Prof. Giorgio Mancinelli graduated cum laude in Natural Sciences in 1993 at ‘La Sapienza’. He obtained his PhD in Ecology in 1998 (University of Parma, 1994-1997, Cycle X°). From 1998 to 2004, his research activities were supported by post-doc scholarships and research grants funded by EC, CNR – ISMAR (Lesina), the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology – Ecology Area, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ and the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila. He was awarded in 2003 by the Italian Society of Ecology for the best scientific paper published by a young researcher in 2002. He has been a researcher (BIO/07, Ecology) and lecturer for undergraduate and graduate courses in Ecology at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies of the University of Salento since January 2005. Currently, he lectures in Community Ecology and he was a member of the doctoral committees of the Ph.D. courses in Fundamental Ecology and Ecology and Climate Changes at the University of Salento until 2014. Since 2005, he has tutored six undergraduate students, five graduate students, and two Ph.D. candidates. Currently, he is the author of 42 papers and chapters published in international journals and books and more than 50 presentations at national and international conferences. He is also involved in national and international research projects on the ecology, conservation and management of coastal and transitional waters.