معرفی
Anna Maria Pappalardo is an Associate Professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology (BIO/06) at the University of Catania, Italy, where she is a member of the Animal Biology section within the Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences. Her office is located at Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, with office hours held on Fridays from 11:00 to 13:00 by appointment via email.
Dr. Pappalardo earned her doctoral degrees with two significant theses: her first in 2006 focused on Intraspecific variation in the killifish Aphanius fasciatus, and her second in 2012 on DNA Barcoding and Molecular Biodiversity: Case Studies in the Fisheries Sector.
Her research program bridges comparative anatomy, cytology, and molecular genetics to address practical challenges in marine biology and food safety. She specializes in DNA barcoding techniques for species identification, particularly in seafood products, with emphasis on detecting mislabeling and fraud in the seafood industry. Dr. Pappalardo has developed the COIBar-RFLP method as an efficient molecular approach for species authentication in processed seafood products, with applications spanning from fish eggs to sushi verification. Her work integrates morphological analysis with molecular techniques to study fish population genetics and biodiversity.
Analysis of her publication record reveals a clear trajectory from fundamental studies of fish population genetics toward increasingly applied research in food safety. Recent work demonstrates expansion into baby food safety concerns and citizen science approaches to monitor seafood mislabeling across Italy. Her research spans marine, freshwater, and even terrestrial ecosystems, with studies on spiders from the Namib Desert showing the versatility of her methodological approaches.
Dr. Pappalardo maintains extensive collaborations both within Italy (particularly with V. Ferrito, C. Ferrante, and S. Saccone) and internationally with researchers from Portugal, Croatia, Namibia, and other Mediterranean countries. She teaches courses at the University of Catania, including Cell Biology as noted in department announcements from March 2020.
