MEET THE PANIC TEAM

Veronica is a freshwater ecologist whose research focuses on the impacts of plastic and microplastic pollution on carbon cycling and ecosystem metabolism in aquatic ecosystems. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, where she earned her PhD in 2022, and leads the PANIC project as Principal Investigator (PI). She previously conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Nevada, Reno (USA), as part of the Wonders of the Mekong project. She is actively involved in international research networks, including the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) and the International Society of Limnology (SIL). In 2024, she received the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award in Italy.

Zeynep is a PhD student at the University of Milano-Bicocca, working on the PANIC project. With a background in molecular biology and aquatic ecology, her PhD research will explore the interactions between plastics, microbial processes, and carbon cycling in freshwater ecosystems.