Chair of the Academic Division of Environment, Math, Psychology and Health
Associate Professor, Biology and Environmental Sciences
Ph.D. Montana State University, United States
M.S. Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland
Office: Villa, North Campus, Loft
Phone: +41 91 986 36 62
Email: pdellacroce@fus.edu
Dr. Della Croce joined Franklin University Switzerland in August 2013 and is currently Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences. He teaches courses in Franklin University's Environmental Studies program, including core courses such as Introduction to Biology, Ecology and Freshwater Conservation. He has an M.S. in Environmental Sciences with a focus on the Biology of Aquatic Systems from the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich (Switzerland) and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from Montana State University in Bozeman (Montana, U.S.A). His scholarly work includes research on river-groundwater interactions, the use of river habitat by fish and the movement of non-native genes across river networks. His research interests include the use of simulation models in ecological studies, fish biology and fisheries management, groundwater ecology, ecology of invasive species and management and conservation of freshwater systems. Since 2015, Dr. Della Croce has also been actively involved in and conducts projects in river and lake restoration, riparian vegetation management, and fisheries management as a scientific consultant for the environmental consulting firm EcoEng SA.
Publications:
McGuire, E. and Della Croce, P. (2017). An analysis of changes in the environmental content of Caldecott and Newbery medal winning children’s books, 1922-2016. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 12(8), 1879-1894.
Della Croce, P., Poole, G. C., Payn, R. A., & Gresswell, R. E. (2017). Detecting Introgression in Fish Populations: When Sample Size actually matters. Fisheries, 42(1), 44-56.
Della Croce P., Poole, G. C., Luikart, G. (2016) Simplifying assumptions yield overconfidence in detecting and quantifying introgression in hybridized populations. Molecular Ecology Resources, 16, 1287–1302. doi:10.1111/1755-0998.12520
Hale, B. W., Della Croce, P. (2015). In everybody’s backyard? Examining the intersection of invasive species and environmental justice. Intervalla.
Della Croce, P., Poole, G. C., Payn, R. A., & Izurieta, C. (2014). Simulating the effects of stream network topology on the spread of introgressive hybridization across fish populations. Ecological Modelling, 279, 68-77.
Awards and Honors:
Swiss National Science Foundation Fellowship (2012-2013)
Western Division of the American Fisheries Society Student Travel Award (2010-2012)
Montana Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Resource Action Fund (2010)
Society for Freshwater Science (former North American Benthological Society) General Fund Award (2010)
Major applied projects:
Re-introduction of native Salmo cenerinus trout in selected streams in southern Ticino (Ticino, Switzerland), 2021 – ongoing
Restoration of lake shore area in Vico Morcote (Ticino, Switzerland), 2020 – ongoing
Assessment of river restoration effects through the analysis of macrozoobenthos (Jura, Switzerland), 2019 – ongoing
Restoration of the river Sorne in Delémont (Jura, Switzerland), 2019
Restoration of a fish passage along the river Brenno (Ticino, Switzerland), 2019