Contract Professor in Botany since 2015 at the University of Bologna; and carries out his research in the field of algae biology and physiology.
Education:
1980 - Scientific high school at the Liceo Scientifico Gregorio Ricci Curbastro in Lugo.
1985 - Degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Bologna.
1986 - Licensed to practice as a biologist.
1990 - PhD in Cellular Biology and Physiology at the University of Bologna.
2014 - Awarded the National Scientific Qualification for access to the second bracket of university professors for the 05/A1-Botany concurrency sector, valid until 28/01/2020.
Academic career:
1992-93 - Holder of a CNR grant as part of the project aimed at "Advanced research for innovations in the agricultural system" at the Dept. of Experimental Evolutionary Biology of the University of Bologna.
1993 - Scientific technician at the CIRSA of the University of Bologna.
Current position scientific-technological officer with affiliation to the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences - BIGEA of the University of Bologna (UOS of Ravenna).
Training courses held:
1987 - Refresher School in Agricultural Genetics "Course in physiological genetics of plants" Lecce.
1987 - School of Plant Genetic Technologies. University of Camerino.
1996 - Theoretical-practical course in Algology. Massalubrense (Naples).
1998 - Study days: "Diffusion and control of aquatic toxins in phytoplankton and foodstuffs". Marina di Ravenna (Ravenna).
2009 - Course: "Ecophysiology of toxic algae" (Ravenna).
2014 - Course: "The Determination Course of Freshwater and Terrestrial Cyanobacteria" Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
Teaching activities:
2005 - Laboratory exercises in the course of "Biology applied to ancient materials" held in the 1st level master's degree in "Physical and computer methodologies for the analysis and restoration of ancient books and artefacts".
2006-15 - Laboratory exercises for Environmental Science students held in the course of Plant Biology.
2007 - Laboratory exercises for Biological Sciences students held in the Marine Botany course.
2008-2015 - Laboratory exercises for MSc Marine Biology students held in the Applied Marine Botany course.
2005, 2008, 2010, 2013 - Experimental laboratory at sea for the Master's Degree in Marine Biology.
2014-2015 - Contract Professor at the University of Bologna for the following teachings: Anthropology and Applied Biology (Module 3) of the School of Humanities and Cultural Heritage and Applied Marine Botany (Module 2) of the School of Science.
2016/2024 - Contract Professor at the University of Bologna for the teaching of Applied Marine Botany (Module 2) of the School of Science.
Affiliations to scientific societies and research groups:
Italian Botanical Society (SBI) - Algology group.
International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae (ISSHA).
BENTOX-NET network for the study of potentially toxic benthic microalgae.
National Inter-University Consortium for Marine Sciences (CoNISMa).
Scientific activities
In the period following her thesis and during her PhD, she devoted herself to the study of redox enzyme activities (dehydrogenases) present in the plasma membrane and in various other organelles and cell fractions of plants.
As a scientific technician at CIRSA, the research activity she has dealt with, and is currently dealing with, concerns certain aspects of the biology and physiology of marine phytoplankton, in particular algal species involved in environmental problems such as mucilage, toxin production and pollution by heavy metals, antibiotics and herbicides, with particular reference to the mechanisms of accumulation by phytoplankton and transfer along the trophic chain.
She was particularly involved in the identification and isolation of phytoplanktonic species of interest from water samples taken in the sea or lagoon, the establishment of monospecific cultures and the maintenance of these cultures with appropriate growth media. In the course of these studies, he employed various biochemical methods such as separation of subcellular fractions, analysis of proteins, lipids, polysaccharides and thiol compounds, determination of enzyme activities, analysis of algal toxins with HPLC and determination of heavy metals by atomic absorption.
In the field of marine biotoxins, he has been collaborating for several years with the Marine Research Centre in Cesenatico, with researchers from the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine at the University of Ferrara, and within the framework of various projects (Prin 2002, 2004, European Biotox project and Prin 2007), with researchers from the Department of Natural Substances Chemistry at the University of Naples Federico II for the isolation and identification of new toxins in the Adriatic Sea.
Recently, in collaboration with local companies, he has been working on small- and medium-scale cultivation of microalgae and cyanobacteria to be used in the phytodepuration of wastewater, and/or to be used for the production of compounds of economic interest in the pharmaceutical or nutraceutical sector
