Deborah Agostino is Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano and Adjunct Professor at the City University of Hong Kong. Her academic expertise spans public sector accounting, digital transformation, and cultural heritage management. At Politecnico di Milano, she directs the Executive Master in Management of Cultural Institutions and directs the Observatory of Digital Innovation in Culture. She has served in key institutional roles, including Delegate of the Management Academy and of the Institutions & Public Administration Unit at POLIMI Graduate School of Management, overseeing executive education programs.

Her research focuses on how digital innovation – including artificial intelligence, immersive technologies, and digital data – shapes accountability, performance, and service delivery in public and cultural organizations. Her work has been published in leading academic journals in the public management and accounting/accountability field, and has informed national governments, and cultural institutions.

She is a Board Member of the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) and Co-Chair of the Public Service Accounting and Accountability Special Interest Group (PSAAG), actively contributing to international academic dialogue on innovation and accountability in the public sector. She is Associate Editor of European Management Journal and serves as a member in several editorial boards. She has supervised several PhD projects in collaboration with international institutions and actively contributes to joint academic-industry research initiatives.