Biography, education, position Born in 1974. Italian. Degree in Natural Sciences, University of Padova, 1998, 110/110 cum laude, with a dissertation on morphology and ecology of a population of Salamandra atra aurorae. Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology, University of Padova, 2002, with a dissertation "Segmentation in Mecistocephalid centipedes: from evolution to development" (supervisor Prof. A. Minelli). Assistant professor of Zoology at the University of Padova, Department of Biology, since 1 March 2006. Qualified for the position of Full Professor, after the ANVUR National Scientific Qualification, for Zoology and Anthropology, since 19 July 2017. Main scientific interests (a) Biodiversity and phylogeny of Chilopoda, with focus on Geophilomorpha. Approaches including advanced microscopic techniques and molecular phylogenetics. (b) Regional faunistics and ecology of Vertebrata, above all Amphibia. Approaches including extended collaborative surveys and multi-year monitoring. Main collaborative research activities - collaboration to international projects: "A world catalogue of the Centipedes (Chilopoda) for the web" (supported by Global Biological Information Facilities), 2004-2006, in an international team of 9 expert taxonomists; “4D4Life - Distributed Dynamic Diversity Databases for Life” (supported by EU), 2009-2011; “SiiT - School oriented interactive Identification Tools: exploring biodiversity in a cross border area” (supported by EU), 2014; - collaboration as expert zoologist to the national project for the implementation of the Italian Focal Point for the Global Taxonomy Initiative, 2005-2006 (supported by Italian Ministry of Environment); - collaboration in national projects: PRIN on the endemism in the Italian fauna (supported by Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research) 2008-2012, as scientific leader of a research unit. - coordination and participation to broad-scale faunistic schemes, including national surveys on amphibians, reptiles, birds, and scientific leader of regional surveys on amphibians, reptiles and butterflies. Scientific publications Author of 51 papers in international peer-reviewed journals (ISI) and another 45 papers in other international or national journals. In particular, first author of 30 papers in international peer-reviewed journals (ISI) including Cladistics, Systematic Entomology, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Contributions to Zoology, Palaeontology, Zoologischer Anzeiger, Zoomorphology, Zootaxa, Zookeys, European Journal of Entomology, Journal of Natural History. Author of chapters in monographs, including "Treatise on Zoology - Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology" (The Myriapoda Volume 1, ed. A. Minelli, 2011) and "Fauna d'Italia" (volume Amphibia, ed. B. Lanza et al., 2007). First author of regional faunistic monographs, including "Atlante degli Anfibi e dei Rettili del Veneto" (2007) and " Farfalle del Veneto: atlante distributivo" (2014). Society Memberships Centre International de Myriapodologie. Unione Zoologica Italiana. Societas Herpetologica Italica (member of the Council since 2016). Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali. Associazione Faunisti Veneti (vice-president). Scientific editorial activity Member of the editorial boards of the “Fauna d’Italia” (Comitato Scientifico per la "Fauna d'Italia") and of the journal "Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny".

(a) Diversity and evolution of Chilopoda: morphology, phylogeny, biodiversity, ecology. (b) Ecology and geographical differentiation of Amphibia, with focus on Northern Italy

- Biodiversity and phylogeny of Chilopoda, with focus on Geophilomorpha - Regional faunistics and ecology of Vertebrata, above all Amphibia