After my bachelor and master studies in Italy (University of Milan and University of Pisa) I did an internship on ecosystem modelling at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology, in Bremen, Germany. I then worked as a research assistant at the University of Galway, Ireland , investigating through ROV video analysis the association between fish and cold water coral habitat.

I started my PhD at the Ecomers Lab in September 2012, as part of the Initial Training Network for Monitoring Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (EU 7th framework project ). My research aims at defining and adapting methods to unravel trophic interactions and monitor ecosystem state in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas. For such objective, I couple the ecosystem modelling approach through the Ecopath and Ecotroph software with field monitoring of key functional groups, with special concern for high-trophic level predators.