Federica Venturi began studying the history and culture of Tibet at the Dipartimento di Studi Orientali of the University of Rome La Sapienza. Later she continued her training in the field of Tibetan and Central Asian history and obtained a Ph.D. (2013) in Tibetan Studies in the Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she is currently a visiting research scholar.
Her research spans across multiple aspects of Tibetan history and culture. Currently her main interests are twofold: one regards sacred places and the history and legends connected to them, as well as the relationship of co-dependendance between monasteries and surrounding communities. The other involves the military aspects of Tibetan culture, including the Tibetan army of the dGa’ ldan pho brang and Tibetan resistance movements to the Chinese occupation.
Within the ERC-funded TibArmy project her research will focus on examining the involvement of dGe lugs pa hierarchs with the Tibetan Army, in order to ascertain to what extent and through which devices Buddhist hierarchs supported the institution of the army or military activities.
She is also responsible for developping, with the support of the other members of the project, the timeline of wars, conflicts and battles.