Giorgia Ercole, PhD Candidate

About me

I am a PhD student in the Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution at EAWAG and the Department of Environmental Systems Science (D-USYS) at ETH Zürich. I hold a degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Turin, where my thesis focused on the hydroecological analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Western Alps, exploring the seasonal dynamics of these communities in glacial and nivopluvial streams. My research interests lie in the understanding and conservation of aquatic ecosystems, with a particular focus on macroinvertebrate communities in high-altitude environments.

My PhD research centres on investigating the impact of climate change on aquatic food webs, particularly how it influences the phenology and nutritional quality of aquatic insects.

Through this work, I aim to predict when and where phenological mismatches between insects and their predators are most likely to occur, as well as their broader implications of these shifts for ecosystem health in the context of a changing climate.

Personal interests

When I'm not busy with research, I love to go hiking in the mountains, hit the slopes for some snowboarding, or just spend time in the kitchen, whipping up something tasty – because, being Italian, I just can't resist good food!