Francesco is Director of the Research Programs Unit at the Global Development Network, as well as Senior Fellow, Research Capacity Building & Institutions and Networks. At GDN, he leads the global team of Fellows and Managers who design and implement GDN programs. He also leads specifically the Doing Research global initiative. Francesco has fifteen years of experience in research, publishing and research capacity building in academia, international organisations, international and grassroots NGOs. He has studied international politics, political philosophy and international development in Italy, Portugal, the UK and India. He has worked in two dozen countries across Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. His main research interests are the interplay of institutional development and organisational functioning for research organizations, complex collaborations and the role of research funders in decolonizing development knowledge.