Saverio Sciandrello

Saverio Sciandrello is an Associate Professor of Systematic Botany (BIO/02) at the Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Italy. His academic career spans over 15 years with extensive teaching experience across multiple Italian universities including the University of Catania, University of Messina, and Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria. He holds National Scientific Qualifications at both Band I (2023) and Band II (2017) in Botany (Competition sector 05/A1).

Sciandrello's research focuses on vascular flora, Mediterranean vegetation, and habitat conservation, with particular emphasis on brackish wetlands, temporary pools, dune complexes, and coastal and inland wetlands. His work involves extensive flora collections and phytosociological surveys to characterize coastal and hilly environments from taxonomic, ecological, and vegetational perspectives. He has made significant contributions to the study of endemic vascular species, analyzing their conservation status, ecology, and distribution ranges. His taxonomic research on critical Mediterranean flora has led to the description of several new species to science including Helianthemum sicanorum, Astragalus kamarinensis, Silene species, Bituminaria basaltica, Brassica raimondoi, Vicia brulloi, Salix aegaea, and Centaurea phalacrica.

Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals continued focus on Mediterranean plant communities with particular emphasis on coastal habitats, wetlands, and endemic species conservation. His work spans multiple disciplines including plant taxonomy, vegetation science, conservation biology, and climate change impacts on Mediterranean ecosystems. Recent research increasingly incorporates advanced methodologies such as drone technology for vegetation mapping and analysis of long-term ecological changes in Natura 2000 protected sites.

• National Scientific Qualification – Band II (2017-2028)
• National Scientific Qualification – Band I (2023-2034)

Sciandrello has supervised numerous research projects focused on Mediterranean vegetation mapping and conservation. His work has contributed significantly to understanding plant communities in Natura 2000 sites across Sicily and southern Italy. He has been involved in multiple collaborative research initiatives examining environmental change impacts on Mediterranean plant biodiversity.

His laboratory and research team at the University of Catania's Botanical Garden conducts field studies throughout Sicily and the Mediterranean region, with particular focus on coastal ecosystems and endemic plant species. The team maintains extensive plant specimen collections and employs both traditional field methods and modern technologies like drone imagery for vegetation analysis.