👩‍🔬 Academic and Research Experience

2025–present
🐊 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
Project: EvOCRO – Evolutionary Origins of Cognition in Crocodiles

2023–2024
🪲 Research Fellow, University of Bologna, Italy
Species and ecosystem monitoring in Val d’Agri (Basilicata, Italy)

2022
🌱 Scholarship Holder, University of Bologna, Italy
Biomonitoring data analysis in Val d’Agri

2018–2021
🐢 PhD in Ecology and Sustainable Development, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Mexico
Thesis: “Ecologia reproductiva de Rhinoclemmys areolata en condiciones de semicauvierio”
(Reproductive ecology of Rhinoclemmys areolata under semi-captive conditions)

2011–2015
🐸 MSc in Conservation and Nature Dissemination, “La Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy
Thesis: Vulnerabilità delle classi di anfibi e uccelli al cambio climatico (Vulnerability of birds and amphibians classes to climate change)

2013
🌍 Erasmus Student 6 months period at Universidad Auntónoma de Madrid, Spain

2007–2011
🪨 BSc in Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy
Thesis: “Allestimento dell’area “Rocce Organogene” della collezione didattica conservata presso il Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente”
(Setting up of the “Organogenic Rocks” area of the educational collection held at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences)

📚 Selected Publications

Cassola, F.M., Henaut, Y., Cedeño-Vázquez, J. R., Méndez-de la Cruz, F. R., and Morales-Vela, B. (2025). Male reaction to female stimuli in Rhinoclemmys areolata: an experimental analysis to understand mate recognition by males. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 20(1), pp.31-42

Cassola, F.M., Iaria, J., Martini, M., Santi, F., De Silvestri, M., Lattarulo, D., Rossin, J., Carli, E., Angelini, P., Casella, L. … and Cazzolla Gatti, R. (2025). Assessing the effects of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity: a multi-taxonomic approach in Basilicata, Italy. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, p. 7111

Martini, M., Patelli, S., Cassola, F.M., Iaria, J., Livornese, M., Prandelli, S., Santi, F., Rocchini, D., Muraro, M., Angelini, P. and Caricato, G. (2024). A case study on the impact of coppicing on small mammal diversity: First evidence from the high Agri Valley in the Basilicata Region, Italy. Journal for Nature Conservation, p.126732

Gatti, R. C., Iaria, J., Moretti, G., Amendola, V., Cassola, F. M., Cerretti, P., … and Chiarucci, A. (2024). EU2030 biodiversity strategy: Unveiling gaps in the coverage of ecoregions and threatened species within the strictly protected areas of Italy. Journal for Nature Conservation, 126621

Cassola, F.M., Henaut, Y., Cedeño-Vázquez, J. R., Méndez-de la Cruz, F. R., and Morales-Vela, B. (2020). Temperament and sexual behaviour in the Furrowed Wood Turtle Rhinoclemmys areolata. Plos ONE, 15(12), e0244561

Pacifici, M., Visconti, P., Butchart, S.H.M., Watson, J.E.M., Cassola, F.M., and Rondinini, C. (2017). Species’ traits influenced their response to recent climate change. Nature Climate Change

📚 Technical Reports

De Silvestri, M., Cassola, F.M., and Cazzolla Gatti, R. (2023). Progetto di Monitoraggio dello Stato degli Ecosistemi della Val d’Agri. Monitoraggio Carabidofauna

📚 Book Contributions

Creation of a comprehensive map of manatee distribution for the book “Manatíes de la Costa Maya” (2023) by José Benjamín Morales Vela, ECOSUR (ed.)

📚 Poster Presentation

Cassola, F.M., Pacifici, M., and Rondinini, C. Vulnerability of amphibians and birds to climate change. Ecology at the Interface 2015

Cassola, F.M., Iaria J., Martini, M., De Silvestri, M, Lattarulo, D., Rossin, J., and Cazzolla Gatti, R. Monitoring the effect of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity: a multitaxonomic approach. ECCB 2024 – 7th European Congress of Conservation Biology

🏛️ Conferences

Speaker - Cambiamento Climatico e Biodiversità: cause, impatto e prospettive future (Climate Change and Biodiversity: causes, impact and future prospects.). 2017, at Sala Riunioni delle Biblioteca di Tromello (Pavia – Italy)

Speaker - L’Universo, la Terra, l’Uomo: quale futuro? (The Universe, the Earth, Man: what future?). 2017, at Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona (Alessandria – Italy)

🧷 Committee Involvement

Member of the scientific committee of the Conference “Challenging conservation adapting to change” of Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Italy Chapter 2022

👓 Reviewer activity

Conservation Science and Practice (one scientific paper 2022)

Chelonian Conservation and Biology (one scientific paper 2022)

📺 Scientific Communication

Creator of “Drops of Science – News from Natural Sciences”
Multilingual science news podcast and blog (From July 2023 to Present)
https://linktr.ee/dropsofscienceofficial

Workshop titled “¿Como trabaja una naturalista?” (How does a naturalist work?) - Asociación de Altas Capacidades y Talentos de Ibiza y Formentera (ACTEF) – 2023, online

Speaker at EPA – ECOSUR a Puertas Abiertas, scientific education initiative aimed at presenting the research center’s activities to children and teenagers - 2018 and 2021 at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Mexico

Speaker at “La semana de la vida silvestre” (Wildlife week), topics covered were the IUCN Red Lists and climate change - Toktli Educación Ambiental, Mexico – 2021, online

Speaker at “Il monitoraggio degli ecosistemi: una nuova generazione di indicatori per la biodiversità” (Monitoring ecosystems: a new generation of indicators for biodiversity) – 07/12/2023 at Viggiano, Italy

“V per Vulnerabilità: sotto il segno del cambiamento climatico”. 2017. on the Italian Blog The Platypus Review https://theplatypusreview.wordpress.com/2017/02/

“La triste storia di Melomys rubicola” 2017. on the Italian Blog The Platypus Review https://theplatypusreview.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/la-triste-storia-di-melomys-rubicola/

📝 Certifications

Global Red List IUCN Assessor Certificate (2015)

🧩 Extra-Academic Work and Experience…because often it takes time to find an academic job

I was a waitress, a tourist guide, an administrative employee, an external scientific expert, a certified pole fitness instructor, a science teacher, and much more. You can find everything on my LinkedIn profile.