook, and write whenever I can, and when I don't I'm usually travelling somewhere new. Whether you'd like to request an interview or expert advice (consultation), or simply enquire about something, please feel free to contact me.