Department of Integrative Marine Ecology
Technician. Laboratory referent and member of the FMC technical committee. I deal with laboratory management, training for the use of equipment as well as the use of specialist instruments (e.g. FT-IR, ICP-OES). Scientifically, I have been involved in evaluating of the effects of some stressors (ocean acidification and pollutants) on the physiology of invertebrates. Currently, I am dealing with the juvenile stages of coastal fish.
Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM)
Senior Researcher. My research lies at the interface of evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology, and the physiology of marine organisms. It focuses on two main, interconnected research themes:
Sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive traits and behaviours: I investigate pre-mating competition, mate choice (both before and after mating), sperm competition, evolutionary trade-offs among sexually selected traits, and the coevolutionary dynamics between the sexes.
Ecology of reproduction: I investigate how environmental variation, including climate change and anthropogenic disturbance, influences the dynamics of sexual selection, reproductive physiology, and phenotypic plasticity.
Since 2017, I have served on the Executive Board of the Italian Society for Evolutionary Biology (SIBE), where I hold the position of Secretary-Treasurer.
Integrative Marine Ecology Department (EMI)
Researcher. I focus on the taxonomy and systematics of benthic diatoms, integrating morphological and molecular approaches to investigate marine biodiversity. My expertise includes the use of microphytobenthos as a bioindicator to assess the ecological status of coastal ecosystems. I conduct internationally competitive research, contributing to the description of new taxa and to the advancement of diatom systematics; to date, I have described 24 new taxa, deposited in several national and international museums, including the British Museum and the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. In this context, I consider taxonomy a fundamental basic science that builds a shared “alphabet,” enabling us to read, interpret, and communicate the complexity of the environment and biodiversity. Alongside fundamental research, I develop innovative applications, particularly in metal bio-adsorption using algal biomasses.
Department of Marine Biotechnology
I am a Senior Researcher at the Department of Marine Biotechnology and my research, through integrated and multidisciplinary approaches, aims to better understand the diversity and functioning of microbial communities in different marine systems, including deep oceans (up to hadal trenches), hydrothermal vents, marine aerosols, and polluted sites.
Department of Research Infrastructures for marine biological resources
Researcher. My scientific interests are mainly focused on microbial ecology, especially deep-sea benthic ecosystems, using molecular and bioinformatics approaches to study the diversity and functions of prokaryotic and viral compartments in diverse environments, from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
Integrative Marine Ecology Department (EMI)
Research Director. My research is primarily concerned with marine reserves, survey methods, and trophic ecology – who eats who – and what effects these interactions have on community structure. I am especially interested in the functional role of predators in coastal marine systems and their impacts on the trophic structure of reef assemblages, and patterns in marine species diversity and functional diversity at varying scales.
