Laura LimoncielloWILDLIFE ECOLOGIST
Red fox photographed by a camera trap in vegetation

MAMMAL ECOLOGY · BIODIVERSITY · COEXISTENCE

Wildlife in a
human-shaped
world

I’m Laura, a wildlife ecologist exploring how mammals live alongside us — in our cities and beyond.

Explore my research
RED FOX · CAMERA-TRAP RECORDImage from my research archive
Portrait of Laura Limonciello outdoors

Laura Limonciello · Wildlife ecologist

HELLO, I’M LAURA

Curious about wildlife research that's
connected to people

I am a PhD candidate in Biodiversity at the University of Palermo, carrying out my research at the University of Molise. I study medium- and large-sized mammals, with a particular interest in how human activities shape their communities, distributions and daily rhythms.

My research began in the Italian Alps, studying coexistence among red deer, roe deer and chamois. Today, I work across Italian cities, combining camera trapping, spatial analysis and ecological modelling to understand wildlife in places people call home.

I care about research that is useful beyond academia. Talking with residents, working with landowners and sharing what we discover are part of how I do ecology.

More about my background

RESEARCH & PROJECTS

Research projects

My work connects long-term wildlife monitoring with questions about urbanisation, animal behaviour and coexistence.

01

PHD RESEARCH · ITALY

Urban mammal communities

Which mammals live in our cities, and what shapes where they occur? I investigate mammal communities across Milan, Florence, Rome, Campobasso and Naples, examining green cover, habitat fragmentation and human pressures.

Inside the project

Within the National Biodiversity Future Center framework, I combine camera-trap monitoring with spatial and community analyses. My research also examines daily activity patterns and compares complementary sampling designs to support long-term monitoring.

Supervised by Anna Loy, with co-supervisor Mirko Di Febbraro. The project connects field sampling, camera-trap data management and analysis in R and GIS.

Read the 2026 research poster (PDF)
Wild boar recorded on a woodland trail by a research camera trap
02

COLLABORATION · UWIN

Urban Wildlife Information Network

As the Urban Wildlife Information Network city lead for Campobasso, I coordinate the city’s contribution to a wider monitoring network and help connect local research with shared international protocols.

Inside the collaboration

During my 2025 visiting research period at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute in Chicago, I worked with the UWIN community and joined field monitoring of mammals, bats and pollinators.

A 2026 visit to KIT’s Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis broadened these collaborations through work on European urban wildlife networking and the drivers and effects of wildlife feeding in cities.

Chicago skyline seen from the lakefront
03

MASTER’S RESEARCH · ITALIAN ALPS

Coexistence of Alpine ungulates

How do red deer, roe deer and chamois coexist in a landscape shaped by seasonal change and human disturbance? My master’s research explored mammal communities and the spatial relationships among these three ungulates.

Inside the project

Working with Fondazione Edmund Mach, I analysed camera-trap data from 77 sites sampled between May and October 2022. I examined species associations with environmental and human factors across seasonal periods.

The thesis received the 2024 Dante and Amalia Molinari Award. I also contributed to research on ungulate activity during wolf recolonisation, published in Ecography in 2026.

Read the 2024 research poster (PDF)
Red deer moving through a forest, photographed by a camera trap

IN THE FIELD

Fieldwork

Setting up cameras, checking batteries, walking transects. Understanding wildlife starts with spending time where it lives.

1 / 5
FIELD NOTES

Placing camera traps in cities means explaining our research and building trust. Conversations with residents can become an important part of a monitoring programme.

WRITING & SCIENTIFIC EXCHANGE

Publications & talks

My ORCID profile

Peer-reviewed publication

Science communication

2024

Gli ungulati ed il disturbo antropico

Laura Limonciello · Caccia Alpina · Article in Italian

Selected conference contributions 2024–2026
2026 · NAPLES

Spatial and temporal patterns of medium- and large-sized mammals across Italian cities

Third National Biodiversity Forum · Poster presentation

2025 · ATLANTA

Bridging Continents: exploring urban biodiversity in Italian cities, the differences with North America and how Italy can contribute to UWIN

International Urban Wildlife Conference · Oral presentation

2025 · L’AQUILA

Assessing Italian urban mammal communities: a multi-city and multi-species monitoring approach

Society for Conservation Biology, Italian Chapter · Oral presentation

2024 · PESCHE

Coexistence of three Alpine ungulates in an Alpine mammal community with anthropogenic disturbance

XIII Italian Mammal Congress · Poster presentation

BACKGROUND

A life of
learning outside

Field ecology, analytical tools and international collaborations inform the way I approach research.

Download my CV (PDF)

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Camera trapping · R · QGIS
Timelapse · WildTrax · Git

2023–PRESENT

PhD in Biodiversity

University of Palermo & University of Molise, Italy

Urban mammal communities and long-term monitoring.

2026

Visiting researcher

KIT–ITAS · Karlsruhe, Germany

Urban wildlife collaborations and human–wildlife relationships.

2025

Visiting researcher

Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo · Chicago, USA

Urban ecology and collaboration with UWIN.

2023

MSc in Ecobiology

Sapienza University of Rome · With honours

Thesis research at Fondazione Edmund Mach.

2020

BSc in Environmental Sciences

Sapienza University of Rome · With honours

LET’S CONNECT

A shared curiosity
is a good beginning

For research collaborations, fieldwork and conversations about wildlife and coexistence, get in touch.

laura.limonciello@unipa.it
ORCIDCurriculum vitae