Posts on my academic life since 2004

Since my formal academic career is likely to end in a few months, I had this idea while on a car trip (San Francisco Airport to Santa Cruz, if you are interested in geographic details) of writing about my academic and research experience since 2004, the year I started my PhD in Theoretical Ecology at the University of Parma, Italy. I believe my experience has been original and interesting, and despite not having been successful in securing a permanent position (or maybe because of it), I am confident I can share valuable insights for young researchers or people outside of academia who want to understand how things work, or might work better. I also have some beautiful pictures to share.

Some brief biographical details. I am 37 years old, I do research in mathematical biology, ecology, and evolutionary biology, I won international grants and awards (in particularĀ a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship, which I started in January 2013 and finished in December 2015), I recently toured South America giving talks on my research in mathematical biology, and I have published so far 30 peer-reviewed papers (43 in total, 3 others in which I am theĀ first author are currently under review, other 2 I may or may not write), and almost one year ago (April 25th 2016, a date that is easy to remember since it is the day in Italy in which the defeat of nazi-fascism is celebrated and remembered, la festa della Liberazione) I received a self-sponsored US Green Card for extraordinary abilities in the Sciences. I live in Santa Cruz, CA, and I have been residing here since June 2010, with a six-month interruption between December 2010 and June 2011. I have loved very much studying, learning how to think and communicate, carrying out my research, giving talks, teaching, traveling the world.