University of Brescia
The University of Brescia (UniBS) is a young university, founded in 1982 in one of the richest and most industrialized areas in Europe. UniBS aims to contribute to the sustainable development of a territory in search of balance between industrial development, environmental sustainability and quality of life, through outstanding education, excellence in research and community development, empowering students to address both local and global issues. Inspired by the values of democratic constitutionalism, UniBS encourages cooperation with Europe and the global community while fostering solidarity, inclusivity, innovation, responsibility, training, competence, well-being and sustainable development.
The LOESS unit at UniBS is composed of Professors and Researchers from the Department Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics (DICATAM), characterized by the presence of research groups with a strong interdisciplinary approach, working in the branches of civil, building and construction engineering, architecture, techniques and strategies for land management and de-pollution and environmental protection, sustainable agriculture as well as mathematical and physical sciences.
Prof. Giovanna Grossi
Giovanna Grossi is the coordinator of the LOESS unit at UniBs. She is Associate Professor of Hydraulic Structures, Deputy Head of International Affairs of DICATAM and coordinator of the science shop WatShop, which aims at supporting cooperation among civil society, public and private research centers and enterprises in the field of water resources sustainable management, control and consumption in a changing climate. Her main research activity belongs to the fields of sustainable urban drainage, climate change effects on water resources, mountain hydrology and real time flood forecasting.
Prof. Michéle Pezzagno
Michéle Pezzagno serves as an associate professor of Urban and Landscape Planning at the University of Brescia, Italy. She leads the University Research and Documentation Center for the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (CRA2030). Her research primarily revolves around developing technical planning strategies for fostering sustainable development within urbanized regions. Author of more than 130 publications, she also dedicates her teaching efforts to topics such as participatory planning and engaging citizens in sustainable urban development.
Prof. Stefano Barontini
Prof. Stefano Barontini is an engineer, Associate Professor of Environmental Hydraulics and of Agricultural Hydraulics and Hydrology, and member of the WatShop science shop. His main research activity is in the fields of soil hydrology, water balance in small and medium-scale Alpine basins and in agricultural areas, also in climate change scenarios, ancestral irrigation and water management, and history of hydrology.
Dr. Vera Ventura
Dott. Vera Ventura is Researcher in Agricultural Economics and member of the Agrofood Research Hub, a multidisciplinary research group that works to promote sustainable production in agriculture, environmental health and the socio-economic enhancement of the agri-food sector (https://agrofood-en.unibs.it). Her main research activity is in the fields of economic sustainability of agri-food systems: innovation, business models, consumer preferences, management of environmental resources.
Dr. Marco Peli
Marco Peli is an environmental engineer, Research Associate in Hydraulic Structures and member of the WatShop science shop. He is a member of the Italian Hydrological Society board and one of the founders of the Young Hydrological Society of Italy. His main research activity is in the fields of soil hydraulic and hydrology, agricultural water balance also in climate change scenarios, slope stability, heavy metals urban soil enrichment, history of hydrology and traditional irrigation.
Dr. Francesca Barisani
Francesca Barisani is the Outreach and Stakeholder Manager of EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative, where she has successfully closed over 75 strategic partnerships with companies, universities, and accelerators. She worked as Coordinator at Alien Technology Transfer, where she managed a team of 15 Project Consultants and oversaw the management of 80 highly innovative projects to be submitted under the EIC Accelerator, each with a budget of approximately €10M. Additionally, she has a strong foundation in EU grants management, having served as EU Grants Manager at the University of Brescia.
Eng. Arianna Dada
Arianna Dada is a Ph.D. student. She holds a master’s degree in Civil and Architectural Engineering with a thesis project carried out at Monash University in Melbourne, titled “Water Sensitive Cities: an Integrated Approach to Enhance Urban Flood Resilience in Parma (Northern Italy)”. Her research interests include hydraulic modelling and study of nature-based solutions to mitigate flood risk in urban areas. Currently, she is collaborating with Monash University on a project related to the application of electronic sensors for real-time monitoring of biofilters performance.