Teaching team

Dr. Annalisa Zaccaroni

Dr. Annalisa Zaccaroni

Permanent researcher at the University of Bologna since 2000, she has focused her research on Ecotoxicology. research interests are directed to trace elements and organic contaminant monitoring in marine species, and to the evaluation of their endocrine disruption effect. She has worked with a wide range of large marine vertebrates including sharks, sea turtles and marine mammals.

She collaborates with many European Institutes and Associations. She is authors of many articles in peer reviewed international journal.

Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski

Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski

Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski has been studying dolphin behavior and communication since 1990, with a focus on tctile, behavioral and acoustic signals employed by dolphins as they share information among each other and across groups. Dr. Dudzinski is Founder and Director of the Dolphin Communication Project (DCP). Her current research focuses on two groups of dolphins in managed care - at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) in Honduras and at Blue Lagoon Island, home of the Dolphin Encounters (DE), on Nassau, The Bahamas. Dr. Dudzinski oversees research conducted by graduate students from several universities who collaborate with DCP.

Dr. Sara Ciulli

Dr. Sara Ciulli

Researcher at the University of Bologna since 2006, she conducts her research in the field of infectious diseases of animal. Research interests are directed specifically to viral diseases of aquatic animals and to the study of immune response. She is currently focusing on research into the development of diagnostic techniques to detect fish pathogenic viruses, on the identification and characterization of pathogenic agents responsible for disease outbreaks and mortality, on the study of the expression of key genes of the immune response.
Engaged in national and international research projects, she collaborates with Italian and foreign Institutes. Author of numerous publications in national and international scientific journal

Dr. Andrea Gustinelli

Dr. Andrea Gustinelli

Graduated in 2002 in Veterinary Medicine, he obtained the PhD in "Epidemiology and Control of Zoonoses" in 2008 and specialized in "Animal Health and animal productions" in 2010 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University from Bologna. Since 2018 he is a de facto Diploma holder of the European College of Aquatic Animal Health (ECAAH). He has currently a Senior Researcher position at the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences of the University of Bologna. He has taken many professional positions in national and international research projects relating to fish pathology and in particular fish parasitology. He has taught at several advanced courses, advanced training courses and specialization schools. He is coauthor of over 200 scientific publications. 

Prof. Diego Bucci

Prof. Diego Bucci

Associate professor of Veterinary Phisiology since 2018. The main research themes are centered on the study of natural antioxidants in mammalian gamete function, interaction and conservation, with particular focus on porcine species and equine and canine species.

Other research regards gametes metabolism and physiology and collaborations  with other European universities.

Authored more than 40 peer reviewed articles on international journals for which also collaborate for peer reviewing.

Prof. Cristiano Bombardi

Prof. Cristiano Bombardi

The capital activities of my research group, are focused on the neuromorphology, expecially regarding the amygdaloid complex, the hippocampal region, the muscle spindle, the innervations of shoulder joint, the enteric nervous system, and the spinal cord of different species.

Prof. Angelo Peli

Prof. Angelo Peli

PhD on European legislation in animal welfare and protection

EBVS© European Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law

  • Member of the National Committee for the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, Ministry of Health
  • Chair of the Animal Welfare Body of the University of Bologna (2015 – to present).
  • Director of the Service for the welfare of the animals used for scientific and educational purposes of the University of Bologna
  • Member of the Ethics Committee for the protection of animals used for experimental purposes of Emilia Romagna Region
  • President of the Ethics Committee of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna

Author of 187 publications

Dr. Jesus Tomas

Dr. Jesus Tomas

Research interest on sea turtle nesting, feeding ecology and interaction with threats, including fisheries bycatch and pollution. Also interested in studies on cetaceans and other marine megavertebrates from the western Mediterranean.

Dr. James Thorburn

Dr. James Thorburn

Working on the spatial ecology of elasmobranchs, my research is mostly centred around the Flapper skate (D. intermedius) and Spurdog (S. acanthias) in the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Protected Area on the west coast of Scotland.

Dr. Elio Vicente

Dr. Elio Vicente

Marine Biologist with nearly 30 years of experience and cross-funcional skills in environmental education, rehabilitation of stranded marine/aquatic specimens, managment of scientific projects, public speaking, communication and media relations, projects development, teaching, organization of international (scientific and cooperative) events, and team management.

Dr. Manuel Garcia Hartmann

Dr. Manuel Garcia Hartmann

Manuel Garcia Hartmann is a veterinarian working with captive and rehabilitating wildlife since graduating from veterinary college in 1989 and getting its postgraduate specialization in zoo and wildlife medicine in 2002. He is an expert in marine mammals and zoo animals medicine and in wildlife rehabilitation.

Prof. Mariano Domingo

Prof. Mariano Domingo

Mariano Domingo is a Veterinary Pathologist with strong background and knowledge of pathogenesis and pathology of animal diseases, and with a long experience in diseases of Marine Mammals. Participation since 1990 in the stranding network of the Catalonian Government, performing necropsies of stranded cetaceans, and determining the causes of death. Trainer in Marine Mammal Pathology for the residents of the European College of Veterinary Pathologists in the three last editions of this topic in the ECVP summer school. Author of 165 scientific articles on animal diseases, 34 of them related to wild animals, and 18 of them referring to diseases of cetaceans.

Prof. Sandra Imbrogno

Prof. Sandra Imbrogno

Prof. Imbrogno research is focusing on cardiac morpho-functional plasticity in response to humoral and environmental stress.; the role of nitric oxide synthase/nitric oxide system in modulating basal cardiac performance and the response to physical and chemical stimuli; cromogranin A-derived peptides as autocrine-paracrine cardiomodulators.

Dr. Emilio Sperone

Dr. Emilio Sperone

Emilio Sperone currently works at the Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, Università della Calabria. Emilio does research in Ecology, Systematics (Taxonomy) and Zoology of sharks, amphibians, reptiles, fish and marine mammals. He contributed to the project is 'Our current Project is the Life Plus LIFE13 NAT/IT/001075 (PAN LIFE) for the start of the monitoring , reporting and conservation measures for the Natura 2000 Net in Calabria."

Prof. Sandro Tripepi

Prof. Sandro Tripepi

The research topics of Prof. Tripepi are:

Herpetology: study of the ecology and biogeography of Calabrian amphibians and reptiles, in particular endemic italian species. Monitoring of alien species: Trachemys scripta elegans and Chamaeleon chamaeleon in the province of Reggio Calabria.
Research on the parasitofauna of amphibians and reptiles; investigations into the consequences of pesticides and heavy metal accumulation in aquatic species.

Marine Zoology: parasitological and ecotoxicological research on fish; field studies on the behavior of white shark (Charcharodon charcharias) in South Africa, whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in Madagascar and on the distribution of elasmobranchs, bone fish and cetaceans in Calabrian seas.

Prof. Maria Carmela Cerra

Prof. Maria Carmela Cerra