Massimiliano Del Gatto graduated in 2000 from the “Scuola Superiore Interpreti e Traduttori” (School for Interpreters and Translators) of Forlì, Bologna University, with a thesis on "Designing a modern corpus on Russian language: typologies, problems and perspectives". He has always had a passion for languages and information and communications technologies. That allowed him, while still a student, to start building a career as a translator, teacher in computer literacy (becoming very skilled in finding solutions for improving and speeding up the tasks of modern offices), and also graphic and web designer. After graduation he got a job at the School for Interpreters and Translators of Forlì as teacher of Computer Literacy. In 2002 he decided to give up his freelance activity as translator and devoted himself entirely to the ICT sector. He won a competition of the University of Bologna for building an e-learning course on "The use of Cyrillic with modern ICT systems", which allowed him also to build and teach an e-learning course on "Exercises in Russian language for beginners" at the University of Genoa. He is currently employed both at the "Centro per l'Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica" of Forlì (where he initially served as didactic manager for the MIREES Master's Programme and is now graphic, ICT and web master) and at the School for Interpreters and Translators. In his scarce leisure time he still keeps brushing up his Russian and English by reading modern literature and watching movies in the original language.

Graduated with high honour in International and Diplomatic Sciences at the University of Bologna - Forlì Campus, in her thesis "New Security problems in Europe. Russia faces NATO enlargement" she analysed Russian reactions to the process of NATO Eastward enlargement during the 1990s. With a two-month research period at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, her research project was partially supported by the Faculty of Political Science of Forlì.
Interested in institutional communication, she is currently employed at the Istituto per l'Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica as responsible for Public Relations. She is also Book Review Assistant for the Journal Southeastern Europe.

Maria Zalambani graduated in Russian Language and Literature at the University of Bologna in 1980. During the following years she was awarded some fellowships and she carried out her researches in the major Moscow libraries. In 1985 she obtained a fellowship awarded by the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and got the D.E.A. (Diplome d’études approfondies) at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris. In 1993 she persued a Ph. D. in History and Civilization at EHESS.
From 1998 to 2000 she tought Russian Literature at the School for Interpreters and Translators (SSLMIT), University of Bologna. In 2000 she was appointed associate professor in Russian Language and Literature at the University of Chieti (Pescara campus). Since 2003 she has been associate professor at SSLMIT (University of Bologna, Forlì campus). Since the same year she has been member of the scientific board of the Centre for Central Eastern and Balkan Europe (CECOB). From 2004 to 2008 scientific coordinator of the linguistic area for the Interdisciplinary Master in East European Researches and Studies (MIREES, University of Bologna). Since 2004 member of the scientific board of “Mediazioni” (Online Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies on Languages and Cultures). Since 2007 member of the board of the Doctoral School at the University of Padua. Since 2008 member of the board of the Doctoral School at the University of Bologna-Forlì.
She attended many national and internation meetings and conferences.
Her research interests focus on the 20th century Russian Literature, Culture and History of the Ideas.

After graduating in International and Diplomatic Sciences at the University of Bologna - Forlì campus, he has worked as analyst in geopolitical issues for the Italian think tank Equilibri.net.
He is currently employed at the Istituto per l'Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica as responsible of the Monitor Unit Research Activities.

David is a current MIREES student at the University of Bologna (Forlì campus), where his research is focused on the region of South East Europe. David has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine where he wrote his senior thesis on Football, Politics and Civil Society. Apart for an unhealthy obsession with football, he also enjoys spending time in the mountains and reading.