She received her Master of Science in Biology, her PhD in Environmental Sciences: Marine Environment and Resources, and specialization and continuing education courses in Applied Microbiology.
She has been a researcher at CNR since 2011, specializing in marine molecular microbiology and biotechnology. Her research activities are mainly focused on the deep sea environment and marine and terrestrial extreme ecosystems in both temperate and polar climates. Her main interests have been focused in studying microbial communities inhabiting extreme environments, their role in functioning of extreme ecosystems, as well as in isolating of new microbial taxa, genes, novel bioproducts and biomolecules for biotechnological applications. She is author/co-author of over 70 international peer-reviewed publications. She has participated in fourteen scientific oceanographic expeditions in the Eastern Mediterranean (several as Chief Scientist) and in two scientific expedition to Antarctica. She has coordinated of and participated in several national research programs (FIRB, PNRA) and international programs (EC, Horizon 2020 and ESF programs).
RESEARCHER ID S-9890-2017 Scopus - Author ID: 6507507411 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3306-4938 Research Gate: Violetta La Cono