She graduated in Biological Sciences from the University of Siena in 1977, and worked as a research biologist and marine ecologist at the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in Naples, at the current Ischia Marine Center, from 1983 to 2021, coordinating the Ischia team for some periods. Since 2021 she has been an associated researcher at the National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics - OGS in Trieste, she is also associated with ISPRA-Rome (September 2023) and the Polar Scientific Institute of the CNR in Messina (May 2024). She has worked in the field of ecology of benthic biota, and coastal benthic ecosystems, with particular focus on the taxonomy and ecology of polychaete marine worms, and the ecology of seagrass systems, especially Posidonia oceanica. She has also worked in coastal polar environments, participating between 1989 and 2006 in 6 oceanographic expeditions to Antarctica and sub-Antarctica within the PNRA and the German and Spanish programmes, coordinating the research group of the SZN team in Ischia. For over 20 years she has been studying the effects of climate change on the benthos, in relation to both the increase in temperature (heat waves, alien species) and ocean acidification. In this later topic she is studying the ecology and eco-physiology of the benthic biota, including seagrasses, which live in particular coastal hydrothermal systems characterized by CO₂ emissions from the seabed (vents) and natural acidification of the waters both at Ischia and in the Aeolian islands. She has supervised approximately 36 master's theses, 11 PhDs and 4 post-docs. She has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Marine Ecology (Wiley; 2005-2013) and has published over 300 scientific papers and 4 books. Passionate about classical and popular music, she completed regular flute studies at the R. Franci music school of Siena.