MDPI International Geodiversity Day 2025 Webinar
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Dr. Valeria Luciani
Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy;
Prof. Dr. Valeria Luciani is an Associate Professor of Paleontology and Paleoecology at the Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy. She earned her Ph.D. in Earth Sciences in 1989 and has served as a faculty member at Ferrara University since 1991.
Her research focuses on biostratigraphy, paleoecology, paleoclimatology, paleoceanography, and the evolutionary patterns of planktic foraminifera, with particular emphasis on the Cretaceous–Paleogene transition and Paleogene hyperthermal events. She has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles, delivered more than 160 conference presentations, and been actively involved in numerous international research projects and collaborations with leading institutions worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Luciani is also an Associate Editor of Marine Micropaleontology and Frontiers in Earth Science and has served as a Guest Editor for Special Issues on paleoclimatology. With extensive teaching and supervision experience, she has guided more than 50 graduate and Ph.D. students in micropaleontology and related fields.
Prof. Dr. Luigi Jovane
Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil;
Prof. Dr. Luigi Jovane completed his degree in Geology at the Universidade degli Studi di Roma TRE in 2001, obtained a PhD in Geophysics from ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna in 2005, and completed a post-doctorate in Paleomagnetism at the University of California, Davis, in 2008. He is an associate professor at the Department of Physical, Chemical and Geological Oceanography at the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo, specializing in geophysics, paleomagnetism, and magnetic properties with applications in the study of climate variations and global events. He is also a member of the Pool of Experts (PoE) of the United Nations "Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment” ; the Scientific Committee IODP-CAPES-BRAZIL (2012-2020), INPO e INCT Atlântico Sul.; and the Editorial Boards of Marine Geology (Elsevier), New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, Frontiers, and Minerals. He has participated in ANDRILL and IODP Expeditions, Legs 325, 344, and 359, and organized several expeditions in Brazil with N/Oc. Alpha Crucis (IOUSP) and the Brazilian Navy. He has published more than 140 articles (Scopus) and 3 books, with more than 5000 citations (Scholar). He was awarded the National Petroleum and Gas Agency Prize for Innovation and Technology 2022, Magnetostratigraphy and Cyclostratigraphy of Hauterivian and Barremian sections (BARREMAG), and has conducted numerous scientific projects with Brazilian and international funding agencies, as well as R&DI projects.
Dr. Andrea Di Capua
University of Insubria, Como and Varese, Italy;
Dr. Andrea Di Capua, PhD, is a field geologist who earned his PhD at the University of Milan Bicocca. He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Insubria, as well as a field geologist, specializing in the sedimentology of volcanic areas.
Dr. Linda Stalker
Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia;
Dr. Linda Stalker obtained a PhD at University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1994 focusing on the fate of CO2 gas fields, following the award of her Applied Geology Honours degree at Strathclyde University. After postdoctoral research at the University of Oklahoma (USA), she moved to Statoil in Norway. Linda joined CSIRO in 2000, working in research and management, ranging from research in hydrocarbon E&P to CCS research in M&V, geochemistry, social engagement, and outreach. Management roles have included Science Director for the National Geosequestration Laboratory, Group Leader in Exploration Geoscience, and Acting-CEO of the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance, mixing research and strategic management. She is a senior principal research scientist and GISERA State Leader for WA.
Dr. Roberta Somma
Università degli Studi di Messina, Italy;
Dr. Roberta Somma is a geologist, PhD, and associate professor of stratigraphic geology at the University of Messina (Italy), with significant experience in several academic fields, due to her scientific evolution during three decades of research. She started as a structural geologist, investigating Variscan and Alpine basements of the tectonic units exposed in the Calabria-Peloritani Arc (Italy), Betic Cordillera (Spain), and Rif (Morocco). Her research switched to issues relating to the interplay of tectonics and sedimentation, evidencing the Pangea rifting stage in the metamorphic units of the Alpujarride units in Spain. In the last decade, her interest has been devoted to the applications of earth sciences in the solution of criminal cases (forensic geology). She actively collaborated in scientific investigation with different prosecutors on crimes such as homicides and environmental crimes. She has collaborated extensively Spanish and Moroccan geologists. She is the director of the Geology laboratory and the Forensic Geology laboratory at University of Messina, an expert in Forensic Geology and Forensic Science (Criminology–Investigation–Security–Intelligence), and a Member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) and the Animal Plant and Soil Traces Expert Working Group (APST). Her scientific contributions consist of about 200 products (including peer-reviewed international scientific papers, chapters of books, geological maps, field trip books, and presentations at international congresses).
Dr. Miriam Belmaker
University of Tulsa, United States of America;
Dr. Miriam Belmaker is an associate professor at the University of Tulsa and associate curator at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History in Tel Aviv. She holds a B.A. in prehistoric archaeology from the University of Haifa, along with an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in evolution and ecology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research focuses on analyzing fossils and skeletal remains to reconstruct ancient environments, pioneering the use of tooth shape and microwear of small mammals as paleoecological markers. Belmaker conducts excavations in Israel, Jordan, the Caucasus, and Central and East Asia, co-directing the early Pleistocene site of ‘Ubeidiya, Israel. Her work has received funding from organizations such as the NSF, the Leakey Foundation, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and her publications appear in journals like Scientific Reports, the Journal of Human Evolution, and Quaternary Science Reviews.
Dr. Jakub Ciążela
Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland;
Dr Jakub Ciążela is an ore, planetary, and marine geologist at the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences (Wrocław), and President of MIRORES Mining Data Services Ltd. He defended his PhD in Earth Sciences at Leibniz University Hannover and has served as a Visiting Professor at the China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and the Università degli Studi di Milano. His research focuses on metal enrichment processes in the oceanic lithosphere and on planetary bodies, with applications in in situ resource utilization (ISRU). He leads projects funded by the European Space Agency and the National Science Centre, including the development of the far-infrared spectrometer MIRORES—a key candidate for ESA’s Lunar Mineralogy Mapper mission. Dr Ciążela has authored over forty peer-reviewed publications, chairs the Biogeodynamics Education group of the COST Action EUROBIG, and serves as Vice-Chair of the IMA Committee on Ore Mineralogy.
Welcome to the International Geodiversity Day 2025 Webinar!
International Geodiversity Day, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2021, is a global initiative dedicated to raising awareness of geodiversity—the minerals, fossils, soils, and landscapes that form the non-living foundation of our planet.
The 2025 theme, “One Earth, Many Stories”, highlights how every rock, fossil, and landscape preserves part of Earth’s 4-billion-year history. These records provide essential insights into natural processes, human interaction with the environment, and strategies for addressing global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development.
This year’s observance provides an important opportunity for the academic and research community to engage with geodiversity, exchange knowledge, and underscore the significance of geodiversity for both science and society.
Date: 06 October 2025
Time: 2:00 pm CEST | 8:00 am EDT |8:00 pm CST Asia
Webinar ID: 821 6551 4554
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026