Mario Ciotti

Mario Ciotti

Mario Ciotti graduated with a Master’s degree in “Coastal and Marine Biology and Ecology” and obtained a PhD in “Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies” at the University of Salento. He has dedicated a significant portion of his research activity to studying the metabolic and ecological models of benthic macroinvertebrates in transitional aquatic ecosystems, collaborating with multidisciplinary working groups. He possesses extensive experience in coastal ecology, biodiversity, and environmental data management, contributing to several scientific publications.
He specialised in the development of digital educational materials and gamification to raise stakeholder awareness on biodiversity-related issues. He also served as a Technologist at the CNR – Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET) within the ITINERIS project, where he coordinated the “Training Centre” team, supervising the design and delivery of advanced in-person and online courses aimed at strengthening the capacity of personnel within national research infrastructures. As an expert in capacity building, he manages online training platforms and supervises the production of multimedia educational resources compliant with FAIR principles.
At LifeWatch ERIC, he is involved in European projects related to biodiversity research, as well as the development and implementation of training strategies and activities.

Main Publications

  • Shokri, M., Lezzi, L., Ciotti, M., Vignes, F., Taban, P., Marrocco, V., Alabi, V., Olatoye, D., Muresan, A. N., Forni, P., Semeraro, T., Fano, E. A., & Basset, A. (2026). Invertebrates’ metabolic responses to climate warming scenarios in the Adriatic Sea. Ecological Indicators, 183, 114622
  • Shokri, M., Cozzoli, F., Ciotti, M., Gjoni, V., Marrocco, V., Vignes, F., & Basset, A. (2021). A new approach to assessing the space use behavior of macroinvertebrates by automated video tracking. Ecology and evolution, 11(7), 3004-3014
  • Cozzoli, F., Shokri, M., Ligetta, G., Ciotti, M., Gjoni, V., Marrocco, V., Vignes, F., & Basset, A. (2020). Relationship between individual metabolic rate and patch departure behaviour: evidence from aquatic gastropods. Oikos, 129(11), 1657-1667

Houda Ben Salah

Houda Ben Salah

Houda Ben Salah is a Software Engineer specialising in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, with strong expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and deep learning. She has worked on a wide range of Software, AI and data-driven solutions, showcasing the ability to translate complex challenges into practical, innovative outcomes.

She is recognised for her analytical mindset, adaptability, and problem-solving skills, and thrives in collaborative, international environments.
Fluent in English, French, Arabic, and with knowledge of German and Italian, Houda brings a global perspective and a passion for applying AI to drive impact in fintech, automotive, and sustainable innovation.

Eleonora Schulze-Battmann

Eleonora Schulze-Battmann

Eleonora Schulze-Battmann holds a Master’s degree in Public and Social Communication Sciences from the University of Bologna and a Bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Mediation from the University of Bari. She joined LifeWatch ERIC in August 2025 as a Communication Specialist and, since March 2026, she has been serving in a newly established hybrid role as Visual Communication Specialist & Project Manager.

With over ten years of experience in communication for European projects across Horizon Europe, Interreg, and Erasmus+, she previously worked as EU Communication Manager in organisations focusing on topics from youth volunteering to the blue economy.

At LifeWatch ERIC, she combines visual communication and project management, producing multimedia content, contributing to communication work packages in EU projects, and supporting scientific events, while also coordinating project activities, reporting, and proposal development.

Nikos Minadakis

Nikos Minadakis

Nikos Minadakis is a software engineer, semantic architect and large scale projects manager. He graduated from the Department of Computers Engineering and Informatics, University of Patras, and holds an MSc in Computer Science and Technology. He has expertise in e-research infrastructures design and development, conceptual modeling and semantic information systems implementation. He is a founding member of Advance Services, a deep tech enterprise and was a former technology supervisor and software engineer at the Foundation of Hellas and Technology (FORTH) from 2013 until 2019. He has participated in many National and European Projects, including PHAROS Artreseach, Lifewatch, iMarine, BlueBRIDGE and has co-authored more than 40 scientific publications.

 

Main publications:

1. N. Minadakis, Y. Marketakis, H. Kondylakis, G. Flouris, M. Theodoridou, M. Doerr, G. de Jong. “X3ML Framework: An Effective Suite for Supporting Data Mappings”. Workshop for Extending, Mapping and Focusing the CRM – co-located with TPDL’2015, Poznan, Poland, September 2015.

2. N. Minadakis, Y. Marketakis, C. Bekiari, M. Doerr, N. Bailly, A. Gougousis, S. Nikolopoulou, D. Mavraki, C. Arvanitidis. “LifeWatch Greece Data-Services: On Supporting Metadata and Semantics Integration for the Biodiversity Domain”. In 13th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR’2015), Heraklion, Crete, October 2015.

3. C. Arvanitidis, E. Chatzinikolaou, N. Bailly, E. Panteri, C. Bekiari, M. Doerr, N. Minadakis, Y. Marketakis, S. Faulwetter, K. Keklikoglou, D. Mavraki, S. Nikolopoulou, A. Oulas, E. Pafilis, N. Pattakos, C. Pavloudi, T. Patkos, K. Varsos, V. Gerovasileiou, T. Bourtzis, J. Lagnel, A. Gougousis (and 29 others). “LifeWatchGreece: Construction and operation of the national Research Infrastructure in the framework of the LifeWatch ESFRI”. In 13th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR’2015), Heraklion, Crete, October 2015.

Pierluigi Calasso

Pierluigi Calasso

Pierluigi Calasso is the Help Desk Technician of the LifeWatch ERIC 1st Level Help Desk.
He supports the users of the infrastructure through the management of requests coming from the LifeWatch ERIC Help Desk service, by directly replying to the inquiries or forwarding them to the appropriate person within the infrastructure.
He is an expert in customer care services, having worked as web tracking specialist advisor and quality analyst for international brands during his last work experiences.
Pierluigi has a web designer background and a great passion for everything concerning new technologies and the internet world.

Eftychia Tzafesta

Eftychia Tzafesta

Data Science Specialist
She holds a Master’s in Ichthyology and Aquatic Environmental Sciences from the University of Thessaly and a Ph.D. from the University of Salento, where she applied innovative molecular techniques to assess biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems. Her research integrated fieldwork, laboratory analyses and data-driven approaches to explore traditional and molecular tools for understanding biodiversity changes and supporting conservation efforts. Over the years she has published several scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals and actively contributed to conferences, seminars and workshops.
She currently works as a data scientist, specializing in developing policies and strategies for the collection, organization, storage, and accessibility of (meta)data, with a strong emphasis on harmonization, interoperability challenges, and FAIR data management. She is involved in various European projects that focus on the entire data lifecycle within environmental research.

Cosimo Vallo

Cosimo Vallo

Training Coordinator, LifeWatch ERIC
Graduated in Political Sciences – International Relations, and holding an M.Phil. in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, Cosimo has over teen years of professional experience in the fields of training, capacity building and mediation, at international level, both in Europe and beyond. Since 2010, Cosimo worked for European NGOs, for universities, such as the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, and for the United Nations, both in headquarters and in the field. Cosimo joined LifeWatch ERIC in 2021, and has been ever since coordinating the LifeWatch ERIC training and capacity building efforts. He has been
involved in a number of European and national projects related to biodiversity and ecosystem research, leading the training tasks concerning the design, development and implementation of training strategies and activities.

Lucia Vaira

Lucia Vaira

Service Centre ICT Coordinator

Computer engineer, with a PhD in Information Engineering at the University of Salento, Lucia Vaira is the Service Centre ICT Coordinator at LifeWatch ERIC. She has collaborated for several years with the Database and Information Systems research group of the Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Italy, where she worked on medical informatics, database modelling, data warehouses, and all aspects related to the main issues existing when dealing with data (security, quality, incompleteness, inconsistency, integrity, uncertainty, etc.). She is co-author of more than 30 publications and her research interests and activities include the definition of policies, procedures, models and technologies to be used in collecting, organising, storing and accessing (meta)data with particular attention to the harmonisation and interoperability challenges and the FAIR data management.

Main publications

S. Islam, D. Papale, L. Vaira, I. Rosati, J. Peterseil, C. Pichot. (2024) Navigating taxonomic complexity: A
use-case report on FAIR scientific name-matching service usage in ENVRI Research Infrastructures. Research Ideas and Outcomes 10: e121871. https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.10.e121871

Di Muri C., Arvanitidis C., Basset A., De Giorgi R., Rosati I., Vaira L. and Mancinelli G. (2023) The validation case on invasive crustaceans of the LifeWatch ERIC Internal Joint Initiative: State of the art and next steps forward. Front. Environ. Sci. 10:1038635. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.1038635

Kechagioglou X., Vaira L., Tomassino P., Fiore N., Basset A., Rosati I. (2022) EcoPortal: An Environment for FAIR Semantic Resources in the Ecological Domain. S4BioDiv 2021: 3rd International Workshop on Semantics for Biodiversity, held at JOWO 2021: Episode VII The Bolzano Summer of Knowledge, September 11-18, 2021, Bolzano, Italy. https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2969/paper6-s4biodiv.pdf

Ant Türkmen

Ant Türkmen

Scientific Networking Officer

Dr Ant Türkmen is a scientist specialising in science-policy-society interactions, environmental sustainability, and stakeholder engagement. He contributes to international policy and assessment processes through his work with the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS), UNESCO-related initiatives, IUCN, and the IPBES Nexus Assessment, where he serves as a Lead Author on the interlinkages between biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change. He has extensive experience in bridging science and policy, connecting scientific knowledge with governance needs, facilitating dialogue across expert and policy communities, and helping translate interdisciplinary evidence into actionable and policy-relevant outcomes. With more than 20 years of interdisciplinary experience, he is committed to advancing nature’s sustainability and resilience through strategic, evidence-based, and forward-looking approaches.