Ecology; applied ecology; ecological modelling; ecological time series analysis; aquatic and coastal ecosystem functioning and ecosysystem services; environmental impact assessment; nature conservation, sustainable management and ecological restoration in aquatic ecosystems; long-term changes in aquatic ecosystems; historical ecology; local ecological knowledge; water resources management; treatment wetlands and multi-functional wetlands; ecological impacts of micropollutants in water bodies; coastal zones; nature based solutions; sustainability; integrated/systems approaches to nature conservation and natural resources management in water bodies

his is a general list of topics for bachelor/master thesis projects. More details are available upon request. Original ideas from students are also welcome.

1) modelling of aquatic ecosystems: ecological modelling and ecological time series analysis in river, lagoon and coastal ecosystems (ecosystem level changes and regime shifts, trophic networks, population dynamics of organisms targeted by commercial fisheries or of conservation interest such as elasmobranchs, ecosystem services, etc.) to better understand how coastal ecosystems are affected by human pressures (fishing pressure, pollution, nutrient loads, etc.), natural variability and climate changes (e.g. mean temperature increase, heat wave frequency, duration and intensity), and to develop effective management strategies;
2) biodiversity, ecosystem services, invasive species and sustainable conservation of coastal wetlands, e.g. salt marshes in the Venice Lagoon, through field studies and/or modelling and/or local ecological knowledge;
3) water resources management: functioning of treatment wetlands, multi-functional wetland design, ecological impacts of micropollutants in water bodies, integrated water resource management, etc.
4) urban ecology: water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem services in the channels of the city of Padova
5) nature based solutions and stakeholder participation to nature conservation: development and demonstration of the efficacy and sustainability of integrated approaches to nature conservation and ecological restoration in aquatic ecosystems (see www.lifevimine.eu for an example on salt marshes and https://www.padovanet.it/informazione/progetto-valorizziamo-i-canali-cittadini – in Italian only – for an urban ecology example)
6) historical ecology
7) monitoring and modelling dissolved oyxgen concentration dynamics in vegetated aquatic ecosystems