In order to have a comprehensive understanding of the impact of a contaminant to organisms in the environment, it is of fundamental importance to investigate both the mechanisms of toxicity and the cellular pathways activated to face adverse conditions, acclimate and eventually adapt to stressors. My research aim at understanding the underlying molecular basis that drive to metal toxicity in phytoplankton model species and in parallel investigates the cellular stress responses activated to face stress and maintain cellular homeostasis. I obtained a PhD in environmental sciences in April 2016, my doctoral work investigated multiple stressors and combined action of metallic contaminants and environmental factors to phytoplankton. Since July 2016 I am a Marie Heim-Vögtlin postdoctoral fellow in the group of Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology. My current researches focus on micropollutant induced morphological plasticity in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, more specifically I investigate the role of palmelloid colony formation in the response to micropollutant stress and I seek to describe the cellular mechanisms that drive the transition from unicellular to colonial lifestyle in Chlamydomonas.