Welcome to my webpage!


I am PhD student at the Ghirotto Population Genomics Lab at the University of Ferrara.
My research focuses mainly on demographic modeling and reconstruction of evolutionary dynamics.
I am studying past human populations in Italy analyzing ancient whole-genome sequences using different approaches (such as Genotype Likelihood and Imputation frameworks).
I am also collaborating on projects involving different fields, such as employing bacterial markers for tracing human migrations or the reconstruction of demographic dynamics in invasive species.
My main topics of interest are: Population Genomics, Ancient DNA, Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Biology.

Research experience

  • Population Genomics
  • Ancient Human Genomes
  • Bacterial Genomics
  • Invasive Species

Publications

  • Rajiv Boscolo Agostini, Maria Teresa Vizzari, Andrea Benazzo, Silvia Ghirotto
    Disentangling the worldwide invasion process of Halyomorpha halys through approximate Bayesian computation
    Heredity, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-024-00735-9.

  • M. T. Vizzari, S. Ghirotto, R. Boscolo Agostini, P.M. Delser, L. Cassidy, A. Manica, and A. Benazzo,
    "Low-ABC: a robust demographic Inference from low-coverage whole-genome data through ABC"
    bioRxiv, 2024-08.

  • Vale, F. F., HpGP Research Network, Roberts, R. J., Kobayashi, I., Camargo, M. C., & Rabkin, C. S.
    Gene content, phage cycle regulation model and prophage inactivation disclosed by prophage genomics in the Helicobacter pylori Genome Project. Gut Microbes, 2024 16(1), 2379440.

  • Thorell, Z. Y. Muñoz-Ramírez, D. Wang, S. Sandoval-Motta, R. Boscolo Agostini, S. Ghirotto, R. C. Torres, D. Falush, M. C. Camargo, and C. S. Rabkin,
    “The Helicobacter pylori genome project: Insights into H. pylori population structure from analysis of a worldwide collection of complete genomes”
    Nature Communications, 2023. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43562-y.

  • A. Modi*, M. T. Vizzari*, G. Catalano, R. Boscolo Agostini, S. Vai, M. Lari, C. Vergata, V. Z. Zaro, L. Liccioli, M. Fedi, S. Barone, L. Nigro, H. Lancioni, A. Achilli, L. Sineo, D. Caramelli, and S. Ghirotto,
    “Genetic structure and differentiation from early bronze age in the mediterranean island of Sicily: Insights from ancient mitochondrial genomes”
    Frontiers in Genetics, 2022. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.945227.

  • S. Sarno*, R. Boscolo Agostini*, S. De Fanti, G. Ferri, S. Ghirotto, G. Modenini, D. Pettener, and A. Boattini
    “Y-chromosome variability and genetic history of commons from Northern Italy”
    American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2021. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24302.