PERSONAL INFORMATION

Family Name, First name:         Russo, Tommaso

ORCID:                                   0000-0003-4047-959X

Date of birth:                              27 November 1976

Nationality:                                Italian

URL for web site:                      www.recolab.org

Google Scholar:                         https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=s2N8eKsAAAAJ&inst  

Scopus ID:                                 55444853500

ResearchGate:                            https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tommaso-Russo-3?ev=hdr_xprf

SageProfile:                               https://policyprofiles.sagepub.com/profile/27793/tommaso-russo

EDUCATION

2001:                Doctor of Philosophy in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology EQF level 8 - University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome (Italy)

2001:   Master Degree in Biological Sciences - EQF level 7 - Department of Biology - Faculty of Science - University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome (Italy). Final score 110/110 cum laude;

CURRENT POSITION

2019 - present:  Associate Professor of Ecology - Department of Biology - University of Rome Tor Vergata

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

2013 – 2019:    Researcher - Department of Biology - University of Rome Tor Vergata

RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS

Research Output Summary:

·     94 international peer-reviewed articles, of which 47 as first/senior/lead author; 2 open-source R packages.

·     h-index: 343; >3,8700 citations; 8 publications cited >100 times; 64 cited more than 10 times.

Ten Selected Representative Publications (student coauthors underlined):

1.    Marsaglia L., Parisi A., Libralato S., Miller N.A., Davis P, Paolo S.F., Fiorentino F., Garofalo G., Costantini M., Russo T. (2024). Shedding light on trawl fishing activity in the Mediterranean Sea with remote sensing data. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 82, fsae153.https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsae153.

2.    Maiello G., Talarico L., Carpentieri P., De Angelis F., Franceschini S., Harper L.R., Neave E.F., Rickards O., Sbrana A., Shum P., Veltre V., Mariani S., Russo T. (2022). Little samplers, big fleet: eDNA metabarcoding from commercial trawlers enhances ocean monitoring. Fisheries Research, 249, 106259.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2022.106259.

3.    Russo T., Maiello G., Talarico L., Baillie C., Colosimo G., D’Andrea L., Di Maio F., Fiorentino F., Franceschini S., Garofalo G., Scannella D., Cataudella S., Mariani S. (2021). All is fish that comes to the net: Metabarcoding for rapid fisheries catch assessment. Ecological Applications, 31(2), e02273.https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2273.

4.    Russo T., Morello E.B., Parisi A., Scarcella G., Angelini S., Labanchi L., Martinelli M., D’Andrea L., Santojanni A., Arneri E., Cataudella S. (2018). A model combining landings and VMS data to estimate landings by fishing ground and harbor. Fisheries Research, 199, 218–230.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.11.002.

5.    Maiello G., Talarico L., Brodie C., Carpentieri P., Sbrana A., Shum P., Mariani S., Russo T. (2023). Net gain: Low-cost, trawl-associated eDNA samplers upscale ecological assessment of marine demersal communities. Environmental DNA, 6, e389.https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.389.

6.    Amoroso R., […], Russo T., et al. (2018). Bottom trawl fishing footprints on the worlds continental shelves. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 115(43), E10275–E10282.https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1802379115.

7.    Albonetti L., Maiello G., Cariani A., Carpentieri P., Ferrari A., Sbrana A., Shum P., Talarico L., Russo T., Mariani S. (2023). DNA metabarcoding of trawling bycatch reveals diversity and distribution patterns of sharks and rays in the central Tyrrhenian Sea. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 80, 664–674.https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad022.

8.    Panzeri D., Russo T., et al. (2023). Identifying priority areas for spatial management of mixed fisheries using ensemble of multi-species distribution models. Fish and Fisheries, 25, 187-204.https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12802.

9.    Eigaard O.R., Pulcinella J., […], Russo T., et al. (2017). The footprint of bottom trawling in European waters: distribution, intensity, and seabed integrity. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 74, 847–865,https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsw194.

10.  Russo T., D’Andrea L., Parisi A., Cataudella S. (2014). VMSbase: an R-package for VMS and logbook data management and analysis in fisheries ecology. PLoS One 9(6), e100195.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0100195.

RESEARCH GRANTS

·     >€5M competitive, extra-mural research funding obtained as a P.I. and/or WP Leader, from national and international bodies, between 2006 and 2025 (including EU Horizon, CINEA projects, DG MARE projects).

Ongoing Research Grants and their relation to SequenSeas:

2025-2029: € 581,264– Biodiversa+ 2024 Call for Proposals "Biodiversity and Transformative Change (BiodivTransform)", for the project: SEAWATCH: Transforming fishing vessels into stewards to protect biodiversity through the integration of eDNA metabarcoding, satellite data and AI (Principal Investigator)

Relation to SequenSeas: This project will implement eDNA collection into fishing activities of vessels operating in a wide range of marine environments, with a direct interaction between stakeholders, researchers, and managers in participatory data-collection and decision-making processes to 1) combine eDNA metabarcoding data, with satellite data about fishing vessels activity, and environmental data; 2) apply AI-based approaches to explore the metadata generated; and 3) develop an open-source and user-friendly platforms such as R-Shiny to share data among stakeholders, researchers and managers and practically and effectively support synergies between biodiversity, human societies and economies. This project will consolidate our network of cooperating fishers, playing a part in facilitating intake of SequenSeas advances.

2024-2026:  - €1,500,000 European project (CINEA/MARE European Commission) -DecarbonyT - Decarbonisation of the fishing fleet in the Mediterranean and Black Sea (https://decarbonyt.eu/project/) (WP/Task Leader)

Relation to SequenSeas:This is a project in which experimental data collected in individual study areas are used to make estimates of the carbon footprint of fishing fleets on a Large Marine Ecosystem scale. The link with SequenSeas lies in the vast experience and knowledge accumulated on spatial data relating to fleets and their activities, which are essential requirements for SequenSeas' modelling ambitions.

2023-2025:  - €400,000 European project (CINEA/MARE European Commission) -SPILLOVER-MED - Assessing spillover from marine protected areas to adjacent fisheries: Mediterranean and Black Seas. (https://imbriw.hcmr.gr/spillover-med/) (WP/Task Leader)

Relation to SequenSeas:This project involved compiling and using a huge database of CPUE fishing data from across the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and integrating it with all ecological covariates (from Copernicus data) and management data relating to Marine Protected Areas. The ecological modelling underlying this project is an example of Russo's ability to develop basin-scale predictive models of spatial indicators applied to fishing and sustainable resource management.

2022-2024:  - €400,000 European project (CINEA/MARE European Commission) -MAPAFISH-MED – Mapping of marine protected areas and their associated fishing activities: Mediterranean and Black Seas. (WP/Task Leader)

Relation to SequenSeas:Similar to the previous project, but with greater emphasis on reconstructing (using satellite data and mathematical models) the consequences of establishing Marine Protected Areas on the spatial distribution of fishing effort and its impacts.

SUPERVISION AND MENTORSHIP

Postdocs:         Mentored 4 – 2 are researchers in public institutions, 2 are researchers in private companies.

PhDs:  Mentored 12 (6 previous, 6 current), from 2 different countries – 3 are researchers in public institutions, 3 are researchers in private companies, 1 is a teacher.

Masters:          Supervised 15 MSc, most of whom enrolled to PhD studies or became researchers or research technicians.

TEACHING ACTIVITIES

2019- present: @University of Rome Tor Vergata: Lecturer in Ecology for the Degree in Biological Sciences

2016-2024: @University of Rome Tor Vergata: Lecturer in Informatics Methods for Biology for the Master Degree in Biotechnology

2025-present: @University of Rome Tor Vergata: Lecturer in Sustainable Management of Aquatic resources for the Master Degree in Environmental Biology

2020-present: @University of Rome Tor Vergata: Lecturer in Advanced R for the PhD Programme in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology

Since 2005:      Supervised over 50 final year undergraduate students.

INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

2021- 2024: appointed as representative of the teaching staff in the Academic Senate of the University of Rome Tor Vergata

2024 – 2027: appointed as Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology

PEER RECOGNITION

·     >20invited talks and seminars, in 10 different countries.

Committees & Boards

2025-2028: Appointed as a member of the STECF - Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (https://stecf.ec.europa.eu/).

2023-present: Associate Editor of Methods in Ecology and Evolution (https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2041210X/editorial-board/associate-editors)

2024-present: Associate Editor of Ocean and Coastal Management  (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ocean-and-coastal-management/about/editorial-board)

2021-present: Researcher sssociated to the Italian National Research Council, Institute for Marine Biological Resources (https://www.irbim.cnr.it/sede-personale/ancona/)

2023-present: Chair of the Working Group on Fisheries Benthic Impact and Trade-offs (WGFBIT -https://www.ices.dk/community/groups/Pages/WGFBIT.aspx) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Served as a peer-reviewer for over 50 international journals, which include: Ecological indicators, Ecology and Evolution, Environmental DNA, Fisheries research, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Marine policy, Marine pollution bulletin, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Ocean and coastal management, PloS one, Regional studies in marine science, Reviews in fish biology and fisheries, Scientific data, Science, Thalassas.

Conference Organisation

2025:                Convenor for OBON – FAO Workshop “Leveraging Biomolecular Technologies for Supporting Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture” FAO Headquarters, Rome, September 2-4, 2025

2022:                Convenor for the ICES Annual Conference Theme Session Growing together: prospects and opportunities for environmental DNA and Fisheries sciences (Dublin, Ireland).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

I am a researcher who is particularly involved in management issues, in my role as a member of committees such as STECF - Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (https://stecf.ec.europa.eu/index_en), the key body supporting the European Commission in matters relating to marine resource management.At the same time, my roles within ICES have allowed me to act as a link between the scientific and management communities in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. I develop new methods, from concept to practical implementation, and assist international institutional end-users in using them to generate advice aimed at the sustainable use of marine resources.