Marcello Di Bonito is Associate Professor in Applied Pedology and Soil Conservation at the University of Bologna since 2021, where he carries out his teaching and research activities, jointly with Nottingham Trent University (United Kingdom) with which he has a double affiliation. His research interests are aimed in particular at soil conservation and its sustainable management, the relationship between natural resources, their ecosystem functions, and multi-disciplinary approaches for their modelling and understanding, especially through GIS and remote sensing. He currently focuses his research on ecological restoration issues, the role of soil in the restoration of ecosystems and the use of remote sensors and analysis.
Studies
Graduated in Earth Sciences in 1997 at the University of Naples "Federico II", he then continued his studies in the United Kingdom, where he obtained, among other things, his doctorate in 'environmental sciences' at the University of Nottingham in 2005.
Academic career
Trained at the University of Naples in Earth Sciences, he specialized in environmental geochemistry, GIS and spatial analysis with various periods of study abroad (University of Granada, Spain; British Geological Survey, United Kingdom). During this period he also worked for the National Research Council where he gained experience in the field of soil sciences.
He then studied his doctorate in Nottingham, where he undertook a joint project between the University of Nottingham and the British Geological Survey with the thesis "Trace elements in soil pore water: a comparison of extraction methods". After his PhD he worked briefly for the NERC Isotope Geoscience Laboratory, where he increased his expertise in analytical techniques.
He then joined the Environmental Agency where he worked for 3 years in the Environment Management team, gaining valuable experience in various aspects of the regulatory part for waste management, water quality, agriculture and pollution control.
Following this experience, he joined the University of Nottingham for a post-doctoral project funded by the European Union in Sustainability Impact Assessment. Here he continued to develop his growing interest in multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research that crosses the physical and social sciences (e.g. Sustainability, Ecosystem goods and services), where the applications of methodologies and integration with participatory approaches (e.g. Analytic Hierarchy Process) and modelling (e.g. Bayesian Belief Networks) can increase understanding of complex processes and improve decision making.
He then joined Nottingham Trent University in September 2009, where he continues to work and teach and conduct international coordination activities.
Teaching activity
Since 2009 he has been teaching as holder of various courses for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degree Courses in the United Kingdom, in Environmental Sciences, Physical Geography and Biodiversity Conservation at Nottingham Trent University.
He is currently an Associate Professor in 'Conservation and sustainable management of soils: tools and practices' (held in English) for the Master's Degree course in Precision and Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and in 'Laboratory of Applied Pedology' for the Master's Degree Course in Planning and Management of Agro-Territorial, Forestry and Landscape Ecosystems, of the University of Bologna. He organizes and coordinates in-depth seminars on its own disciplines.
Scientific activity
- He has participated in numerous national and international research programs including: SENSOR project, funded by the EU (2005), West Tyrone project (part of TELLUS, NERC, 1999), G-BASE project of environmental sampling (NERC, 1997), Leonardo Placement (EU, 1997).
- Invited to the Researcher Links workshop within the Newton Fund, Strengthening UK-Colombia Research & Innovation Cooperation (UK-Colombia RICO): The Role of Foresight and Horizon Scanning, in November 2014.
- Invited to the 9th edition of Tecnnova, round table between business and academia (UK-Colombia partnership) as an expert in innovation in agriculture, August 2014.
- Invited to Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD), University of South Pacific: Sustainability Impact Assessment, Vulnerability and Adaptation Seminars, August 2013.
- Reviewer of international and Italian journals in the field of Environmental and Natural Sciences.
Institutional activities and academic positions
- Since September 2020 he is Coordinator of Internationalization at the School of Animal Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES), Nottingham Trent University.
- Since 2020 he is responsible for statt and students exchanges (e.g., Erasmus, Erasmus+, BIP and Turing programmes) with various European universities and other research institutes in New Zealand, Australia and Canada for the ARES department of Nottingham Trent University.
- He was Coordinator of the Geography course from 2010 to 2015 (ARES, NTU).
Membership in scientific and editorial committees
- Chartered member of the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) since 2000, from which he acquired the M.I. Soil science since 2015; member of the East Midland Soil Discussion Group committee.
- Member of the Society For Environmental Geochemistry and Health since 2018.
- Member of the Canadian Society of Soil Sciences since 2019.
- From 2010 to 2015 he was Associate Editor for the Journal of Geochemical Exploration.
- Fellow of the Higher Education Adademy (HEA) since 2015.
- Member of the Societá Italiana di Pedologia since 2022.
- Member of the European Society for Soil Conservation since 2022.
