Biography

Irene Pollini is a researcher specialising in the field of comparative constitutional law, with a particular focus on the interaction between international and EU law and national norms that embody certain moral or cultural values.

She holds a PhD in European and Comparative Legal Studies from the University of Trento. Her thesis, titled A job like any other, yet not as any other job. Sex work and human dignity from a comparative constitutional law perspective, explored the complex relationship between human dignity, socio-economic constraints and freedom of choice in the context of voluntary prostitution. During her doctoral studies, she was a visiting researcher at the Institute for European Law at KU Leuven, the Hertie School in Berlin and the Department of Gender Studies at Lund University.

Before pursuing her PhD, Irene practised as a lawyer and is admitted to the Italian Bar. She also worked at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, contributing to the assessment and evaluation of Tuscany’s public health policies on pathological gambling.

As a Max Weber Fellow, her current project focuses on the role of international and supranational courts in upholding the rights of marginalised and politically underrepresented groups, including sex workers, through the lens of transnational democracy. Her work combines legal analysis with sociological insights, engaging with the broader debate on the legitimacy and the evolving role of international and supranational courts.

Mentor

• Loïc, Azoulai