The SPHERE Team:

CNR-ISAC

PI of the SPHERE project. Senior Researcher at CNR-ISAC studying climate variability, change and predictability at different spatial and temporal scales, focusing on the hydrological cycle, precipitation and snow cover in mountain regions. Master's degree in Physics and PhD in Earth System Sciences from the University of Torino. PI for CNR-ISAC in the Horizon project LiquidICE. Co-chair of the COST-Action MEDUSSE. Author of 50+ papers.

Co-PI of the SPHERE project. Interdisciplinary Environmental scientist at Politecnico di Torino (DIATI), working at the frontiers of Hydrology and Food System Sustainability. Research interests span the Water-Food-Energy nexus using spatial data science and hydrological modelling at regional to global scale. Former Departmental Guest at Princeton University (2022-2023), UCL (2016), and University of Virginia (2013). ERC Starting Grant awardee (2025-2030). Co-founder of WESTEAM science communication association.

Associate Professor in Hydrology at Politecnico di Torino, focusing on the water resources used for agriculture and food production, on virtual water and international food trade, on sustainability, and the nexus between water and food security. Author of more than 25 peer-reviewed papers, 3 book chapters, and several invited speeches in national and international symposiums. She has been appointed “Junior Marchi Lecturer” by the Gruppo Italiano Idraulica.

CIMA

Senior Scientist and Project Manager at CIMA Research Foundation, specializing in mountain hydrology and snow processes. PhD cum laude from Politecnico di Milano. Post-doc at UC Berkeley. Joined CIMA in 2019. Author of 50+ peer-reviewed publications.

Hydrologist and Researcher at CIMA Research Foundation, specializing in hydrological modeling, extreme rainfall analysis, and impact-based flood forecasting. PhD cum laude in Environmental Engineering from Politecnico di Torino. Involved in international cooperation projects supporting civil protection authorities.

CNR-ISAC

Postdoctoral researcher in climate science with expertise in environmental physics, fluid dynamics, and climate data analysis. Graduated in Physics, and with a PhD focused on wave–metamaterial interactions and ocean wave climate, combining experimental and regional modelling approaches. Contributed to the SPHERE project through the development of the seasonal hydrological forecasting chain and the evaluation of snow and discharge predictability.

Research fellow at CNR-ISAC with specialization in climate model assessment. Master's degree in Environmental Engineering (Climate Change track) from Politecnico di Torino. Worked on seasonal climate forecast verification and an algorithmic pipeline to compute skill scores for Copernicus seasonal forecasting systems.

PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering at Politecnico di Torino on experimental and numerical approaches to environmental systems. His work integrates hydrology, vegetation water content dynamics, irrigation modeling, and plant abiotic stress assessment, with particular emphasis on regional-scale analysis and data-driven methodologies based on remote sensing observations and machine learning methods.

Environmental and Land Engineer and PhD student specializing in numerical modelling and spatial–environmental data analysis in Alpine contexts. In SPHERE, she integrated diverse spatial datasets and bridged information gaps to create coherent representations of hydrological and agricultural systems, providing a solid spatial basis for modelling water availability and needs across the Po River basin

PhD Candidate in Environmental Engineering at Politecnico di Torino. His research focuses on the propagation of anthropogenic impacts throughout the hydrological cycle. He specializes in the modelling of atmospheric moisture transport, to investigate its spatiotemporal variability and its critical role in extreme weather events. His work explores the causal relationships between moisture pathways, elevation and high-altitude precipitation.