He is full professor of Economic history at the State University of Milan and former Davis Fellow at Princeton University, Senior visiting fellow at the University of Exeter, Professeur invité at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and Farfel Fellow at the Huntington Library Los Angeles.

His research interests include:

• early modern commerce and finance, with a special focus on risk-management contracts,
• late medieval and early modern economic thought and
• culture, food and retail history.

His latest book is “Risky Markets: Marine Insurance in Renaissance Florence”, Brill.

He is currently P.I. of “Under Uncertainty. Coping with Risks in the Mediterranean Maritime Business (Italy, 16th-19th centuries)” and Research partner of “Winds, Waves and Storms: historical data and modern quantitative approaches to uncover the long-term strategies to prevent and mitigate climate risks in the European seas (15th-19th centuries)” both funded by the Italian Ministry of University.
 

She currently serves as Director of CUSE – Museo de la Cultura del Seguro, where she leads initiatives to preserve and promote the cultural and historical legacy of insurance in Mexico.

She is also Co-founder and Director of Luisel&Dugelby – Intercultural Creativity and Consulting, an organisation she established with her colleague Luisel Ruiz. Together, they design and deliver innovative cultural experiences and training programmes grounded in the principles of Cultural Intelligence (CQ), aimed at fostering cross-cultural understanding and transformation.

With over 35 years of experience in the cultural, academic, and creative sectors, Irma brings a multidisciplinary background in History, Art History, Design, and Intercultural Studies. As a certified Cultural Intelligence Facilitator, she advises both national and international organisations on how to build more effective and culturally aware relationships.

Irma’s professional journey encompasses roles as a creative director, art promoter, lecturer in Art History and the History of the Image, and organiser of immersive cultural and artistic programmes in Mexico and abroad. Her current research focuses on visual representations derived from the Black Legend and their implications for a nuanced understanding of Spain and New Spain.