I am currently a Senior Research Associate at the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol, working on a project that looks at the evolution of cold adapted Cyanobacteria. I am generally interested in the development of computational methods for phylogenetic studies; during my PhD (also at the University of Bristol), I have applied some of these methodologies to better understand the origin of photosynthesis and salt tolerance in Cyanobacteria. The software I developed during my PhD include sMap (a program to study trait evolution using stochastic mapping) and TreeViewer (a new program to draw and analyse phylogenetic trees).

I obtained my BSc in Biological Sciences at the University of Pisa (Italy) with a dissertation on convergent evolution in three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations. I completed my MSc project on Conservation and Evolution at the same university. I studied the applicability of miRNA cluster sequences as phylogenetic markers (using simulated sequences and real data from mammals and cyprinodontiform fishes). I also developed a computational method to choose the best markers to implement in phylogenetic analyses. During both my Master’s and Bachelor’s I was an Allievo Ordinario of the Scuola Normale Superiore, a leading institution in the Italian research system.

For more information, you can access my personal website from https://giorgiobianchini.com/.