Costanza Bonadonna
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Costanza Bonadonna is a Full Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Geneva and Head of the CERG-C Program for the Assessment and Management of Geological and Climate-Related Risks. She currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Geneva, President of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), and past President of the Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology (VGP) section of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
She earned her BSc in Geology from the University of Pisa, Italy, and her PhD from the University of Bristol, UK. Following her doctorate, she was awarded the prestigious SOEST Young Investigator position at the University of Hawaii before joining the University of South Florida as an Assistant Professor. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the President’s Award of the Geological Society of London (2001), the IAVCEI Outstanding Recent Graduate (George Walker Award) (2004), the Outstanding Woman in Science Award of the Geological Society of America (2004), and the USF Outstanding Faculty Research Achievement Award (2005). More recently, she was selected as Woman Scientist of the Month (April 2020) of the European Platform of Woman Scientists and was the recipient of the XV edition of the International Galileo Galilei Award of the Italian Rotary Clubs for Science (2020).
Her research explores various aspects of explosive volcanism and volcanic risk through an integrated approach combining field studies, experiments, and numerical modelling. She is particularly focused on developing innovative methods for accurately determining key eruption source parameters crucial for ash dispersal forecasting and eruption characterization. Her work also includes advancing probabilistic strategies for volcanic hazard assessment, refining our understanding of plume dynamics and tephra sedimentation, and promoting inclusive frameworks for risk assessment and mitigation.