Francesca Maura Cassola

Francesca is an MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow in animal behaviour and cognition, with expertise in reptile personality and reproductive behaviour. Her current research explores the links between personality, age and sex with cognition in crocodilians. She is also experienced in biodiversity monitoring and science communication.

[email protected]

LinkedIn
ResearchGate
ORCiD
https://francescamcassola.github.io
https://evocroproject.github.io

Background

Francesca joined Anglia Ruskin University in June 2025 as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow. Her project, EvOCRO, investigates cognitive plasticity in crocodilians across development and individual differences, integrating approaches from behavioural ecology, comparative psychology and evolutionary biology. The work includes collaboration with Mexican institutions such as CEDESU and the Crocodile Research and Management for Conservation group, and it aims to advance our understanding of cognition and inform conservation practices.

She completed her PhD at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR, Mexico) in 2021, focusing on reproductive behaviour in land tortoises and the role of animal personality in conservation. She holds an MSc in Nature Conservation and Science Communication from La Sapienza University of Rome and a BSc in Natural Sciences from the University of Pavia. Francesca has also worked on biodiversity monitoring (eg carabids, manatees, small mammals), school education projects, and served as a consultant for the IUCN Red List. She is also active in public science communication through articles, podcasts, and outreach events.

Spoken Languages

• Spanish
• Italian
• English

Research interests

• Animal behaviour and personality
• Conservation behaviour and application of personality in wildlife conservation
• Cognitive ecology and evolution of cognition
• Reptile cognition
• Behavioural plasticity
• Biodiversity monitoring and species conservation
• Science communication and public engagement
• Human-wildlife interactions
• Education and outreach in environmental science

Areas of research supervision

Francesca welcomes enquiries from prospective research students in the areas of her research interests.

Qualifications

• PhD in Ecology and Sustainable Development – El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), México
• MSc in Nature Conservation and Science Communication – La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
• BSc in Environmental and Natural Sciences – University of Pavia, Italy

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• 2025, Principal Investigator: Anglia Ruskin University & Universidad Autonoma de Campeche, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Project Title: Evolutionary Origins of Cognition in Crocodiles. Amount awarded: £276,187.92

Selected recent publications

Mezzetti, F., Muraro, M., Fabbri, M.C., Cassola, F.M., Velli, E., Tabarroni, C., Lorusso, J., Mucci, N., Gatti, R.C. and Martini, M., 2025. Non‐Invasive Monitoring of Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius): First Insights on Genetic Data Quality From the First Pilot Study. Ecology and Evolution, 15(12), p.e72622.

Cassola, F.M., Henaut, Y., Cedeño-Vázquez, J. R., Méndez-de la Cruz, F. R., and Morales-Vela, B. (2025). Male reaction to female stimuli in Rhinoclemmys areolata: an experimental analysis to understand mate recognition by males. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 20(1), pp.31-42.

Cassola, F.M., Iaria, J., Martini, M., Santi, F., De Silvestri, M., Lattarulo, D., Rossin, J., Carli, E., Angelini, P., Casella, L. … and Cazzolla Gatti, R.  (2025). Assessing the effects of anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity: a multi-taxonomic approach in Basilicata, Italy. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, p. 7111.

Martini, M., Patelli, S., Cassola, F.M., Iaria, J., Livornese, M., Prandelli, S., Santi, F., Rocchini, D., Muraro, M., Angelini, P. and Caricato, G. (2024). A case study on the impact of coppicing on small mammal diversity: First evidence from the high Agri Valley in the Basilicata Region, Italy. Journal for Nature Conservation, p.126732.

Gatti, R. C., Iaria, J., Moretti, G., Amendola, V., Cassola, F. M., Cerretti, P., ... and Chiarucci, A. (2024). EU2030 biodiversity strategy: Unveiling gaps in the coverage of ecoregions and threatened species within the strictly protected areas of Italy. Journal for Nature Conservation, 126621.

Cassola, F.M., Henaut, Y., Cedeño-Vázquez, J. R., Méndez-de la Cruz, F. R., and Morales-Vela, B. (2020). Temperament and sexual behaviour in the Furrowed Wood Turtle Rhinoclemmys areolata. PLOS One, 15(12), e0244561.

Pacifici, M., Visconti, P., Butchart, S.H.M., Watson, J.E.M., Cassola, F.M., and Rondinini, C. (2017). Species’ traits influenced their response to recent climate change. Nature Climate Change.

Recent presentations and conferences

Il monitoraggio degli ecosistemi: una nuova generazione di indicatori per la biodiversità (Monitoring ecosystems: a new generation of indicators for biodiversity). 7 December 2023, Viggiano, Italy.

Workshop titled ¿Como trabaja una naturalista? (How does a naturalist work?). Asociación de Altas Capacidades y Talentos de Ibiza y Formentera (ACTEF), 2023, online.

La semana de la vida silvestre (Wildlife week), topics covered were the IUCN Red Lists and climate change. Toktli Educación Ambiental, Mexico, 2021, online.

Speaker at "La semana de la vida silvestre" (Wildlife week), topics covered were the IUCN Red Lists and climate change. Toktli Educación Ambiental, Mexico, 2021, online.

Cambiamento Climatico e Biodiversità: cause, impatto e prospettive future (Climate Change and Biodiversity: causes, impact and future prospects). 2017, Sala Riunioni delle Biblioteca di Tromello, Pavia, Italy.

L’Universo, la Terra, l’Uomo: quale futuro? (The Universe, the Earth, Man: what future?). 2017, Cassa di Risparmio di Tortona, Alessandria, Italy.

Media experience

Francesca engages actively in science communication and her work has attracted media attention across various platforms. Her work on manatee monitoring was featured in the ECOSURMX documentary video Manatíes, published on YouTube. She also contributed to the book Manatíes de la Costa Maya (2023) by providing a comprehensive map of manatee distribution. In addition, she has been a guest on radio programmes and manages a personal science communication channel that includes blog articles and a multilingual podcast.