About Me

I was born in 1985 and raised in Rome (IT). Always enthusiastic about the outdoors and all critters populating it. I got my primary and secondary education in Rome, but when I got to college I knew I wanted to experience research outside of Italy and Europe. During my master I spent 6 months at Aarhus University (Denmark) thanks to the ERASMUS project. I graduated with a Master in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Rome Tor Vergata. I then decided to get a PhD and started looking for a program that could interest me. I found one at Mississippi State University (Mississippi, USA), and Starkville became home for about 6 years.

I got my PhD degree in December 2016. My project focused on understanding the population dynamics of iguanas inhabiting highly fragmented habitats in the Caribbean region. I focused on two species, the Turks and Caicos Rock Iguana, Cyclura carinata, and the Bahamas Rock Iguanas, Cyclura cychlura.

After my PhD I stayed in contact with a scientist from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Association (SDZWA) who had been a member of my committee. He was interested in writing a project on the pink iguanas of the Galapagos, and I was too. We teamed up to collaborate with a colleague from the University of Rome Tor Vergata. That project was funded thanks to a generous donation through the SDZWA and granted me the possibility to do a PostDoc for 5 years and to keep doing my research in the Caribbean as well as in the Galapagos.

Current position

Research associate @ University of Rome Tor Vergata

Education and professional experience

What	Where	When
Research associate	University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome (IT)	2022-2025
PostDoctoral Fellowship	San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, CA (USA)	2017-2022
PhD in Conservation Genetics	Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS (USA)	2011-2016
MS in Ecology and Evolution	University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome (IT)	2008-2010
BS in Ecology	University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome (IT)	2004-2007