Born in 1980, Sara Cristofoli received her degree in biological sciences from the University of Notre-Dame de la Paix in Namur in 2002. She then embarked upon a two year course specialising in science and environmental management at the Catholic University of Louvain, where she took part in a professional internship in the Haute-Meuse LIFE project. After a brief period teaching, she carried out a five month internship at the Directorate General of Energy and Transport at the European Commission.

In 2005 she began her thesis at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULg). Her research on “Species' responses to the fragmentation and restoration of damp moors and associated habitats in the Haute Ardennes (Belgium): a multi-taxonomic approach”. Simultaneously, in her spare time she produced three short documentaries with Arnaud Monty, which were presented at the Festival du Film Nature in Namur. The first two received awards (http://sites.google.com/site/filmnature/les-films). Sara Cristofoli is currently a research assistant at the Department for the study of Nature and Agricultural Habitats (Demna).

Selection of publications

Cristofoli S., Piqueray J., Dufrêne M., Bizoux J.P., Mahy G., sous presse, Colonization credit in restored wet heathlands. Restor. Ecol., doi: 10.1111/j.1526-1100.2008.00495.x.

Cristofoli S., Mahy G., Kekenbosch G. et Lambeets K., sous presse. Response of spider communities to habitat restoration in wet heathlands, Ecol. Ind.

Cristofoli S., Mahy G., sous presse. Colonization credit in wet heathland butterfly communities, Insect. Cons. Div.