Professor of Developmental Biology and Animal Phylogenesis at the Department of Biology, University Federico II of Napoli (Italy). In 1999 she received a PhD in Evolutionary Biology. In the 1996, she was a visiting researcher at the McMurdo Station (USA) Antarctica, and in 1998 she was a member of the XVI Italian Expedition to Antarctica. The research activity focuses on the study of: 1) main proteins responsible for homeostasis and detoxification of heavy metals, at a physiological, molecular and evolutionary level; 2) morphological and molecular changes induced by environmental contamination (toxic heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides) and thermal stress in organs and tissues, with particular reference to the reproductive system and to the ecotoxicological implications; 3) animal adaptation to low temperatures, and the related modifications at the molecular level that allow this cold adaptation. She is member of the editorial advisory board of the journal BioMed Research International.

Cytotoxicology
endocrine disruptors and reproductive toxicology
environmental pollution
heavy metals toxicity
teratogenicity and teratogenic agents