Short Curriculum:
Born in 1968, in 1993 I got a degree in Geological Sciences at the University of Milano with a thesis in Structural Geology. I achieved the PhD in 1997 with a thesis in Tectonophysics at the University of Milano. I worked as a post-doc from 01-12-
1996 to 01-02-1998 at the department of Geophysics of the University of Utrecht (the Netherlands) in the framework of the EC project no. ERBCHRX CT94-0607 "Geodynamics of the Western Mediterranean Sea". I got a post-doctoral fellowship from 05-05-1998 to 04-05- 2000 at the department of Earth Sciences of the University of Milano. From 01-09-2000 to 26-12-2012 I worked as University Researcher at the department of Earth Sciences of the University of Roma "La Sapienza", and as associate Professor from 27-12-2012 to 31-10-2016, and I'm currently full professor. I'm fellow of the Geological Society of Italy and of the
American Geophysical union. Between 2004 and 2006 I've been member of the council of the Italian Geological Society. From 2007 to the beginning of 2013 I was member of the National University Council (CUN; www.cun.it). Since 2008 I'm editor of Pure and Applied Geophysics. Since 2015 I'm responsible for the organization of teaching of Earth Sciences at the Sapienza University.
RESEARCH
RESEARCH TOPICS
I began my research activity as a field structural geologist working on the crystalline basement of the Central Southern Alps (Northern Italy). Being interested in quantitative aspects of geology, I did a PhD in Tectonophysics, studying the dynamics of convergence zones by means of finite elements model constrained, as far as possible, by geological and geophysical data. In particular I concentrated my research activities on the Central Southern Alps and on the Northern Apennines (Italy). Meanwhile I continued my field activities (structural mapping and strain analysis) in an area of the Brianconnais of the Western Alps,
characterised by sedimentary covers plastically deformed by intense compressive tectonics.
During a post-doc at the department of Geophysics of the University of Utrecht I enlarged my interests to the whole central and western Mediterranean area, studying its geodynamic evolution from the Tertiary to the Present and testing different geodynamic scenarios by means of numerical models.
At the moment I'm interested in collecting, for different areas of Italy (Alps, Po Plain and Northern-Central Apennines), quantitative observables (e.g., vertical movements, stress and strain fields) and in their interpretation with respect to tectonics (kinematics and dynamics) and geodynamic processes active in these areas.
Furthermore, I study the principal geodynamic processes (subduction and rifting) and their controlling forces at a global scale. I'm also interested in basin analysis with the application of the backstripping technique to evaluate the influence of tectonics and compaction on the geometries of syn-tectonic and post-tectonic sediments in extensional and compressional
basins.
I'm finally interested in the mechanics of faults (at both crustal and subcrustal levels) in compressional, extensional and strike-slip settings (e.g., front of Alps, Apennines, internal zones of the Apennines, subduction zones, El Salvador, Ethiopian rift).
TECHNIQUES
Field geology, interpretation of seismic lines and numerical modelling.
STUDY AREAS
Mainly Southern Alps, Apennines, Oman and Zagros (Iran)
Presidente del Consiglio di Area Didattica in Scienze Geologiche dal Novembre 2015.