Discover the school program and apply
Here’s the team of teachers in charge of this year’s courses, with whom you’ll have the opportunity to interact
Geomicrobiology, deep subsurface biosphere, microbial diversity, coevolution, trace elements, cofactors, geothermal environments
Donato Giovannelli is a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Naples Federico II. He is also a Visiting Research Professor at Rutgers University, USA, and an Affiliated Scientist at the Earth-Life Science Institute, Japan, and CNR-IRBIM, National Research Council of Italy and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA). He is interested in the planetary-scale contribution of microbial communities in the context of biogeochemical cycles and in the coevolution of the geosphere and biosphere. His group combines traditional microbiology techniques with molecular tools and computational approaches to investigate the microbiology of extreme environments. Recently awarded a ERC Starting Grant on the Coevolution of geosphere and biosphere and with active projects from major italian and international grant agencies, Donato has extensive fieldwork experience and he has participated in or organized 34 international research expeditions around the world (including the Arctic and Antarctic) and 17 oceanographic expeditions including dives with the Alvin research submersible. Donato is currently the director of a new english-language Master Degree program in the “Biology of Extreme Environments” with a curriculum in Astrobiology. He is also very active with outreach activities, podcasts and documentaries and he is a regular guest of the Italian National Public Radio.