Francesca Giovannini is the Executive Director of the Harvard Belfer Center’s Initiative on Managing the Atom (MTA) and the Director of the Research Network on Rethinking Nuclear Deterrence. 

Established jointly by the Belfer Center and the MacArthur Foundation, the network has brought together over 80 scholars across 15 universities to advance innovative thinking on nuclear policy and strategic stability. 

Dr. Giovannini is also the lead faculty member of the Harvard Nuclear Deterrence Certificate, a professional program designed for senior military leaders across commands involved in the U.S. nuclear mission. She has also designed and currently teaches a course on the Geopolitics of Technology, tailored for leaders in emerging technologies and national security officers. 

Previously, Dr. Giovannini served in several international organizations. Most recently, she was appointed Senior Policy Adviser to the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), where she worked to promote the Treaty’s ratification among key nuclear weapon states, including the United States, China, and Pakistan. 

She holds a Doctorate from the University of Oxford and two master’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Giovannini has published widely in Nature, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Arms Control Today, The National Interest, The Hill, and The Washington Post, among others. She is a regular commentator in European and American media on U.S. Foreign Policy, nuclear weapons risks, emerging technologies, and European security issues.