L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science - Dr. Giulia Rossi
2021

Dr. Giulia Rossi is a postdoctoral fellow working in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough. As a comparative animal physiologist, she is deeply interested in understanding the innovative solutions that animals use to overcome life’s most extreme challenges.

Broadly, her postdoctoral research in the Welch Lab explores the mechanisms that allow hummingbirds to fatten sufficiently before embarking on their fall migration from Canada to Central America.

Dr. Rossi recently completed her PhD in the Wright Lab at the University of Guelph, where her research was similarly focused on metabolic physiology. She studied a unique group of fishes that move between aquatic and terrestrial habitats (i.e., amphibious fishes), and investigated how their bodies change to facilitate survival in these two dramatically different environments. Dr. Rossi routinely integrates behavioral, physiological, and biochemical approaches so that her lab-based studies will translate into ecological contexts.

Beyond her own research, Dr. Rossi is extremely passionate about undergraduate mentorship. In her capacity as a mentor, she engages students with the scientific method, teaches technical skills, and empowers students to achieve success. Each of her mentees has published peer-reviewed articles and has moved onto graduate programs.

Finally, Dr. Rossi is interested in scientific communication and a strong advocate of promoting scientific research to the general public and young scientists. To this end, she has authored and illustrated a children’s book, Dear Future Marine Biologists, and has been associated with the Canadian Association for Girls in Science (CAGIS) for the past 18 years – as an inspired member in her youth, and now as a proud volunteer.