The Department of Geosciences at the University of Padua celebrates an important double success: Katinka Bellomo and Francesco Marra, both professors and researchers within the Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate group, have been selected as winners of the 2025 FIS call (Italian Science Fund), one of the most competitive and prestigious national funding programmes dedicated to fundamental research. Both projects were selected in the PE macro-area — Physical Sciences and Engineering.

Katinka Bellomo’s ACTOR project

Katinka Bellomo’s project, “AMOC resilience during warm Climate states and implications for 21st-Century climate Tipping Points” (ACTOR), has been awarded €1.3 million over five years. The study will address a key topic in climate science: the resilience of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) under global warming scenarios and its implications for potential 21st-century climate tipping points.
The funding will enable the creation of a dedicated research team and the activation of new PhD and postdoctoral positions at the University of Padua.

“I am deeply grateful to the Department of Geosciences for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to continue my research and teaching, and to the growing Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate group at the University of Padua,” said Katinka Bellomo.

Francesco Marra’s HYPES project

The project presented by Francesco Marra, “Rethinking statistical HYdrology: introducing Physics in Extreme rainfall Statistics” (HYPES), was also selected within the PE macro-area of the 2025 FIS call and has received funding of over €1.5 million.

HYPES proposes an innovative approach to the study of extreme precipitation, integrating atmospheric physics, hydrology, climatology, computer science and statistics to develop the first physically based framework for extreme rainfall statistics, with potential applications in hydrogeological risk assessment.

“It’s a dream come true: the opportunity to carry out theoretical, multidisciplinary and stimulating research right here at the Department of Geosciences of the University of Padua,” commented Francesco Marra.

A recognition of the value of the Atmosphere, Ocean and Climate group

The selection of two projects from the same research group — established less than three years ago — marks a significant milestone for the Department of Geosciences and highlights the rapid growth of its scientific activities in the fields of atmospheric, oceanic and climate research.
The Department congratulates the winners and all collaborators involved, confident that these projects will make a substantial contribution to advancing research in areas that are crucial for the future of our planet.

2025 FIS (Italian Fund Science) Call N. 3 - Final Ranking List