Evolutionary Scientist
Paleoecologist | Archaeologist
Scientific Data Designer | Communicator
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Department of Biology
Adjunct Lecturer Departments of Biology and Anthropology
Loyola University Chicago, USA
My work as an evolutionary scientist focuses on studying ecological dynamics through the lens of evolutionary biology, paleoecology, geology, and archaeology to understand their deep connections to the earth’s biological history and our shared human past.
Degrees: Ph.D. (Max Planck Society for the Science of Human History & Universitat Tuebingen), M.A. & B.Sc. (University of Exeter)
150 thousand years of ecological and lacustrine community dynamics
As part of my Post-Doctoral research position (Dept. of Biology, Loyola University Chicago; funded by NSF), I study the biological processes that shaped the evolution, development, and interactions of lacustrine communities (fish, terrestrial vertebrate, diatoms) and their surrounding environments within the 10-million-year-old Truckee paleolake.
Fieldwork location: Northern Nevada (USA) high-altitude desert
Disciplines: Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Paleontology, Geology
Image credit: Jacopo Niccolò Cerasoni, 2024
The art of making stone tools
Flint knapping is the process of intentional chipping away material from stone in a carefully controller manner for functional and artistic purposes. I have over a decade of experience in the replication and production of knapped stone tools, teaching students and producing methodological publications.
Disciplines: Archaeology, Geology, Visual Arts
Image credit: Jacopo Niccolò Cerasoni, 2023
Designing and communicating scientific concepts and data
A fundamental part of scientific research is its proper communication with multiple audiences. Through thoughtful, eye-catching design scientific data can be shared in a powerful yet simple way. I have spent years learning and honing my skills, developing multiple methods for the scientifically-accurate presentation of complex concepts and data systems.
Disciplines: Biological Sciences, Ecology, Paleontology, Geology, Archaeology, Graphic Design, Illustration, Visual Arts
Image credit: Cerasoni et al. 2023, iScience.
Our shared human past: paleoenvironments, hominin behavior, and human-environment dynamics
I extensively studied Pleistocene and Holocene paleoenvironments and hominin technological behavior in West Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. By analyzing lithic technological assemblages and human-environment relationships, I employed novel methods in excavation, survey, paleoecology, and scientific visualization. This work offers deeper insights into the dynamic interplay between ancient humans and their diverse environments across these regions.
Fieldwork and study locations: Central Italy (Castelli Romani, Rome, Monti Simbruini), Spain (Tarragona), United Kingdom, Brazil (Santa Catarina), Nigeria (Ondo State), Benin (Atakora), Ivory Coast (Abidjan), Senegal (Falèmè Valley).
Disciplines: Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Bioinformatics, Archaeology, Geology, Genetics
Image credit: Hallett et al. 2021, iScience.