Fabrizio Ghiselli
Associate professor of Zoology. University of Bologna (IT).
Fabrizio studies evolution at the molecular and genomic level using a comparative approach. He is mainly interested in the characterization of genomes and transcriptomes focusing on topics such as: genome architecture and organization, gene content (expansion and contraction of gene families, molecular evolution of coding sequences), structure and variability of tRNAs and rRNAs, characterization of transposable elements and repeats.
Liliana Milani
Associate professor of Comparative Anatomy. University of Bologna (IT).
Liliana studies evolutionary developmental biology, focusing on gamete differentiation, mitochondrial inheritance, and longevity. To understand their evolution, she uses comparative approaches (genomics, gene expression patterns, morphology) with particular attention to new animal model systems.
Andrea Luchetti
Associate professor of Zoology. University of Bologna (IT).
Andrea is an evolutionary biologist and zoologist, whose main interest revolves around repeated sequences, transposable elements, and molecular phylogenetics in insects and crustaceans. More in particular, his research lines aim to understand the evolution of animal biodiversity (at species level or above) and characters (morphological and molecular) that characterize the different animal taxa.
Lino Ometto
Associate professor of Zoology. University of Pavia (IT).
Lino's research aims to understand the evolution of biodiversity with a combination of computational and experimental approaches. His group uses population genetics and molecular evolution to identify the genetic basis of phenotypic and adaptive traits in insects and other organisms. He enjoys sharing his passion for evolutionary biology and nature, and he is regularly involved in outreach activities. Lino is the president of the Italian Society of Evolutionary Biology (SIBE).
Giobbe Forni
PostDoc. University of Bologna (IT).
Giobbe is a biologist interested in understanding how traits evolve, especially in the interplay between the processes that happen at the phenotypic level and the underlying molecular one. He is equally fascinated by how traits are established and how they are lost. While his major focus is on insects, he sometimes (i.e., often) takes extreme diversions. He spent quite some time studying microbes: he studied fungi as key players in highly complex trophic networks and genome evolution in prokaryote endosymbionts.
Filippo Nicolini
PostDoc. University of Leicester (UK).
Filippo is currently a postdoc at the University of Leicester (UK) and is a comparative and evolutionary genomicist by training. He has lately developed a strong fascination for evo-devo and the integration of wet-lab techniques with bioinformatics, and he hopes to be able to keep on exploring this field in the upcoming years. He is also deeply involved in science communication and outreach with the Italian community BioPills, as he believes science can be cool to everyone, if only scientists know better how to talk about it.
Enrico Strada
Responsible for scientific and educational dissemination. University of Bologna (IT).
Enrico has curated Citizen Science and scientific communication activities, focusing on myrmecology and urban biodiversity. Two of his main missions are making the community discover the fascinating world of entomology, and emphasizing the fundamental role that each informed individual can have for the conservation of biodiversity and environments. This approach perfectly aligns with the goals of the WWA project!
Iacopo Nerozzi
Photographer. University of Bologna (IT).
Natural scientist, currently a master degree student, Iacopo’s obsessed with reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. He works as a freelancer for biomonitoring regional initiatives and LIFE projects, and he’s also the author of several scientific publications. With his camera under his arm, he has been chasing for four years everything that is "not aesthetic" to tell anyone who stumbles on his Instagram profile @unaesthetic_fauna the frightening wonders of the microworld that surrounds all of us.
Simona Corneti
Lab technician. University of Bologna (IT).
Simona graduated in Agricultural Sciences with a specialization in Plant Genetic Improvement. From 2003 to 2018, she focused on screening germplasm collections, conducting genetic mapping, developing molecular markers, and identifying genes related to Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs). Simona also conducted functional genomics experiments to uncover the genes responsible for traits of interest. Since 2019, she has worked as a Laboratory Technician at the EVO·COM group, where she contributes with her expertise in genetics and functional genomics.
Giulia Mercati
Master student. University of Pavia (IT).
Since childhood, Giulia has two great passions: reading and science. She used to spend hours exploring the garden, catching little creatures that she would turn into makeshift pets—a pastime that inevitably earned her some scolding from the parents. This innate curiosity about nature led her to pursue an academic path in Biological Sciences. After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences, Giulia decided to specialize in Molecular Biology and Genetics, following her interest in the mechanisms that govern life at its most fundamental level. Currently, she is working on her thesis project, which focuses on the population genetics of Formica paralugubris.
Giacomo Santini
Associate professor of Ecology. University of Florence (IT).
Alberto Masoni
PostDoc. University of Florence (IT).
Jacopo Martelossi
PostDoc. Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main (DE).