Prof. Francesca Cecchi received her Degree in "Animal Production Science" from the University of Pisa in 1992, and obtained her PhD in "Animal Science" in 1995. She worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Pisa from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, she was appointed as a Researcher at the same university, and in 2017, she was promoted to Associate Professor (SSD AGRI-09/A) in the Department of Veterinary Sciences. Her main research interests include animal genetics, animal biodiversity, veterinary genetics, genetic resistance to infectious diseases, genetic improvement of farm and companion animals, and behavioral genetics.