Maria Fico

Maria Immacolata Fico is a Student Researcher at the Geneva Academy, currently completing the Geneva Academy’s  Advanced LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. Her main interests include international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international criminal law, children’s rights, and business and human rights. Maria's current research explores misinformation as a tool of war, focusing on its impact on public opinion and social divisions, especially regarding children’s rights; and looking at non-state actors' agency and their responsibilities in these new battlefields.

Previously, at the United Nations International Law Commission (ILC), she served as Assistant to the Member Dr. Patrícia Galvão Teles, where she contributed to work on immunity of state officials, dispute settlement involving international organizations, sea-level rise, and general principles of law. Maria also worked as a Legal Intern at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-OHCHR) supporting the European and Central Asia Section. Her work focused on treaty bodies and special procedures, particularly in the fields of children’s rights, business and human rights, and minority protection.

Prior to this, she was a Research Assistant at Leiden University, contributing to Dr. Gisela Hirschmann's project on the use of digital open-source evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings and its implications for international criminal accountability. In addition, she contributed to the European Parliament’s  Conference on the Future of Europe (COFOE) as a Facilitator Assistant, drafting legislative recommendations for the European Commission on migration, environmental policy, and refugee law. She also gained experience in international privacy and cybersecurity compliance in the Legal Department of SAP/LeanIX.

Maria holds an LL.M. in Public International Law (cum laude) from Leiden University.  She represented Leiden University in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court, winning the Dutch National Rounds  and addressing erga omnes obligations, nationality loss, environmental law and diplomatic protection.  Her LL.M. thesis, titled "Navigating the Legal Landscape: A Critical Examination of UNCTAD's Engagement in Present-Day Development Strategies.” was written under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Niels Blokker. 

She earned her LL.B. in European Law from Maastricht University. Her thesis titled "The Potential of a Neuro-Law Revolution: Examining Skeptical Objections to the Churchlands' Eliminativist View of Intentionality and Mental States in the Context of Criminal Responsibility, While Exploring the Possibility of a Non-Radical Dialogue Between Neuroscience and Law.” (cum laude) was supervised by Prof. Antonia Waltermann and it explored the intersection of neuroscience, legal philosophy, and criminal law.