Micro-CT laboratory manager - Present
The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
Research Fellow, Leverhulme Trust grant - January 2024
University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Project title: Feeding without Jaws
Post-doctoral Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship - September 2022
The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
Project title: From land to water: the role of development in the evolution and diversification of baleen and toothed whales
Joint Doctoral Program in Evolutionary Biology - June 2019
San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
Dissertation: Skull growth and prenatal development in baleen whales: teeth-to-baleen transition in ontogeny and phylogeny
Master degree, Geological Sciences and Technologies, cum laude - July 2013
Universitá di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Emphasis in Paleontology
Bachelor degree, Geological Sciences, cum laude - September 2011
Universitá di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships-Reintegration Panel, 2019, awarded by the European Commission
World Marine Mammal Conference Student Travel Grant, Fall 2019, awarded by The Society for Marine Mammalogy, Yarmouth Port, MA
Jackson School of Geosciences Student Travel Grant, Fall 2019, awarded by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Bethesda, MD
Mid-American Paleontology Society (MAPS) Outstanding Student Research Award, Spring 2018, awarded by The Paleontological Society, Bethesda, MD
Gretchen L. Blechschmidt Award, Spring 2018, awarded by The Geological Society of America, Boulder, CO
Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research, Spring 2017, awarded by the Sigma Xi Honor Society, Research Triangle Park, NC
ASM Grants-in-Aid of Research, Spring 2017, awarded by the American Society of Mammalogists, Topeka, KS
SDSU Graduate Student Travel Fund, Fall 2016, awarded by the San Diego State University, Division of Research Affairs, San Diego, CA.
UCR Newell Award, 2016, awarded by the University of California, Riverside, Department of Biology, Riverside, CA
Lerner-Gray Grant for Marine Research, 2015, awarded by the American Natural History Museum, New York, NY.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program – IIE scholarship, 2014-2015, awarded by the Fulbright Italian Commission, Rome, Italy.
“Collegio Puteano” Foundation – Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, 2008-2011, Pisa, Italy.
Anatomy and Physiology I, Teaching Assistant, Northeastern University, London, UK, Fall 2023
General Biology Lab, Teaching Assistant, Northeastern University, London, UK, A.Y. 2022-2023
General Chemistry Lab, Teaching Assistant, Northeastern University, London, UK, Fall 2022
Certificate in Evidence-Based Teaching for Graduate Students, SDSU Center for Teaching and Learning, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, Fall 2018
Organismal Biology Lab (BIOL204L), Teaching Assistant, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, A.Y. 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019
Seminar coordinator, Advances in Population and Evolutionary Biology seminar series (EEOB265), University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, Spring 2016, A.Y. 2015-2016
General Biology Lab for non-majors (BIOL100L), Teaching Assistant, San Diego State University, A.Y. 2014-2015
Mélissa Duflot, Spring 2022, Natural History Museum – University College London, Master’s student
Natasha Chrouch, Spring 2021, Natural History Museum – University College London, Master’s student
Bridget Borce, A.Y. 2017-2018, San Diego State University, Master’s student
John Hansen – Spring 2015, San Diego State University, undergraduate student
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) annual meeting 2023, Cincinnati, USA – 18-21 Sep. 2023 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, R. Dearden, A. Jones, S. Giles, Z. Johanson, S. Lautenschlager, E. Randle, I.J. Sansom. No jaws? No problem. High-density morphometrics characterizes the diversity in the feeding apparatus of heterostracans jawless fish (Agnatha: Heterostraci).
69th Symposium of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy (SVPCA), Lincoln, UK – 6-9 Sep. 2023 – Invited symposium talk: A. Lanzetti, R. Dearden, A. Jones, S. Giles, Z. Johanson, S. Lautenschlager, E. Randle, I.J. Sansom. No jaws? No problem. High-density morphometrics characterizes the diversity in the feeding apparatus of heterostracans jawless fish (Agnatha: Heterostraci).
SVP annual meeting 2022, Toronto, Canada – 2-5 Nov. 2022 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, E.J. Coombs, R. Portela-Miguez, V. Fernandez, A. Goswami. The way to wonkiness: the ontogeny of asymmetry in echolocating whales.
24th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Palm Beach, FL – 01-05 Aug. 2022 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, V. Fernandez, B. Clark, A. Goswami. Developing a taste: connecting skull shape ontogeny and evolution of different feeding adaptations in Cetacea using 3D geometric morphometrics.
Jim F. Crow Institute for the Study of Evolution, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI – 03 Mar. 2022 – Invited talk, Early Career Scientist Seminar Awards: A. Lanzetti. Developing a taste: connecting skull shape ontogeny and evolution of different feeding adaptations in Cetacea using 3D geometric morphometrics.
Society of Integrative Biology virtual meeting (SICB+) 2022 – 14 Jan.– 31 Mar. 2022 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, V. Fernandez, B. Clark, A. Goswami. Developing a taste: connecting skull shape ontogeny and evolution of different feeding adaptations in Cetacea using 3D geometric morphometrics.
Palaeontological Association virtual annual meeting 2021 – 18-20 Dec. 2021 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, V. Fernandez, B. Clark, A. Goswami. Developing a taste: connecting skull shape ontogeny and evolution of different feeding adaptations in Cetacea using 3D geometric morphometrics.
SVP virtual annual meeting 2021 – 1-5 Nov. 2021 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, V. Fernandez, B. Clark, A. Goswami. Developing a taste: connecting skull shape ontogeny and evolution of different feeding adaptations in Cetacea using 3D geometric morphometrics.
SVP virtual annual meeting 2020 – 12-16 Oct. 2020 – Poster presentation: A. Lanzetti, J. Gatesy, R. Meredith, M. Springer, M.R. McGowen. Evolution of dentition in the phylogeny of beaked whales (Ziphiidae, Odontoceti): the case of the Tasman’s beaked whale.
World Marine Mammal (WMM) Conference 2019, Barcelona, Spain – 9-12 Dec. 2019 – Poster presentation: A. Lanzetti. Let it grow: ontogenetic growth of the minke whale skull and implications for the teeth-to-baleen transition in Mysticeti (Cetacea).
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) annual meeting 2019, Brisbane, Australia – 9-12 Oct. 2019 – Oral presentation, Romer Prize session: A. Lanzetti. Developing a new habit: ontogeny tracks the evolution of filter feeding in baleen whales.
International congress of vertebrate morphology (ICVM), Prague, Czech Republic – 21-25 Jul. 2019 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti. Let it grow: ontogenetic sequence of the skull of minke whales and implications for the teeth-to-baleen transition in Mysticeti (Cetacea).
SVP 2018, Albuquerque, NM – 17-20 Oct. 2018 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, A. Berta, E.G. Ekdale. Looking at fossils in a new light: teeth to baleen transition in relation to the ontogeny and phylogeny of baleen whales.
SVP 2017, Calgary, Canada – 23-26 Aug. 2017 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, A. Berta, E.G. Ekdale. How to make a whale: first complete developmental sequence of the skull of the humpback whale and its implications for the evolution of mysticetes.
San Diego State University SRS 2017, San Diego, CA – 3-4 Mar. 2017 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti. Lost in transition: developmental patterns of tooth formation and loss in fetal baleen whales and implications for mysticete evolution.
SVP 2016, Salt Lake City, UT – 26-29 Oct. 2016 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, A. Berta, E.G. Ekdale, T.A. Deméré. Lost in transition: developmental patterns of tooth formation and loss in fetal baleen whales and implications for mysticetes evolution.
ICVM 2016, Bethesda, MD – 29 Jun.-03 Jul. 2016 – Oral presentation: A. Lanzetti, A. Berta, E.G. Ekdale, T.A Deméré. Evolutionary innovation and ecology in mysticete cetaceans: transition from teeth to baleen and raptorial to bulk filter feeding.
WMM 2015, San Francisco, CA – 13-18 Dec. 2015 – Poster presentation: A. Lanzetti, A. Berta, E.G. Ekdale, , J. Hansen. CT scans of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) fetus: new insights on cranial ossification and tooth anatomy.
SVP 2015, Dallas, TX – 14-17 Oct. 2015 - Poster presentation, Colbert Prize session: A. Lanzetti, G. Bianucci, J. Geisler. New evidence and analyses indicate that Tursiops osennae is a globicephaline (Odontoceti, Delphinidae) from the Pliocene of Siena Basin (Tuscany, Italy).
UC Riverside, Riverside, CA – 06 Nov. 2015 – Invited talk, Graduate student seminar: A. Lanzetti. Skull growth and prenatal development in baleen whales using CT scans: teeth to baleen transition.
Methods in Ecology and Evolution Associate Editor, 2024-present – handling editor of papers submitted to the journal and promotional activities
MASSOLIT online lectures, 2023 – 5 mini-lectures on Evolution and Variation for GCSE students
Journal of Anatomy Early Career Researcher Editorial Board member, 2022-2024 – handling editor of papers submitted to the journal, planning of special issues and promotional activities
SVP Diversity Committee member, 2022-present – organize and promote activities to widen participation to the society and SVP annual conference of underrepresented groups in STEM
SVP Colbert Prize Committee, 2021-present – judge students’ poster and interview the finalists in competition for the Colbert Prize at the SVP annual conference, co-chair 2022-2024
Fulbright mentor, 2019-present – support for prospective applicants to scholarship sponsored by the Italian Fulbright commission
24th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals volunteer – 31 Jul.-05 Aug. 2022, Palm Beach, FL – conference volunteer, provided help with registration of attendees, poster set-up, night events
Surprising Science video, August 2022 – NHM social media campaign
Science is Wonderful! 2021, 22-26 Nov. 2021 – online meetings with primary and secondary schools in Europe, organized by the European Commission
“Rebels, Scholars, Explorers: Women in Vertebrate Paleontology”, 2020, by A. Berta and S. Turner, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD – data analysis and line graphics for publication
“Whales: Beneath the Surface” Exhibit – 14 July 2017-28 Feb. 2018, Natural History Museum, London, UK
The Alcott Elementary Spring Festival – 22 April 2015, Riverside, CA
Riverside Unified School District Science and Engineering Fair – 09 Feb. 2015, Riverside, CA
Science Fair at St. Catherine of Alexandria Elementary school – 07 Jan. 2015, Riverside, CA
Post-doctoral research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK - December 2022-January 2024
3-dimensional reconstruction and evolution of the oral apparatus in Heterostraci, an extinct group of jawless armored fishes from the mid-Ordovician to the Devonian periods (470 – 360 Mya).
Digitization of fossil museum specimens from international collections using CT and micro-CT scanning.
3D modelling of the skull anatomy using specific software (Avizo, Image J, Mimics, Blender, Geomagic) and AI tools (Biomedisa) to create a dataset of 3-dimensionally preserved fossil representative of the functional and phylogenetic diversity of the groups.
Reconstruction of ancestral states of feeding modes and oral apparatus morphology and rates of evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods on discrete characters (R).
Analysis of shape variation in the oral apparatus using 3D and 2D geometric morphometrics (Auto3DGM, GPSA, Checkpoint and R).
Post-doctoral research, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom - September 2020-September 2022
Ontogeny of the skull of baleen and toothed whales (Cetacea), with emphasis on evolutionary significant changes that are connected with the land-to-water transition in artiodactyls.
Digitization of museum specimens in fluid and osteological collections at the Natural History Museum, using CT and surface scanner (Creaform 3D scanner).
3D modelling of the skull anatomy using specific software (Avizo, Image J, VXElements, Geomagic) to create a dataset representative of a variety of pre- and post-natal ontogenetic stages of toothed and baleen whale taxa.
Analysis of ossification sequence in Cetacea and related mammals using quantitative phylogenetic methods (R).
Analysis of shape variation in Cetacea and related mammals using 3D geometric morphometrics (Checkpoint and R).
Reconstruction of ancestral state of developmental sequence and rates of evolution using phylogenetic comparative methods (R).
Ph.D. research, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA - 2014-2019
Skull bone development in fetal mysticetes whales, focusing on the transition from teeth to baleen in early ontogenetic stages.
International collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Copenhagen, Denmark and the National Museum of Nature and Science of Tokyo, Japan for digitalization and research of fetal and fossil mysticete whale specimens.
Analyses of shape variation using 3D geometric morphometrics (MorphoJ).
Analysis of CT scan images using specific software (Avizo and Image J) to reconstruct the ossification pattern of the bones and to highlight the presence of teeth.
Use of photogrammetry and related software (ReCap Photo) to digitalize rare fossil and extant skulls of large baleen whales.
Development of experimental protocol to enhance CT image quality using iodine staining.
DNA sequencing and analysis of genes related to teeth development in mammals from baleen whales samples (at University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA).
Analyses of variation of tooth number and ancestral state reconstruction using phylogenetic methods (Mesquite) (at University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA).
Master Thesis, Universitá di Pisa, Pisa, Italy - 2011-2013
Identification and quantification of morphological characters in extant and fossil Delphinida.
Cladistic analysis, using morphological and molecular data, with parsimony methods (PAUP).
Description and comparison of a fossil taxon with other fossil and extant delphinids.
Undergraduate Research, Universitá di Pisa, Pisa, Italy - 2011
Chronology, mineralogical and isotopic composition of paleontological associations of the maximum Holocene transgression in Bahia Camarones (Chubut, Argentina).
Preparation and isotopic analyses for δ18O and δ13C of carbonate samples.