I am Professor of Zoology at the Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II (Italy). My research focuses on animal biodiversity and molecular ecology, integrating traditional zoological approaches with molecular tools for species identification, biodiversity assessment and environmental monitoring.

My group combines morphological and taxonomic expertise with DNA barcoding, eDNA, DNA metabarcoding, NGS, qPCR/HRM and multi-omics approaches. We investigate biodiversity from organismal to community level, with particular expertise in marine and coastal ecosystems, benthic and meiofaunal communities, cetaceans and other marine organisms.

Our expertise includes detecting cryptic and overlooked biodiversity, molecular identification of species and communities, assessing biodiversity responses to environmental and anthropogenic pressures, and developing and validating non-invasive molecular monitoring approaches.

We are particularly interested in integrating zoological and molecular data with ecological, environmental, ecoacoustic, remote-sensing or modelling datasets to understand biodiversity change, ecosystem functioning and trajectories.

Zoology

I am interested in joining a BiodivFuture consortium investigating how environmental change and anthropogenic pressures drive the emergence, functioning, and future trajectories of novel ecosystems, particularly within Themes A and B.

Our group can contribute an integrative animal-biodiversity component linking conventional zoological assessment with eDNA, DNA metabarcoding, and other molecular approaches. We are particularly interested in projects examining how changes in species and community composition can reveal ecosystem reorganisation and provide sensitive indicators of ecological transitions.

Marine and coastal novel ecosystems are of particular interest, including systems affected by climate change, pollution, habitat modification, biological invasions or artificial structures. However, we are also interested in freshwater and terrestrial projects where zoological expertise and molecular biodiversity assessment can complement ecological monitoring, ecoacoustics, remote sensing, modelling or other innovative approaches.

zoology, animal biodiversity, molecular ecology, edna, dna metabarcoding, integrative taxonomy, marine biodiversity, meiofauna, biodiversity monitoring, novel ecosystems

I am available to be contacted by email and arrange online meetings with anyone interested in discussing potential collaboration opportunities during the consortium-building period.

I am looking for interdisciplinary consortia where zoological and molecular biodiversity expertise can complement ecology, ecosystem functioning, ecoacoustics or socio-ecological approaches. Participation may be explored as a self-financed partner or, where eligible, through subcontracting for specific activities.