Serena Spitalieri is a lawyer and Senior Credential Evaluator, currently serving as Head of the Credential Evaluation and Information Department at CIMEA – NARIC Italia. She coordinates the evaluation of foreign academic qualifications and the verification of authenticity, with a specialised focus on fraud detection and forensic analysis of academic documentation. She also designs and delivers training for credential evaluators and international admissions officers at Italian universities.
Her research and teaching focus on diploma mills, fraudulent documentation, transnational education (TNE), international higher education systems, and digital transformation. Since 2018, she has led the design and digitalisation of CIMEA’s credential evaluation workflows, exploring the application of emerging technologies, including blockchain and artificial intelligence, to education and recognition.
She holds a PhD in Business Management from Roma Tre University, with research focused on digital transformation, AI and fairness in the recognition of qualifications.
In 2025, she launched CIMEA’s Digital Transformation Unit, and is currently involved in collaborative research with IALAB at the University of Buenos Aires on AI in credential evaluation workflows.
Serena is also President of APICE, the first Italian Professional Association of Credential Evaluators.