The research team of the PHOTOPLANT project consists of a diverse group of researchers and professors from various institutions:

University of Pavia

• Thomas Abeli (PI of PHOTOPLANT) is an Associate Professor at the University of Pavia. He is a plant ecologist and conservation biologist with a research focus on rare and threatened plants dependent on wetland environments and the effects of climate change on Arctic-alpine plants.
• Martina Tarascio, an environmental biologist, is a research fellow at the University of Pavia. After obtaining her Master’s Degree in Experimental and Applied Biology in the field of biodiversity conservation, she continued her studies in the protection and restoration of plant communities, with a particular interest in Arctic-alpine ecosystems.

Prof. Thomas Abeli

University of Ferrara

• Lisa Brancaleoni, a plant ecologist, is an Associate Professor of Environmental and Applied Botany at the Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences at the University of Ferrara. Her scientific activity mainly focuses on the interactions of plant communities with ecological factors, carbon dioxide emissions, and responses to global change in alpine, subalpine, and subantarctic environments in Italy and abroad. In recent years, she has expanded her scientific research on rare, threatened, or protected plants, particularly in the Po Delta, to understand their ecological needs and promote their conservation. She has always been involved in public engagement initiatives to enhance the collections of the Herbarium and Botanical Garden of the University Museum System, organizing exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, and events open to the public.
• Renato Gerdol is a Full Professor of Environmental and Applied Botany and the Director of the Botanical Garden of the University of Ferrara. His main research focus is plant diversity and the functioning mechanisms of cold-climate ecosystems, with particular attention to Arctic-alpine environments and peatlands.
• Anna Cazzavillan is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences at the University of Ferrara.

Prof Lisa Brancaleoni

Prof. Renato Gerdol

Roma Tre University

• Maurizio Cutini is an Associate Professor at Roma Tre University. He is a plant ecologist and began his research focusing on phytosociology and vegetation dynamics. In recent years, he has concentrated on mountain and high-altitude ecosystems, studying functional traits, the effects of land-use changes on plant communities, and vegetation management and conservation.
• Alicia T. R. Acosta is a plant ecologist and Full Professor at Roma Tre University. Her research interests include biodiversity, biological conservation, vegetation patterns at different scales, and the impact of biological invasions.
  

  Prof. Maurizio Cutini

  

  Prof Alicia Acosta