Dr. Luca Nevola is ACLED’s Middle East Regional Specialist. In this capacity, Luca produces and coordinates analysis, contributes to the oversight of regional data coverage, and serves as a point of contact for partnerships and external engagement across the Middle East desks. He also oversees analysis for the Yemen Conflict Observatory.

Luca is an expert in political Islam, religious repression, subnational power dynamics, and tribal conflict, with over 15 years of experience in non-profits, academia, and the private sector. Since 2008, Luca has conducted ethnographic research in Highland Yemen, developing an in-depth knowledge of local social structures, minority groups, and political elites, with a specific focus on Zaydi revivalism and the Houthi movement. Before joining ACLED, he worked as a Yemen analyst for several organizations, including ACAPS, the European Institute of Peace, and the Yemen Support Fund, among others. For ACLED, he has also worked as Senior Researcher in MENA Religion and Repression.

Luca holds an MA and a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Milano-Bicocca, with a focus on Arabic language and Islamic studies. He also worked as research fellow for the Yemen College of Middle Eastern Studies and the University of Sussex.