Professore Associato

Gianluca Polese is Associate Professor of Zoology at the Department of Biology,
University of Napoli “Federico II” (since 2020), where he teaches Zoology, Neuroethology, Observational Strategies
and Scientific Diving. From 2007 to 2020, he was Researcher in Zoology and assistant professor in Zoology and
Parasitology at the same university.
He earned a PhD in Evolutionary Biology (2004) and a Bachelor’s in Natural Sciences (2000) at the University of
Napoli “Federico II”. From 2004 to 2006, he was Postdoctoral Research Associate in Neuroscience at Michigan State
University (USA), working with Prof. Heather L. Eisthen on an NIH-funded project. In 2006, he received the Polak
Young Investigator Award at the Association for Chemoreception Sciences meeting (Sarasota, FL, USA). Previously,
he had a fellowship on mast cell distribution in the frog brain under Prof. R.K. Rastogi. He also served as Teaching
Assistant at Campania’s Interuniversity School of Teaching and Research Assistant at Federico II.
His research interests focus on the evolution of neural structures and their role in behavior, with particular emphasis on
chemosensory systems in vertebrates and invertebrates. He investigates how chemical cues shape courtship, mating,
parental care, and foraging, and works to identify the compounds involved. His approach integrates behavioral biology,
neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and experimental embryology to understand how chemoreception evolved across taxa
and mediates behavior.
Recently, his work has expanded to the effects of bioactive molecules and pollutants on marine organisms, exploring
how chemical compounds influence physiology, behavior, and animal welfare.
Orcid ID: 0000-0002-6322-7769
Scopus ID: 7003811649