CURRICULUM VITAE

Education:

09/1994 to 03/2000	Degree (Laurea, equal to MSc.) in Biological Sciences at the University of Pisa (Italy). Dissertation: "Isolation, cloning and characterization of putative type II metallothionein coding sequences in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile". Advisor: Prof. A. Cavallini
11/2002 to 12/2005	Doctoral degree at the University of Konstanz (Germany). Dissertation: "Conservation genetics of Malagasy amphibians". Advisor: Prof. A. Meyer

Research experience:

03/1998 to 11/1998	Undergraduate research on oxidative stress. Supervisor: Prof. R. Barsacchi, Dept. of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Pisa (Italy)
12/1998 to 03/2000	Undergraduate research in molecular biology. Supervisor: Prof. A. Cavallini, Dept. of Agricultural Plant Biology, Genetics Section, University of Pisa (Italy)
08/2000 to 09/2000	Marine biologist for the INPARQUES (Venezuelan National Parks), Los Roques (Venezuela). Supervisor: Ing. J. A. Duran R., coordinator of Los Roques National Park
05/2000 to 05/2001	Practical training year required for the European Board Certification. Supervisor: Prof. F. Cinelli, Dept. of Human and Environmental Sciences, University of Pisa (Italy)
08/2001 to 09/2001	Researcher for the Chelon Group, Marine Turtle Conservation and Research Program
11/2001 to 11/2002	Associate researcher in Prof. A. Meyer laboratory, University of Konstanz (Germany)
05/2003 to 08/2003	Visiting researcher in Prof. L. Bernatchez laboratory, University of Laval (Quebec, Canada)
06/2005 to 03/2006	Visiting researcher at the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
07/2006 to 12/2007	Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Yale (U.S.A.), Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
06/2008 to present	Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Montpellier 2 (France), Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier

Workshop and course participation:

May 2003	Workshop in applied phylogenetics. Bodega Bay Station, University of California, Davis (USA)
Nov./Dec. 2006	Web course on analysis of organismal form. University of Manchester (UK)
June 2008	Introductory course to R. University of Montpellier 2 (France)

Teaching experience:
Evolutionary Biology - Undergraduate tutorial at University of Konstanz (2003)

Supervisory experience:
Supervising an undergraduate student in laboratory principles of molecular biology during the"vertiefungs" course at the University of Konstanz (2004 and 2005). Supervising undergraduate students, also during their masters or senior theses, in laboratory principles of molecular biology at the University of Amsterdam (2005) and Yale (2006 and 2007).

Manuscript reviewer:
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Zoologica Scripta, Conservation Genetics, Journal of Herpetology, Biologia, Animal Conservation, African Journal of Ecology, Molecular Ecology, Amphibia-Reptilia, African Journal of Herpetology, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, Herpetology Notes.

Scientific Societies:

2003 - 2006	Member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT)
2004	Member of the Society for the Study of Evolution
2005 - present	Member of the Italian Society for Evolutionary Biology (SIBE)
2005 - present	Member of the Societas Herpetologica Italica (SHI)
2005 - 2007	Member of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR)
2006 - present	Member of the Societas Europea Herpetologica (SEH)
2008 - present	Member of the Conservation Committee of the Societas Europea Herpetologica

Field experience:

1998 to 2000	Underwater collection of Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea
2000 to 2001	Underwater ecology on Posidonia oceanica meadows
8-9/2001	Surveillance of nests and hatchling of Caretta caretta in Rhodos (Greece)
2-3/2004	Field work on amphibians and reptiles in Madagascar
2-3/2006	Field work on amphibians and reptiles in Madagascar
8/2006	Field work on Galápagos tortoises in Galápagos (Ecuador)
4/2007	Field work on amphibians in Sardinia (Italy)
2-3/2008	Field work on amphibians in Sardinia (Italy)

Awards and Grants received:

1995/1996	Academic Excellence Studentship (Azienda Regionale per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario- Pisa, Italy)
1996/1997	Academic Excellence Studentship (Azienda Regionale per il Diritto allo Studio Universitario- Pisa, Italy)
2000	First class graduation award (University of Pisa, Italy)
2002/2003	Provincia di Lucca funds
2003/2004	Landesgraduiertenforderungsgesetz (LGFG) stipendium
2004	Grant of the Wilhelm-Peters-Fonds (DGHT) to M. Thomas and Y. Chiari
2004/2005	Landesgraduiertenforderungsgesetz (LGFG) stipendium
2005	Synthesys (European-funded Integrated Infrastructure Initiative) grant
2005/2006	Ambassadorial Scholarship of the Rotary Foundation
2005/2006	National Geographic Society grant to  A. Caccone, Y. Chiari and J. Powell
2007	SEH Grant in Herpetology to Y. Chiari, A. van der Meijden, M. Mucedda and M. Veith
2008/2009	Bourse de recherche postdoctorale Université de Montpellier 2 (Um2)
2008/2009	Brett C. Stearns Award for Chelonian Research. California Academy of Science
2009	Grant of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Skills:
Fluent in English, French, Spanish.
Scuba diver (NASE, PADI, level: Rescue).
Certificate from International School for Scientific Diving (ISSD, level: Scientific Diving Research)
First aid certificate from the Italian Red Cross