Elena Verdolini graduated in Political Science from the University of Pavia. She obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2003 and a PhD from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, in 2011.

She joined the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei in 2008 as a junior researcher and she is currently an affiliated researcher at CMCC. Her research focus is applied (econometric) analysis of innovation and technology adoption in energy-efficient and climate-friendly technologies, with a particular focus on the role of spillovers.