معرفی
Alberto Basset is Full Professor of Ecology at the University of Salento's Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, and associate scientist at the National Research Council's Institute of Marine Sciences. He directs multiple research units including the Ecology Laboratory, Biodiversity Organisation and Ecosystem Functioning Research Infrastructure (BIOforIU), and the Observatory on Mediterranean Ecosystem Health. His leadership roles include past presidency of the Ecological European Federation and current presidency of the Euro-Mediterranean Federation of Lagoon research Networks.
Basset's research focuses on biodiversity conservation, aquatic ecosystem ecology (particularly transitional waters), ecological informatics, and ecological education. His work integrates metabolic and niche theories across organizational levels from individuals to ecosystems, employing laboratory studies, field manipulations, and modeling approaches.
His publications reveal strong emphasis on phytoplankton ecology, macroinvertebrate behavior, metabolic scaling theories, and environmental assessment methodologies. Recurrent themes include size-dependent ecological patterns, functional diversity in aquatic communities, and developing indicators for ecosystem health evaluation across Mediterranean habitats.
Honors & Awards:
- Accademia dei Lincei/Royal Society fellowship
- Fullbright travel fellowship
- NATO fellowship
- Ranked among 20 most productive aquatic ecosystem scientists globally (1992-2011)
Research Leadership: Secured €6M for BIOforIU infrastructure and €4M for LifeWatchPLUS projects. Coordinates Nikon Instruments-University of Salento Joint Research Laboratory 'PhytoBioImaging'. Instrumental in establishing LifeWatch-ERIC as Italian representative, resulting in University of Salento hosting the Service Centre headquarters.
Academic Leadership: Former Coordinator of PhD programs in Ecology (2000-2013) and Ecology and Climate Change (2013-2015), and the laurea Specialistica in Ecology (2004-2010).
