Roberta Guerra

Roberta Guerra earned a MSc in Marine Environmental Sciences in 1995, and a PhD in Marine Environmental Sciences in 2003, at the University of Bologna, Italy. From 2006, she is assistant professor (tenure-track) at the School of Sciences of the University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus. She was visiting scientist at the following institutions: the National Accelerator Centre (CAN) at the Universidad de Sevilla, Spain in 2015, at the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of Cádiz (Spain) in 2002 and 2014, the Instituto de Biofisica at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in Brazil, and the Pukyoung National University (Republic of Korea) in 2012. The main focus of her research is on the sources and historical deposition of emerging, persistent and toxic pollutants in marine and coastal ecosystems, and on organic and inorganic carbon cycling on the coastal ocean and continental margins.

In the latter years, she has been part of a series of international and European projects and networks on the coastal ocean and seas, among which the most recent EU COST Ocean Governance for Sustainability - challenges, options and the role of science (2016-2020), the Spanish Research Excellence project ‘Carbon cycling and fluxes of greenhouse gases in the Gulf of Cádiz’ (OCAL/CARINCA, 2016-2019), the EU ‘Unravelling and exploiting Mediterranean Sea microbial diversity and ecology for Xenobiotics’ and pollutants clean up’ (ULIXES, 2011-2013), the Brazilian Ciencias sem Fronteiras (CsF) on ‘Patterns of natural and human-made interacting processes on source, transport and fate of organic carbon and contaminants in the deep marine ecosystem of the Adriatic Sea basin’ (2013-2016), and the Scientific & Technological Cooperation Programme Italy – Republic of Korea on ‘The historical trend and the origin of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in coastal and marine sediments of Korea and Italy’ (project coordinator, 2010-2012). From 2011 to 2021, she taught at EU Erasmus Mundus PhD Programme on MArine and COastal MAnagement (MACOMA) and the EU Erasmus Mundus Master Programme on WAter and COastal MAnagement (WACOMA) at the University of Cádiz (Spain). She has been member of the PhD jury of over 10 PhD candidates in Marine and Coastal Management (MACOMA) and Oceanography at the University of Cadiz.

Education

• 2003 – Ph.D. Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
• 1995 – MSc equivalent (by research) Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy

Academic Honous

• 2016: EU COST Action Ocean Governance for Sustainability – challenges, options and the role of science (OceanGov) CA15217 (2016-2020). Nominated as national representative to the Management Committee (MC).
• 2015: Earthtime – The European Contribution (EARTHTIME-EU) - Research Networking Programme - European Science Foundation (ESF). Project: Dating and TIming of fluxes into and out of the MarinE CArbon Reservoir of the MeDiterranean Sea (TIMECARD). Host: Prof. Rafael Tenorio, Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA, Universidad de Sevilla-Junta de Andalucía-CSIC), España. Principal Investigator (Visit Exchange Grant).
• 2014: Cold-Water Carbonate Mounds in Shallow and Deep Time - The European Research Network – European Science Foundation (ESF). Project: Ocean carbonate chemistry dynamics in the Gulf of Cádiz. Host: Prof. Enrique Garcia-Luque, Centro Andaluz de Ciencia y Tecnología Marinas (CACYTMAR) - Universidad de Cádiz, España. Principal Investigator (Exchange Visit Grant).
• 2012: Bilateral mobility programme with overseas universities – University of Bologna. Project: Ecosystem health in coastal areas: degradation & pollution. Host: Prof. Olaf Malm, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho - Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil. Visiting Professor (scholarship).
• 2012: Executive programme for Scientific & Technological Cooperation Italy – Republic of Korea. Project: The historical trend and the origin of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in coastal and marine sediments of Korea and Italy. Host: Prof. Gon Ok, Dioxin Research Centre - Pukyong National University, South Korea. Visiting scientist (Project coordinator).
• 2010: European Science Foundation (ESF) – Research Conferences. ESF-Submarine Paleoseismology: The Offshore Search of Large Holocene Earthquakes, 11-16 September 2010, Universitätszentrum Obergurgl Austria. Scholarship.
• 2007: European Network for Coastal Research (ENCORA), FP6 EU Framework Programme. 2^nd ENCORACONFERENCE – European Action Plan for strengthening the knowledge base of sustainable coastal and marine management. Institut. Ocenographique, Paris December 5^th – December 7^th, 2007. Scholarship.
• 2002: Marco Polo Research Prize – University of Bologna. Project: Bioremediation of contaminated sediments in coastal areas. Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Universidad de Cádiz, España. Principal Investigator (Exchange Visit Grant).
• 2001: Young researcher award – University of Bologna. Project: Sediment quality assessment in coastal areas. Principal Investigator (Research grant).

Professional history

• 2006 – Assistant Professor, School of Sciences, University of Bologna, Italy
• 2000-2006 – Post-doctoral Research fellow, University of Bologna, Italy
• 1998-2000 – Post-graduate research fellow, University of Bologna, Italy
• 1999 – Visiting post-graduate fellow, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary

International projects

• Integrated Oceanography of the Gulf of Cádiz Ciclo (OCAL) – Sub-project: Ciclo del carbono y flujos de gases invernadero en el Golfo de Cádiz (CARINCA). Direcctión General de Investigacíon Cientifica y Técnica, Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (España), Proyecto de I+D de EXCELENCIA. Investigator (2015-2018).
• Patterns of natural and human-made interacting processes on source, transport and fate of organic carbon and contaminants in the deep marine ecosystem of the Adriatic Sea basin. Programa Ciência sem Fronteiras Brazil - Doutorado Pleno no Exterior. Project coordinator (2013-2016).
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls in sediments from the Mediterranean Sea: characterization and biodegradation. Programa Ciência sem Fronteiras Brazil - Doutorado Pleno no Exterior. Project coordinator (2013-2016). 
• ULIXES (Unravelling and exploiting Mediterranean Sea microbial diversity and ecology for Xenobiotics' and pollutants' clean up), 7th EU FP - SICA (Mediterranean Partner Countries); Investigator (2011-2014).
• The historical trend and the origin of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in coast and marine sediments of Korea and Italy. Executive programme of scientific and technological cooperation between Italy and Korea, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Project Coordinator (2010-2013).
• 'World wide open proficiency test on the determination of of selected elements in sewage sludge' IAEA-CU-2010-02. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna; Principal investigator (2010-2011).
• 'World wide open proficiency test on the determination of natural and artificial radionuclides in moss-soil and spiked water' IAEA-CU-2009-03. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna; Principal investigator (2009-2010).
• 'The world wide open proficiency test IAEA-CU-2008-03 on the determination of  natural radionuclides in phosphogypsum and spiked water'. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna; Principal investigator (2008-2009).
• 'Geochemistry of Sterols in sediments cores from South Shetlands Island, Antarctic Peninsula: sources, degradation process and local environmental changes'. Centro de Estudos do Mar da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil. CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) contract number MCT/CNPq – Nº 49/2006. Investigator (2007-2009).
• TEMPUS EU-COMET2 Project ‘Integrated Coastal Management curriculum adaptation to the two-level system',  http://eu-comet2.rshu.ru/; EU contract n. JEP_25236_2004. Investigator (2005-2008).
• UNESCO-UNITWIN network project ‘Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development, Europe Region (WICOP-EUROPE). Investigator (2002-2010).
• TEMPUS EU JUST- MOSTAR project ‘Joint University Structures at the city of Mostar: Preliminary establishment of two new facilities'. http://www.ugr.es/~hilario/justmostar/, EU contract n.  SCM-C018A04-2004.  Investigator (2005-2006).
• UNESCO-ROSTE project ‘Environmental Education for Sustainable Development – A Regional Training Project Scheme for the Adriatic-Ionian Basin'.  http://www.reic.org.ba/project.html, contract n. Law 84/2001, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Investigator (2005).
• EU EURO-ECORISK  project ‘interdisciplinary practical summer courses on Environmental Risk Assessment and advanced analytical techniques for contaminated and uncontaminated matrices', V Framework programme, Human potential, High-level Scientific conferences, EU contract n. HPCF-CT-1999-00159. Project manager (1999-2002);
• Hungarian-Italian intergovernmental scientific & technical cooperation programme on ‘Long-term risk management of contaminated sediment, new methods and standardization'. Investigator (1999-2002).

National projects

• Water and nutrients fluxes from the mountain to the coast: an assessment tool for ecosystem quality in Emilia-Romagna Region. University of Bologna Strategic Research Project (2007-2009).
• Monitoring and recovery of the coastal lagoon Pialassa Baiona (Ravenna), (2004-2006).
• National Interlaboratory Comparison Study Using Vibrio fischeri (2005).