Dr. Francesca Galasso
Research associate
Room 002, GEO II, Campus University of Bayreuth
Email: francesca.galasso@uni-bayreuth.de
Phone: +49-921 / 55 2211
Research interests
- Palaeobotany and palynology
- Plant–environment interactions and stress
- Biodiversity, extinction, and ecosystem change
- Paleoclimate and Earth-system evolution
- Quantitative and computational approaches to paleontological data
Selected publications
Galasso, F., Foster, W., & van de Schootbrugge, B. (2026). Warming, Stress, and Survival: Terrestrial Vegetation Dynamics During the Toarcian Hyperthermal Event. Proc. R. Soc. B 293: 20252880. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2025.2880.
Karapunar, B., Wolniewicz, A.S., Romano, C., Ozsvárt, P., Rochín-Bañaga, H., Kustatcher, E., Buchwald, S.Z., Galasso, F., … Foster, W.J. (2026). New insights into the extinction and recovery of marine vertebrates across the Permian–Triassic mass extinction event in the Dolomites, Southern Alps, Italy. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2026.2685335.
Galasso, F., Frank, A. B., & Foster, W. J. (2025). Heavy metal toxicity and its role as a major driver of past biodiversity crises. Comm. Earth & Environment. 6(1), 780. doi: 10.1038/s43247-025-02781-5.
Buchwald, Z., S., Birgel, D., Senger, K., Mosociova, T., Pei, Y., Zuchuat, V., Tarhan, L. G., Frank, A. B., Galasso, F., … Foster, W.J. (2025). Primary productivity blooms on the Barents Shelf, Svalbard, associated with the Permian–Triassic mass extinction. doi: 10.1029/2025AV001785.
Schneebeli-Hermann, E. & Galasso, F. (2025). Resilient Gymnosperm Pollen: Reassessing Floral Dynamics at the Permian-Triassic Extinction in Meishan. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 341 (2025): 105373. doi: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2025.105373.
CV
Since 2026, Research Associate, Ecosystem Analysis and Simulation, Biogeography and Sport Ecology, University of Bayreuth
Since 2026, Lecturer, Elite Network of Bavaria (ENB), Master of Science in Earth System Dynamics and Evolution, FAU University of Erlangen-Nürnberg
2025 – 2026, Guest Researcher, University of Hamburg
2023 – 2025, Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Hamburg
2018 – 2022, PhD in Evolutionary Biology. Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
2017 – 2018, Traineeship Erasmus +. Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Mar e Ambiente, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
Other activites
Reviewer for international peer-reviewed journals
Co-organizer of the Geoscience Online Webinar Series, University of Hamburg
Co-organizer of PhD Summer School Retreats, University of Zurich
Co-organizer of Night of the Museums, University of Zurich
Co-leader of international palaeontological and geological field campaigns in Norway, Portugal, Italy, Germany, and Morocco