Senior scientist at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Italian Research Council (CNR-ISMAR) in Lerici, Italy. His work focuses on the spatial and temporal patterns of abundance, distribution, composition, transport and accumulation of floating litter in the marine environment as well as on the harmonization and inter-calibration of survey methods and sampling techniques for macro and microplastics. He has authored more than 25 international publications about plastic pollution in the marine environment and in recent years he has participated to more than 15 research expeditions in Antarctica, in the Atlantic Ocean, in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea, totaling well over 500 days of fieldwork at sea. In 2017 he had an active role during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE), being responsible for sampling microplastics during the entire voyage.