LINKS
Lab Webpage
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Public Engagement
Scopus
ORCiD
Publons
BIOSKETCH
I graduated (summa cum laude) with a MSc in Natural Science in October 2006, and I completed my PhD in Biodiversity and Evolution (grade: excellent) in April 2010. Since 2007, year of my first publication, I authored 57 manuscripts in Journals with Impact Factor.
In the earliest stages of my career I worked on the karyological and molecular characterization of an Iberian stick-insect species complex, focusing on subjects such as polyploidy, hybridization, parthenogenesis, and reticulate evolution. During my PhD, I started working on the evolutionary genomics of mitonuclear interactions, with a focus on the Doubly Uniparental Inheritance (DUI) of mitochondria, a deviation from the strictly maternal inheritance so far identified in 100+ species of bivalve molluscs.
Between 2009 and 2015, I spent 20 months as Visiting Scientist in the Nuzhdin Lab (Molecular and Computational Biology section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles), where I became familiar with High-Throughput Sequencing technologies, learning how to obtain, handle, and analyze ‘big data’, and developing specific skills such as experimental design, library preparation, sequencing, data analysis, genome/transcriptome de novo assembly and annotation, and how to work on a high performance computing cluster.
In October 2013 I was awarded with a Futuro in Ricerca (FIR/FIRB) grant (EUR 233,087 direct), a highly competitive grant for young researchers funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research. The success rate was 1.7%. The project title was “Mitochondrial Inheritance and Biogenesis: Functional and Evolutionary Aspects”. I was the Principal Investigator, and the grant funded my Junior Assistant Professor position (RTDa) between 2014 and 2017. My tenure-track position as Senior Assistant Professor (RTDb), was co-funded (50%) by the Rector of the University of Bologna, as an incentive for winners of competitive grants.
I became Associate Professor of Zoology in January 2020.
I study evolution at the molecular and genomic level using a comparative approach, and my main interests are genome evolution (especially in the context of conflict and cooperation) and biodiversity genomics. The biological system of choice has been mostly molluscs, but recently I began working on ants. Together with Collaborators at the Universities of Firenze, Pavia, and Parma, we are going to study ant biodiversity with an integrated approach using genomics, morphology, ecology, and ethology. Check out the Wood Wide Ants Project HERE.
I am involved in collaborations with both italian (Universities of Firenze, Pavia, and Parma) and international (USA, Canada, Spain, Germany) research groups.
From 2019 to 2023 I have been a member of the governing board of the Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance (GIGA) as Communications Director. I was one of the organizers of the last two international meetings (GIGA III in Curaçao in October 2018, and GIGA IV online in November 2021).
I was organizer and co-chair of the Symposium “Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour” at the international Meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) meeting in Yokohama (Japan) in 2018, of the Symposium “Mitochondrial Biology and Evolution” at the 2021 SMBE virtual meeting, and of the Symposium “Mitochondria across biodiversity: comparative genomics as a tool to unravel mitochondrial biology and evolution” at the 2023 SMBE meeting in Ferrara (Italy).
I was Guest Editor of an Issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (the oldest scientific journal in the Western World, founded in 1665) entitled: "Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour", and published in 2020.
I teach Molecular and Genome Evolution for the international BSc program in Genomics, Genome Evolution and Comparative Genomics for the MSc program in Biodiversity and Evolution. I am included in the Register of the Tutors of the Collegio Superiore (the school of Excellence of the University of Bologna) and since 2022 I am a member of the academic board of the PhD program in Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences. Since June 2024 I am Delegate for Teaching for the abovementioned PhD Program.
From April 2018 to now I have been a member of the Research Committee of the BiGeA Department and Delegate for the SUA-RD (the Annual Form for Departmental Research, the main focus of the Research and Third Mission Quality Assurance system). Since June 2022 I am member of the panel of experts in Biological Sciences for the University Research Evaluation Committee (VRA).
I was also a member of the working group for the Research Quality Evaluation (VQR) 2015-2020, a national project that evaluates the results of the scientific research carried out in that period of time.
Since September 2024 I am Co-Chair of the Social Justice Committee of ERGA (European Reference Genome Atlas).
EDUCATION
2010: PhD Biodiversity and Evolution, excellent, University of Bologna, Italy (Unibo)
2006: MSc Natural Sciences, summa cum laude, Unibo
EMPLOYMENT
2020- Associate Professor of Zoology, Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences (BiGeA), Unibo
2017-2020: Senior Assistant Professor (RTDb), BiGeA Department, Unibo (position 50% funded directly by the Rector of the University of Bologna, as an incentive for winners of competitive grants)
2014-2017: Junior Assistant Professor (RTDa), BiGeA Department, Unibo (position 100% funded by the “Futuro in Ricerca” Grant RBFR13T97A for which I was Principal Investigator)
2012-2014: Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate, BiGeA Department, Unibo
2010-2012: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Experimental Evolutionary Biology, Unibo
OVERSEAS EXPERIENCE
20 months as Visiting Scientist @ Nuzhdin Lab, Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
2 months as Visiting Scientist @ Breton Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Montreal, Canada
GRANTS
2023-2025: PRIN22 (National Grant)
Role: member of the Research Unit (RU)
Grant title: Unraveling Sex Determination in Bivalves: An Integrative Single-Cell Analysis during the Early Embryo Development of Mytilus galloprovincialis
2024-2025: Enhancing Case Studies in Application-Driven Reference Genome Projects for species in Europe to support the mission of Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE). (Under grant agreement No. 101059492 EU Horizon Europe Research and Innovation action)
Role: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Grant Title: Genomics over space and time of a keystone forest species, Formica paralugubris
2015-2018: Scientific Independence of young Researchers – SIR2014 (National Grant)
Role: member of the RU
Grant title: Mitochondria, Germ Line and Sex (MINGLE)
2014-2017: Futuro in Ricerca – FIR2013 (National Grant)
Role: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Grant title: Mitochondrial Inheritance and Biogenesis: Functional and Evolutionary Aspects
Success rate: 1.7% (Source: MIUR)
Funds Awarded: EUR 345,696 (EUR 233,087 direct)
2009-2010: PRIN09 (National Grant)
Role: member of the RU
Grant title: Systems with the Doubly Uniparental Inheritance (DUI): an useful model for studying mitochondrial inheritance and genomics
2007-2008: PRIN07 (National Grant)
Role: member of the RU
Grant title: Structure, evolution and heredity of the mitochondrial genome in bivalves
2005–2006: PRIN05 (National Grant)
Role: member of the RU
Grant title: Characterization of mitochondrial genomes in pterygote insects (Phasmatodea, Lepidoptera) and bivalve molluscs
COMMITTEES/BOARDS/CHAIRS
2024- Delegate for Teaching of the PhD program in Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, Unibo
2024- Co-Chair of the Social Justice Committee of ERGA
2023- Member of the Executive Board of “ParliamoneOra”, initiative for scientific outreach and public engagement
2023- Member of the JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Sub-Committee of ERGA
2023 Organizer and Chair of the Symposium “Mitochondria across biodiversity: comparative genomics as a tool to unravel mitochondrial biology and evolution”, SMBE meeting, Ferrara, Italy, July 23-27
2023, 2024 Member of the ERGA Nomination Working Group
2022- Academic Board of the PhD program in Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, Unibo
2021- Member of the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA)
2021 Organizer of the 4th Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance meeting (GIGA IV), online, November 16-18
2019- Member of the “ParliamoneOra” initiative for scientific outreach and public engagement. Coordinator of the topic: “Ricerca di base e scoperte scientifiche. A chi servono e perché” (Basic research and scientific discovery. Who needs them, and why)
2019- Tutor of the Collegio Superiore (the school of excellence of Unibo)
2018- Member of the Research Committee of BiGeA Department, Unibo
2018-2019 Academic Board of the PhD Program in “Innovative Technologies and Sustainable use of Mediterranean Sea Fishery and Biological Resources (FISHMED-PhD)”, Laboratory of Marine Biology and Fisheries, Unibo. I had to leave the Academic Board on October 31, 2019 because of regulation limitations due to my RTDb contract expiring in January 2020 and tenure-track evaluation still in progress at the beginning of the academic year
2018 Organizer of the 3rd Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance meeting (GIGA III), Curaçao, October 19-21
2018-2023 Communications Director of the Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance (GIGA)
2018 Organizer and Chair of the Symposium “Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavour”, SMBE meeting, Yokohama, Japan, July 8-12
2017-2018: Member of the Steering Committee of the Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance (GIGA) and administrator of the Twitter and Facebook accounts
2016 Organizer of the Symposium “Mitochondria in the age of genomics: genome architecture, inheritance, and functions”, SMBE meeting, Gold Coast, Australia, July 3-7
2015-2018 Member of the Working Group for Communication (outreach and knowledge transfer), BiGeA Department, Unibo
2015 Organizer of the 6th Congress of the Italian Society of Evolutionary Biology (SIBE-ISEB), Bologna, 31 Aug-3 Sep
2013 Organizer of the 19th International Chromosome Conference, Bologna, September 2-6
I am Lifetime Member of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE)
BIBLIOMETRICS
Time from 1st publication: 17 years
Years from the PhD defense: 14 years
Articles published in peer-reviewed international journals with Impact Factor: 57
Oral presentations at international meetings: 8 (3 as invited speaker)
Abstracts presented at conferences and meetings: 75
See more details about my scientific production: Google Scholar Scopus ORCiD
EDITORIAL ACTIVITY
Guest Editor of the issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, entitled “Linking the mitochondrial genotype to phenotype: a complex endeavor”, 2020
JOURNAL REVIEWER ACTIVITY
See my reviewer profile on Publons
GRANT REVIEWER ACTIVITY
2023: Czech Science Foundation, Czech Republic
2021: Marsden Fund, Royal Society Te Apārangi, New Zealand
2013, 2015, 2017, 2018: National Science Centre, Poland
