Bruna Gumiero…………………………………………………………….
NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC QUALIFICATION
SECTOR: 05/C1-ECOLOGY
LEVEL: Associate Professor
VALIDITY: August 31, 2017 - August 30, 2022
Bruna Gumiero
River ecologist with extensive experience in applied research, Citizen Science, and aquatic ecosystem management. She carries out scientific coordination and project development at national and European levels on river biodiversity, phytoremediation, ecosystem services, and Nature-Based Solutions. Her research interests focus particularly on biological monitoring of watercourses, riparian vegetation, phytoremediation, and stakeholder engagement in environmental management processes. She currently concentrates her work on the development and coordination of Citizen Science initiatives in river ecosystems, on the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions, and on habitat analysis.
Education
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Five-year degree in Biology, University of Bologna (1988).
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PhD in Ecology (5th cycle), Universities of Parma and Bologna (1993), awarded with highly positive evaluation.
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Professional qualification and registration in the Italian National Order of Biologists (1990).
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Further specialised training includes the certified course “Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development” (University of Geneva, 2020).
Scientific and Professional Career
From 2023 to 2025 she served as scientific coordinator for the hydrobiological and Citizen Science components within the Horizon Europe project OTTERS (CSGI).
Between 2023 and 2027 she has been involved in several national and European projects dedicated to river Citizen Science (including CS4Rivers, WATERBLITZ – Po Grande, FWW Parma, Fishing4Biodiversity), with responsibilities in activity coordination, methodological development, and stakeholder engagement.
She has maintained long-term collaboration with ISPRA providing scientific support to the National Biodiversity Network and Citizen Science programmes.
Since 2017 she has been project leader of Citizen Science initiatives on surface water quality in collaboration with the Freshwater Watch platform.
From 2009 to 2016 she held scientific responsibility roles in numerous regional and national projects on phytoremediation, buffer strips, river restoration, and habitat analysis, in collaboration with institutions such as Veneto Agricoltura, the University of Florence, and Land Reclamation Consortia.
Earlier in her career she participated in European and national projects on biogeochemical cycles in riparian zones and on the ecological functioning of watercourses.
Her professional activity has been carried out since 1999 within interdisciplinary teams at national and international level.
Teaching Activity
Since 2018 she has been Adjunct Professor of Ecology in the MSc programme in Low Carbon Technologies and Sustainable Chemistry, University of Bologna.
Throughout her career she has continuously taught at university level (since 1996) at the Universities of Bologna and Padua, covering courses in:
She has also delivered professional training courses for technicians and practitioners (e.g., River Restoration courses for the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region).
She regularly participates as a speaker in conferences, workshops, and webinars.
Scientific Activity
Her research focuses on:
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river ecology and biological monitoring
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benthic macroinvertebrates
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riparian vegetation
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phytoremediation and denitrification
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ecosystem services
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Nature-Based Solutions
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Citizen Science applied to aquatic ecosystems
She has participated in numerous international conferences and workshops, delivering presentations or posters on about twenty invited occasions.
She was Visiting Professor at Griffith University (Australia) in 2007 and 2009.
Institutional Roles and Appointments
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Founding member of Citizen Science Italia (2023)
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Founding member of the Italian Centre for River Restoration (1999)
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Board member of the International Society of River Science (2007–2015)
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Expert evaluator for the European Commission (since 1999)
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Board member of the European Centre for River Restoration (2005–2009), serving as secretary in the final years
In 2008 she was the main organiser of the 4th ECRR Conference on River Restoration (over 300 participants) and editor of the conference proceedings.
Skills
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Excellent command of Microsoft Office
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Use of statistical and GIS software
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Use of the InVEST model for ecosystem services
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Certifications for scuba diving and underwater scientific monitoring
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Driving licence B
Languages
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Italian: native
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English: excellent (First Certificate, 1997)
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Spanish: good (reading and writing), basic (spoken)
Additional Activities
She regularly coordinates interdisciplinary research teams.
She has participated in several River Contracts initiatives and in numerous science communication and outreach activities.
