Welcome!

My Research

My research lies at the interface between microbial ecology and soil biogeochemistry, focusing broadly on the response of soil microbes to climate change. The main goal of my research is to understand the effect of changing environmental conditions on fundamental biogeochemical mechanisms that control the fate of important elements in terrestrial ecosystems in which microbes are involved, with an emphasis on the carbon cycling. Soil microbes are central as they control key processes regulating the cycling of elements. I use a blend of discipline, integrating chemistry, biology and ecology. My research is divided between method development, field studies as well as synthesis via large datasets or modelling approaches. Recent examples of methodological innovations include the development of a new method to trace microbial growth in soil or for studying microbial lipids via fatty acid analysis. Check out my Research or Publications pages for more info. Take a look at the yearly report I write, about my research and outreach activities in the Yearly report section.

Myself

I am currently an Associate Professor at the University of Bologna since the 1st of October 2024. Previously I was a University Assistant at the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science of the University of Vienna (Austria), working with Professor Andreas Richter. I held a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Ecological Research of Kyoto University (Japan). I have a Ph.D in Soil Biogeochemistry from the University of Sydney (Australia, 2017), where I worked with Professor Feike Dijkstra. I was recently granted an ERC Starting Grant from the European Union, and I will soon start my group at The Department of Biological Sciences, Geological and Environmental of the University of Bologna (Italy). I will soon announce position openings on this website.