Date of birth: December 14th 1972
Education
1999 – Master degree in Geological Sciences – University of Torino, Italy
2003 – Ph.D. in Mineralogy, Petrology and Crystallography – University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
Fellowships
2004 – 2005 – Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship – Bayerisches Geoinstitut, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
2005 – 2006 – Associate Post-Doctoral position – Virginia Polytechnique Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
Positions and institutional services
2006 – 2010 – Permanent Researcher in Mineralogy – Department of Geosciences, University of Padova
2010 – 2015 – Associate Professor in Mineralogy – Department of Geosciences, University of Padova
2015 – present – Full Professor in Mineralogy – Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, Italy
2015 – 2018 – Coordinator of the Doctoral Course in Earth Sciences, University of Padova
2017 – present – Member of the Board of the Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori, University of Padova
2018 – present – Head of Department – Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, Italy
2019 – present – Member of the Academic Senate of University of Padova, Italy
Bibliometrics (Google Scholar)
– Author/coauthor of 286 peer-review international publications (year of first publication: 2001);
– Total citations: 6339
– H-index: 38
Teaching, students and post-doc supervision
– “Analytical Techniques in Earth Sciences” within the Bachelor degree in Geological Sciences at University of Padova (number of students attending the course: 60-70);
– “Crystallography and Mineral Physics” within the Master degree in Geology and Technical Geology at University of Padova (number of students attending the course: 10-12);
– “Mineralogy” within the Bachelor degree in Natural Sciences at University of Padova (number of students attending the course: 60-70);
– number of supervised master and bachelor students > 60;
– number of supervised Ph.D. students: 6;
– number of supervised post-docs: 8.
Main grant
2013 – 2018 – European Research Council Starting Grant; project title: “Inclusions in diamonds: messengers from deep Earth” (Agreement n. 307322); fund: 1,420,000 € as PI.
Awards
2003: “Ph.D. thesis award” by Società Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia.
2010: “Medal for Excellence in Research” by European Mineralogical Union.
2011: “Mario Nardelli award” by Associazione Italiana di Cristallografia.
2016: “Maria Teresa Messori Roncaglia e Eugenio Mari award” by Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
2019: “Humboldt Research Award” by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany.
Organization of scientific events
– Convener of > 40 sessions at national and international scientific conferences;
– Organizer of 5 international schools in mineral physics (2008) and in diamond research (2011, 2015, 2016, 2018).
Services for the scientific community
– Member of the European Research Council Peer Review PE-10 Panel
– Reviewer for > 30 international peer-review journals
– Reviewer of research projects for the National Science Foundation (USA) and several other national research agencies
Ten selected publications
Nestola, F., Goodrich, C.A., Morana, M., Barbaro, A., Jakubek, R.S., Christ, O., Frank E. Brenker, M. Chiara Domeneghetti, M.C., Dalconi, M.C., Alvaro, M., Fioretti, A.M., Litasov, K.D., Fries, M.D., Leoni, M., Casati, N.P.M., Jenniskens, P., Shaddad, M.H. (2020) Impact shock origin of diamonds in ureilite meteorites. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1919067117.
Nestola, F., Jacob, D.E., Pamato, M.G., Pasqualetto, L., Oliveira, B., Greene, S., Perritt, S., Chinn, I., Milani, S., Kueter, N., Sgreva, N., Nimis, P., Secco, L., Harris, J.W. (2019) Protogenetic garnet inclusions and the age of diamonds. Geology, 47, 431-434.
Nestola, F., Zaffiro, G., Mazzucchelli, M.L., Nimis, P., Andreozzi, G.B., Periotto, B., Princivalle, F., Lenaz, D., Secco, L., Pasqualetto, L., Logvinova, A.M., Sobolev, N.V., Lorenzetti, A., Harris, J.W. (2019) Diamond-inclusion system recording old deep lithosphere conditions at Udachnaya (Siberia). Scientific Reports, 9, Article Number: 12586
Nestola, F., Korolev, N., Kopylova, M., Rotiroti, N., Pearson, D.G., Pamato, M.G., Alvaro, M., Peruzzo, L., Gurney, J.J., Moore, A.E., Davidson, J. (2018) CaSiO3-perovskite in diamond confirms the recycling of oceanic crust into the lower mantle. Nature, 555, 237-241.
Smith, E.M., Shirey, S.B., Richardson, S.H., Nestola, F., Bullock, E.S., Wang, J., Wang, W. (2018) Blue boron-bearing diamonds from Earth’s lower mantle. Nature, 560, 84-87 (cover).
Nestola, F., Jung, H., Taylor, L.A. (2017) Mineral inclusions in diamonds may be synchronous but not syngenetic. Nature Communications, 8, 14168.
Smith, E.M., Shirey, S.B., Nestola, F., Bullock, E.S., Wang, J., Richardson, S.H., Wang, W. (2016) Large gem diamonds from metallic liquid in Earth’s deep mantle. Science, 354, 1403-1405 (cover).
Pearson, D.G., Brenker, F.E., Nestola, F., McNeill, J., Nasdala, L., Hutchison, M.T., Matveev, S., Mather, K., Silversmit, G., Schmitz, S., Vekemans, B., Vincze, L. (2014) Hydrous mantle transition zone indicated by ringwoodite included within diamond. Nature, 507, 221-224.
Nestola, F., Nimis, P., Angel, R.J., Milani, S., Bruno, M., Prencipe, M., Harris, J.W. (2014) Olivine with diamond-imposed morphology included in diamonds. Syngenesis or protogenesis? International Geology Review, 56, 1658-1667
Nestola, F., Nimis, P., Ziberna, L., Longo, M., Marzoli, A., Harris, J.W., Manghnani, M.H., Fedortchouk, Y. (2011) First crystal-structure determination of olivine in diamond: composition and implications for provenance in the Earth’s mantle. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 305, 249-255.