Francesco Rendina is a Tenure-Track Researcher in Ecology at the University of Naples Parthenope. He earned an MSc in Marine Biology with honors from the University of Bologna in 2016. In 2020, he completed an international PhD in Environment, Resources, and Sustainable Development at the University of Naples Parthenope. From 2023 to 2026, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Naples Parthenope. He has collaborated with several national and international research institutions within different projects and several research stays abroad. Since 2026, he has been Principal Investigator for the University of Naples Parthenope in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive monitoring programme, leading research activities on rhodolith beds and coralligenous reefs. His research focuses on the ecology, conservation, and restoration of coastal marine ecosystems, including rhodolith beds, coralligenous reefs, macroalgal forests, and seagrass meadows, with particular emphasis on their community composition, structure, functioning, and respontses to anthropogenic pressures. Complementing this ecosystem-level perspective, his studies explore marine macrophytes, particularly coralline algae, and their skeletal adaptations and ecophysiological responses to environmental changes. Finally, he is interested in assessing the natural capital and ecosystem services provided by these key benthic ecosystems to support conservation and restoration strategies.