Ettore Fedele

I have loved nature since I was a kid growing in the Venetian countryside. On warm sunny days I would spend my time out in nature, playing and hiking with family and friends. On cold rainy days I would spend hours watching video cassettes of Jacques Cousteau's quests, David Attenborough's incredible adventures and my all favorite Gorillas in the mist. As a kid I was lucky enough to follow my parents on their travels around the world, from the vibrant coral reefs of the Red Sea, to the majestic Sequoia trees in California, all the way to the breathtaking sceneries of the African savannah.

I am now living my childhood dream of studying nature. I am a research fellow at University of Ferrara (Italy) and I have an interdisciplinary background in Economics, Ecology and Genetics. In the past, I researched how African elephants can shape the biodiversity in semi-arid savannah; how invasive species can interact and modify the environment they colonise, and how technological improvements can help us save the last remaining gorilla populations in the wild.

I hold a MSc in Conservation & Management of Protected Areas from Edinburgh Napier University (with Distinction) and a NERC-funded PhD in Population Genomics from the University of Leicester. I have collaborated with international NGOs and landowners in Sub-Saharan Africa, and world-class research institutions including the Royal Botanic Gardens - Kew and the European Commission Joint Research Centre. I have published on a variety of topics and presented at scientific conferences.

February 2023