My journey with diatoms began in the second year of my engineering studies. My thesis titled “Variations in taxonomic composition and relative abundance of diatoms from early Paleogene sediments of Ocean Drilling Program Site 1050 (Atlantic Ocean) as indicators of paleoenvironmental changes” was focused on changes in diatom abundance and community composition in response to the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum event.

During my Masters degree, I continued working on fossil marine diatoms. My thesis titled“High-resolution, quantitative siliceous phytoplankton assemblage variations across the Eocene-Oligocene Transition in 748B site (Kerguelen Plateau, Indian Ocean)” was focused on biogenic opal accumulation rates and changes in diatom assemblages in response to a global cooling event coinciding with the Eocene-Oligocene transition.

In 2024 I completed my Ph.D. which aimed at understanding early diatom evolution with a broad approach, combining traditional methods (paleontology) with modern tools (phylogenetics). I have conducted a broad search for diatoms in Mesozoic sediments, revisited and reevaluated the oldest claimed diatoms and compiled the first comprehensive Cretaceous Diatom Database. All of the above to a certain extent progressed the inferences of paleontology and phylogenetics concerning the origin and the early evolution of diatoms. I have also worked on the molecular evolution of specialized genes that diatoms use for silicon utilization. 

My overall research interest surrounds the timing of diatom origin, early evolution, diversification dynamics, and diatoms' rise to prominence.