Stefania Giannini in 1991 became a professor at the University for Foreigners in Perugia, holding the chairs of Phonetics and Phonology (1992-1994), Sociolinguistics (1994-1998) and of Glottology and Linguistics (1998-2013)In 2004 she also became rector of the Perugia University for Foreigners.
As a candidate in Tuscany with the Civic Choice party of Mario Monti, Giannini was elected senator in February 2013.In November the same year, she was appointed secretary and coordinator of the party Scelta civica.[2]
On 21 February 2014, Giannini was appointed as Minister of Education, University and Research in the government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.During Italy’s presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2014, she also chaired the Education and Competitiveness Council of the European Union. In 2018, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay appointed Giannini as one of four new members of the organization’s senior management team.Giannini has since been serving as Assistant Director-General for Education, making her the top United Nations official in the field of education.