She holds a PhD. in Markets Law and her academic background is rooted in Comparative law. She specialized in Commercial law, Competition law and Dispute Settlement. For several years, Dr. Maria has served as Research Fellow and Lecturer of Comparative Private and Commercial law at the University of Siena. She is an Italian qualified lawyer, and Mediator in Civil and Commercial Disputes. She is author of several articles published on leading law journals, on topics related to both Civil and Commercial law.