She is Professor of Business and Industrial Economics at Politecnico di Milano, where she teaches in the MSc, PhD and corporate programs of the School of Management. She does research in the field of industrial economics. Her main research interests are in utilities economics and policy, and sustainability of food, water and energy sectors. She has published over 50 peer reviewed papers, and 10 research books. Her research projects have been sponsored by European and Italian institutions (such as European Commission, Italian Ministry for University and Research, Regulatory Authorities, Regione Lombardia), philantropy foundations and third-sector organizations (such as Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Banco Alimentare), companies from the ICT and utilities sectors. Over her academic career she has supervised over 50 MSc students and 9 PhD students. Paola is a director of the Food Sustainability Observatory of Politecnico di Milano School of Management, the School’s deputy director for Sustainability, and serves on the board of directors of Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà.