Maria Elena Argano was born in Palermo. After a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Palermo, she continued her studies in Brussels. In September 2015, she obtained a Master II in Political Science and International Relations, focusing on peace, security and conflict, at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. A month later, she joined the Mediterranean Institute for International Studies (IMESI) as a volunteer Researcher based in Brussels. In January 2016, she started an internship at the NGO EU-Logos Athena (in Brussels) as a Policy Analyst, in charge of the external relations portfolio and, more specifically, EU-NATO relations. She is currently off-site Coordinator of the Department dealing with Foreign Policy, Security and Defence at the IMESI, and still a Policy Analyst at EU-Logos