Denise is a visiting PhD student at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership. Her research focuses on strategies and practices to improve gender equality in organisations. Specifically, she examines how higher standards placed on women may affect their likelihood of obtaining leadership roles and how this, in turn, could influence the perception of women as role models, especially if only outstanding women reach the top. 

Denise earned a bachelor's degree in International Studies, another in Psychological Sciences and Techniques, and a master's degree in the Psychology of Wellbeing and Social Inclusivity from the University of Bologna (Italy), where she is currently enrolled as a PhD student in Psychology.