Graduated in Physics, she earned a PhD in Biophysics and a second-level Master’s degree in “Animal Biodiversity Conservation: Protected Areas and Ecological Networks” with a thesis on the interaction of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with fishing activities in the Aeolian Archipelago (2005; “La Sapienza” University of Rome).
In 2022, she completed a second PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at “La Sapienza” University with a project focusing on the diet of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) in the Tyrrhenian Sea and the accumulation of environmental contaminants due to microplastic ingestion.
Her professional experience includes operational, applied, and managerial skills in the fields of conservation biology and marine ecology, with a particular focus on the study of cetaceans and sea turtles.
She also has extensive knowledge of various techniques in genetics, molecular biology, advanced statistics, and bioinformatics, acquired through specialized training courses.
From 2000 to 2008, she worked as a research associate on molecular biology and water quality projects at the Department of Environment of the Italian National Institute of Health in Rome, as well as on international cooperation activities under the Water and Health Protocol in collaboration with the WHO.
In 2009 and 2010, she served as a consultant for the Division II – Flora and Fauna Protection of the Italian Ministry of the Environment, focusing on marine and terrestrial wildlife conservation activities and the Action Plan for the conservation of sea turtles in Italy.
During the same period, she was a lecturer at “La Tuscia” University in Viterbo, teaching a course on “Research and Monitoring Methods for Marine Vertebrates.”
Since 2004, she has coordinated and directed all conservation projects on cetaceans and sea turtles in the Aeolian Archipelago. Within these projects, she supervises undergraduate theses and promotes training, eco-volunteering, and environmental education activities.
In 2017, she won the TROFEO DEL MARE International Maritime Award in Pozzallo. In 2018, she received the DonnaAmbiente Award. In 2022, she was featured in the new Change Maker campaign by E.on.