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Board and Leadership

In October 2018, a group of members of Rome-based Associazione Luca Coscioni launched Science for Democracy to promote the affirmation of the “right to science” through a dialogue between the scientific community and decision-makers. Anyone who shares its goals can join Science for Democracy – scientists and academics are particularly welcome.

  • Laura Convertino

    President

    Laura Convertino is a clinical academic psychiatrist and neuroscientist at King’s College London and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. She is a higher trainee in General Adult Psychiatry within the Maudsley Training Programme and a Senior Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychosis Studies at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. She holds a PhD in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience from UCL, an MD summa cum laude from the University of Pavia, and a Master’s diploma in Biomedical Sciences from IUSS Pavia. Her research investigates the neurobiology of psychosis, cognition and novel treatments using neuroimaging, electrophysiology and computational modelling. As President of Science for Democracy, she works to advance freedom of scientific research and the human right to science, with a particular focus on ensuring equitable access to scientific knowledge, research opportunities and the benefits of scientific progress.

    Ivan Ureta

    Secretary General

    Dr. Ivan Ureta is Deputy Executive Director and Director of Executive Education at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and President of the Swiss Business Ethics Network. He also serves as the co-director of the MAS in International Security at the University of Geneva. He is an expert in international political economy, ethics and responsible leadership, integrating these into research, teaching and executive programs worldwide. He has held academic and research positions at institutions including King’s College London, Oxford, Cambridge, and IE Business School, and has contributed to projects with the IOM, NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the US Department of State among others. Dr. Ureta holds PhDs from the University of Deusto (Economic History) and King’s College London (International Relations).

  • Simone Picenni

    Treasurer

    Simone Picenni is a PhD student in the ERC project “Truth and Semantics” based at the University of Bristol. He works primarily on truthmaker semantics, semantic paradoxes and formal theories of truth, and his current research interests include proof theory, structuralist theories of science, and meta-ontology. He got a Master’s degree in Logic and Philosophy of Science from the University of Florence and studied at the Munich Centre for Mathematical Philosophy at the Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität in Munich. He is deeply fascinated by the great questions of the Enlightenment: how can we characterize rigorous knowledge? How can scientific knowledge contribute to the autonomy of the individual and to the improvement of society?

    Sofia Todesca

    Board Member

    Sofia Todesca is a scientist by training who has gradually expanded her path from understanding the fundamental mechanisms of life to exploring how science and innovation shape society. Her academic journey took her from studying molecular biology, genetics, and biomedical sciences to pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry and Structural Biology at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, followed by an international MBA across Germany, France, and Italy. She is also a Collegio Ghislieri alumna. After several years as a researcher working at the interface of biology, chemistry, and physics, Sofia moved towards the intersection of science, technology, and business. She currently serves as Deputy Manager of the Quantum Technology & Application Consortium (QUTAC), where she brings together perspectives from emerging technology, business, and policy, coordinating collaboration among 14 leading German companies advancing the industrial application of quantum computing. Throughout her career, Sofia has been driven by the belief that science is a powerful force for improving society, and that it must remain open, accessible, inclusive, and connected to democratic decision-making. Through her work in research, public engagement, scientific events, and international collaboration, she is committed to strengthening the dialogue between science and society and advancing the Right to Science.

  • Marco Cappato

    Founder and Board Member

    Marco Cappato is the Coordinator of the “World Congress for freedom of scientific Research”, Treasurer of “Luca Coscioni Association”, founder of Eumans. Marco Cappato was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2009, and an EP Rapporteur on: “privacy in electronic communication”; “human rights in the world for 2007”; “production of opium for medical purposes in Afghanistan”; “public access to EU documents”. He was nominated for the “Politician of the year” award by “Wired” in 2003 and is the winner of the “European of the Year” award organised by “the European voice”.

  • Marco Perduca

    Founder and Board Member

    Marco Perduca, former Italian Senator (2008 to 2013) served on the Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Human Rights committees. For 20 years, he has coordinated the activities of the Nonviolent Radical Party at the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Vienna and has organized high-level meetings to abolish the death penalty in Africa and Central Asia. Marco Perduca is an expert on UN mechanisms with an emphasis on drug policy reform. Marco Perduca has collaborated with British law firms and American foundations on ending human rights violations in Italy. His letters and opinions have appeared in the International Herald Tribune, the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and Nature Italy. When in Parliament, he was often a guest on the BBC as a commentator on Italian politics. He has published three books and curated three. He has a blog on HuffingtonPost.it and just published a memoir, Farnesina Radicale. In February 2021 he was appointed Sherpa of the Values 20 Group.

    Julia Mazina

    Project Officer

    Julia Mazina holds an MA in human rights from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität in Germany and a BA in international business from the University of Pittsburgh in the U.S. Her background is in women’s rights, sexual and reproductive health rights, and health research. She wrote her master's thesis on racist and sexist discrimination in the healthcare field, with a focus on maternal health and sexual and reproductive care.