Bio

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate studying ecology and evolutionary biology of host-pathogen associations at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My research focuses on the understanding of the processes driving interacting species and the maintenance of biodiversity in ecological communities. My work ranges from field studies of the ecological theory of species associations to fundamental studies of the evolution of host-pathogen systems. In particular, I use the interactions among phytoplasmas, Auchenorrhyncha and their plant hosts as a biological model to pursues broadly conceptual research in ‘natural’ and managed ecosystems.

Education

University of Neuchâtel | Switzerland
Ph.D. in Biology | April 2012 - April 2016
University of Pisa | Italy
M.S. in Environmental Sciences | September 1997 - April 2003

Experience

1. I created the global Hemiptera-Phytoplasma-Plant biological interaction web interface, HPP database, that enhances data usability.
2. As PI of a collaborative Swiss NSF and Swiss Federal grants, I have developed expertise on leadership, training and motivation.
3. I established a conceptual framework as a tool for the selection of suitable bio-indicators of high levels of taxonomic and functional biodiversity in agroecosystems.
4. With a novel analytical approach, I partitioned the effects of several groups of environmental predictors expected to shape biological communities.
5. I provided outreach for stakeholders for the estimation of the risk of disease spreading of vector- borne pathogens.