Mariassunta is currently a Ph.D. student at the Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage at the University of Bologna, with a scholarship focusing on the "Temporal evolution of the atmospheric composition in association with climatic and environmental effects: historical reconstruction and current conditions." Her research is titled "Relationship between Atmospheric Particulate Properties and Urban Grime Deposition on Surfaces" and aims to chemically, physically, and morphologically characterize the dry deposition of atmospheric particulate matter on impervious surfaces in urban and rural environments. The goal is to determine its reactivity and interactions with the atmosphere and hosting surfaces in order to design conservation strategies for contemporary buildings and culturally significant heritage sites.
Furthermore, as a member of the ACERLAB research group (Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory [https://site.unibo.it/acerlab]), Mariassunta is involved in the chemical and physical characterization of atmospheric particulate matter and gaseous pollutants collected in various European regions with different levels of urbanization. The objective is to assess the impact of human activities, atmospheric cycles, and climate change on air quality at both local and global scales.
