La!DOM, about us

La!DOM was born from an idea of ​​Alfredo Seritti, who together with Luciano Nannicini, began studying the dynamics of the DOM in the Mediterranean Sea in 1998, filling a huge gap in the understanding of the carbon cycle in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2009, after Alfredo retirement, Chiara Santinelli has been the coordinator of the group.

Alfredo Seritti (on the right) and Luciano Nannicini (on the left)

La!DOM in brief

La!DOM, research group at the Institute of Biophysics (CNR), was the first group in Italy to develop the method for the treatment of samples and the analysis of the concentration of DOC in seawater. Since 2000, we have collected more than 10,000 samples from all over the Mediterranean Sea reaching waters as deep as 5 km. Today, La!DOM expertise in the study of the dynamics of the DOM in the Mediterranean Sea is internationally recognized.

Our research activities in brief:

  • Role of the Mediterranean Sea in the global carbon cycle
  • DOM biological lability
  • DOM dynamics in rivers
  • Atmospheric deposition of DOM
  • Optical properties (absorption and fluorescence) of CDOM
  • Use of fluorescence as an indicator of organic contamination
  • Fluorescence sensor for DOM detection
  • Extracellular enzimatic activity
  • DOM release from bioplastics

“When someone says the DOM is not important!” The name of the group was born from a meme on Chiara’s birthday card. In Italian, DOM is feminine so we should say “La DOM”, but everybody says “il DOM” (masculine), and this makes Chiara furious!

Chiara Santinelli

I am a marine biologist, I love the sea and I'm making true my dream to coordinate a research group of beautiful people with whom I study the ocean and the climate change.

We are a young and motivated group

La!DOM has a young spirit, it is a group full of enthusiasm that joyfully puts its skills at the service of the community. Its main goal is to study the global carbon cycle and the interactions between different environmental spheres in order to understand the mechanisms underlying the health of our planet. We are looking for the best and most motivated students who want to carry out a period of work in our laboratories.

Join us

Margherita Gonnelli

I am a biologist who has always been fascinated by the complexity of biological molecules and by the possibility of studying them using their interaction with light.

Yuri Galletti

I am a marine biologist, with the passion for ecology. I love doing research and trying to understand what I don't know. I teach and divulge about the marine environment to children and adults, motivating the new generations to preserve the future oceans.

Giancarlo Bachi

I have a degree in marine biology and I'm currently a PhD student. Always a sportsman and a deep lover of the sea, I dream of transforming this great passion into one of the most beautiful jobs in the world, that of the researcher.

Simona Retelletti Brogi

I am a marine biologist, always passionate about the sea. In 2010, I participated as a student in an oceanographic cruise for the first time. Doing research while breathing the sea air made me realize that the researcher is what I really want to do when I grow up.

Valter Evangelista

I am a Research Technician with a degree in Industrial Physics, in my long career I have worked in various fields of Biophysics. In the last two years I have discovered the fascinating world of the oceanographic research to which I am dedicating myself now with great passion.

Stefano Vestri

I am the laboratory technician specialized in dissolved organic carbon measurements and, despite their whims, I am able to ensure the proper functioning of the carbon analyzers. I have happily integrated into the group since 2011, because oceanography is always a truly stimulating field of research for me.

Giovanni Checcucci

After doing research for years in the field of sensory photobiology in unicellular organisms, I have decided to pursue my initial desire to study the environment and ecology of the sea and I can do it with a young and motivated group.

Nunzia Antonicelli

I am a student of marine biology and I am at the beginning of my experience in the research. I still don't know where this will take me, but of one thing I'm sure: I'm happy to take my first steps with La!DOM.