I graduated in Natural Sciences studying both the abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems. I approached herpetology through my bachelor’s and master’s theses, the first in ecology, the second in genetics. Within my master thesis I characterized the putative speciation process between the two subspecies of common lizard Zootoca vivipara carniolica and Zootoca vivipara vivipara which resulted to be complete. Having experienced the potential of molecular tools I have decided to remain within the same field. My PhD project is about the evolution of Madagascar’s biodiversity with main focus on its herpetofauna. I am investigating this tricky question through different tools: phylogenetics, phylogenomics, population genomics, biogeography and phylogenetic comparative analyses. Another interesting aspect that I will address in my project is the exploration and characterization of the herpetofauna of unexplored areas of Madagascar.