She has a degree in Biological Sciences (University of Messina) and a doctorate in Marine Science and Engineering (University Federico II of Naples). She is currently a CNR Researcher at the Institute of Polar Sciences (CNR-ISP), Messina, and was previously a research fellow at the Institute of Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC-Messina).
Her research activity is focused on the study of microbial communities present in deep and/or extreme marine environments, such as Deep Hypersaline Anoxic Basins (DHAB), Hydrothermal vents, as well as in polar environments, with particular interest in biodiversity, mapping of genes of biotechnological interest and bioinformatics analysis. She spent a period of training at the Oklahoma University (USA), at the Institute of Environmental Genomics. She has participated in ten oceanographic expeditions in the Mediterranean Sea aboard R/V Urania. She is co-author of publications in scientific journals. She has collaborated in national and international research projects (KILL SPILL- ULIXES- INMARE- RITMARE- DEEP_C - PON S.A.B.I.E. - COMMODE - MICROB3 - MAMBA - MIDDLE) and has been head of units (IAMC) for the Simply (Structures and IMmunologic Properties of LipopolYsaccharides from Antarctic psychrophilic bacteria) project.

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4768-182X    Scopus - Author ID: 35620623600    Scholar