Simona Maria Porto

Simona Maria Porto is an Associate Professor of Rural Construction and Agroforestry at the University of Catania, where she works in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Di3A). Her academic path includes a Ph.D. in Rural Building and Land Management (2003) and national qualifications as both Associate and Full Professor under Italian Law 240/2010.

• Ph.D., Rural Building and Land Management, University of Catania (2003)
• National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor (2014) and Full Professor (2017)
• Member of Italian Association of Agricultural Engineering (A.I.I.A.) and International Commission of Agricultural Engineering (C.I.G.R.)

Her research interests focus on:

• Development of GIS systems for rural heritage management
• Innovative monitoring systems for dairy cow behavior in hot climates
• Sustainable reuse of traditional rural buildings
• Technological solutions for food safety in cereal supply chains
• Biogas production assessment using GIS
• Biodegradable polymers from agro-industrial waste

She has led or coordinated numerous research projects funded by:

• PRIN 2017: €175,691 for "Smart Dairy Farming"
• POR FESR Sicilia 2014-2020: €665,005 for "CowTech"
• Fondazione Cariplo 2020: €72,710 for "CIRCLE" (citrus waste recycling)
• FFARB grants: €3,000 for basic research

Prof. Porto also serves as:

• President of the Master's Degree in "Protection of the Territory, the Environment and the Landscape" (LM75)
• Deputy Coordinator of the International Doctoral Course in Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science
• Guest Editor for the journal Sustainability