Post-docs & PhD Students

Valentina Crobe – PhD in Cultural and Environmental Heritage, University of Bologna. Valentina conducted research on sawfishes (genera Pristis and Anoxypristis) through morphological and genetic analyses of historical specimens from museum collections, with the aim of investigating their taxonomic and genetic diversity. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the BEAM Tinti & Cariani Lab, where she works on marine biodiversity genetics and genomics, with a focus on the application of multi-omics approaches and eDNA for the monitoring and conservation of elasmobranchs.

Giusy Catalano is a Research Fellow at the Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research on Renewable Sources, Environment, Sea and Energy (CIRI FRAME). Giusy holds an MSc in Marine Biology and is currently a postdoctoral researcher working on innovative taxonomic and metagenomic approaches for characterizing marine biodiversity within regional and national monitoring projects. Her research focuses on population genetics, phylogeography, and connectivity of marine fishes and elasmobranchs, with applications to conservation and fisheries management. She has extensive experience in field surveys and biological sampling (MEDITS, DRESS), molecular and genomic analyses, and the integration of genetic, ecological, and morphological data. Her expertise also includes otolith extraction, processing, and analysis for studies on age, growth, and population structure. 

Ilaria Melato – PhD student at the National PhD Program of Interest in Biodiversity, University of Palermo. Ilaria conducts research on the population genetics of elasmobranchs. Her PhD project focuses on the study of connectivity among populations and philopatry mechanisms in Carcharhinus plumbeus, aimed at identifying aggregation areas and nursery grounds  and the analysis of genetic divergence among different evolutionary lineages within the Raja miraletus species complex and the factors driving their speciation.

Maria Vittoria Iacovelli – PhD student at the PhD Program in Cultural and Environmental Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus. Maria Vittoria conducts research on historical elasmobranchs, with a focus on critically endangered or locally extinct species, such as angel sharks and sawfishes. She investigates changes in organismal, genetic, and ecological diversity in the Mediterranean over the last 200–300 years by using the natural history and cultural heritage preserved in Italian and Mediterranean museums. Her project adopts a multidisciplinary approach that combines morphological analyses (both traditional and geometric) with genetic and molecular genomic analyses (ancient DNA), as well as the use of organic carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes.

Martina Pasino – PhD student at the PhD Program in Cultural and Environmental Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus. Martina conducts research on small Mediterranean delphinids, with particular attention to ecological, genetic, and evolutionary changes that have occurred over the last two centuries. Her PhD project is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach that integrates geometric morphometrics, genetics and molecular genomics (ancient DNA), and stable isotope analyses. The use of museum specimens as a biological resource is a key element for reconstructing the historical and ecological dynamics of dolphin populations and for assessing the long-term effects of anthropogenic activities on them.

Piergiorgio Massa – PhD student at the PhD Program in Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna. Piergiorgio conducts research on the application of genomic tools to the management and conservation of Mediterranean fishery resources. His work focuses in particular on the red mullet (Mullus barbatus), analyzing its population structure and signatures of selection, and on the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), investigating the impact of anthropogenic activities on genetic diversity and evolutionary adaptation through the analysis of modern and ancient genomes.

Martina Spiga – PhD student at the Program in Innovative Technologies and Sustainable Use of Mediterranean Fishery and Biological Resources (FishMed-PhD), University of Bologna. Martina conducts research on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to monitor the presence and distribution of elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea. Her academic background includes experience in population genetics of commercially important fish species and in genotyping techniques (2b-RAD), aimed at studying the evolutionary processes that shape marine biodiversity.

Adam Jon Andrews – PhD in Cultural and Environmental Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, and MSCA PhD in Thresholds in Human Exploitation of Marine Vertebrates (SEACHANGES), University of York. Adam conducted research on the eco-evolutionary impacts experienced by Mediterranean bluefin tuna over millennia of exploitation, implementing a strongly interdisciplinary approach that integrated zoology, archaeology, morphometrics, stable isotope analyses, and genomics. He is currently a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo (Norway).