Education

November 209  Doctoral degree at the Faculty of Biological Sciences

Final mark: magna cum laude, Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany)

July 2003  Degree in Natural Science (specialization in Nature and Resource Conservation)

Final mark: 110/110  University La Sapienza, Rome (Italy)

Research Experience

2006-present  Doctoral student at the Senckenberg Research Institute of   Frankfurt, Department of Palaeoanthropology
Thesis title: Occlusion Wear Pattern Analysis of Functional   Morphology in Neanderthal and Early Homo sapiens

Advisors: Prof. Friedemann Schrenk & Prof. Gerd-Christian Weniger

2004–2005  Collaboration at the Civic Museum of Zoology in Rome,  for the conservation and management of the osteological   collections.

2001-2003  Undergraduate research at the University La Sapienza of   Rome, Department of Human and Animal Biology 
Thesis title: Orbital convergence in Anthropoidea: geometric   morphometrics of the variability in superior district facial
Advisors: Prof. Pietro Passarello & Prof. Giorgio Manzi

Grants and Fellowships

Aug 2006–Jul 2009   EVAN fellowship (European Virtual Anthropology Network)   at the Senckenberg Research Institute of Frankfurt, Germany   funded by the EU Marie Curie Training Network

Apr 2008  Travel grant for participating at the AAPA 2008 annual   meeting in Columbus (Ohio, USA)  funded by the Otto Stern School, University of Frankfurt

Technical Skills

Surface Scanning: Use of a white-light scanning system such as the smartSCAN 3D and optoTOP-HE (Breuckmann, GmbH), for scanning   teeth and bones

3D Visualization: Alignment of 3D digital data with optoCAT software (Breuckmann, GmbH). Post-processing of 3D virtual models with PolyWorks (InnovMetric Inc.). Digital 3D model visualization with Amira (Mercury Computer Sytem Inc.) and OsiriX.

Image Processing: Experience in 2D image post-processing using professional software packages (Photoshop, Illustrator) and open source softwares (ImageJ, GIMP)

Other: Knowledge of Geometric Morphometric software: APS, TPS packages, Morphologika

Languages: Italian (native), English (fluent), Spanish (spoken), German (basic)

Workshops

Graphic software for Scientific Work, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University of Frankfurt (Germany). 29th January 2008

What Journalists Want to Know from Scientists - and what you can do to make them happy, GEO, Hamburg (Germany). 6th-9th October 2008

Summer short course in Statistics and R-software, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University of Frankfurt (Germany). 7th-8th July 2008

Surface Scanning of Soft and Hard Tissue, Breuckmann GmbH, Meersburg (Germany). 11th-13th June 2008

Bone histology and growth and growth and development of the craniofacial complex, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid (Spain). 28th-30th May 2008

Functional Morphology and Evolution of Mammalian Dentition, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt (Germany). 17th-21st November 2007

Medical imaging processing and analysis, visualization and virtual environments in anthropology, University of York and Hull (England). 10th-12th January 2007

NESPOS Training, Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann (Germany). October 2006

Dental Tissue: 2D and 3D insighths into hominid origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (Germany). 20th-24th September 2006

 
Teaching Experience

Dentition and Diet of Living Primates. Dep. Of Biology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University of Frankfurt. December 2007 (lecture)

Functional Morphology and Evolution of Mammalian Dentition. ITC EVAN Workshop, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt. November 2007 (workshop)

Jaw Movements and Diet. Dep. Of Biology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University of Frankfurt. December 2006 (lecture)

Biology, evolution, and cranial morphology in Alouatta (Atelidae). Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, University La Sapienza, Roma. March 2004 (seminar)

Orbital convergence in Primates: structures and functions. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, University La Sapienza, Roma. December 2002 (seminar)

Abstracts, Posters and Presentations

Fiorenza L., Benazzi S., Kullmer O. and F. Schrenk, 2008 - Dental occlusion and wear pattern analysis in Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens. 14th Internatonial Symposium on Dental Morphology. Greifswald (Germany). 27th-30th August 2008

Benazzi S., Fiorenza L., Gruppioni G., Kullmer O. and F. Schrenk, 2008 - Virtual 3D analysis for the taxonomic attribution of first molars. 14th Internatonial Symposium on Dental Morphology. Greifswald (Germany). 27th-30th August 2008

Fiorenza L., Kullmer O., Bacso S. and F. Schrenk, 2008 - Function and wear pattern analysis in Neanderthal and early Homo sapiens dentitions. Am. J. Phys. Anthrop. Volume 135, Issue S46, 2008; page 96.

Fiorenza L., Huseynov A., Teichmann M., Kullmer O. and F. Schrenk, 2007 – Occlusal Tooth Wear in Homo. 100 Years of Homo heidelbergensis Symposium, Heidelberg (Germany). 18th-19th October 2007

Kullmer O., Fiorenza L., Menz U., Tausch J., Teichmann M., and L. Ulhaas, 2006 – Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis. Dental Tissue: 2D and 3D insights into hominid origins. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (Germany). 20th-24th September 2006

Mantini S., Bruner E., Fiorenza L., Spiezio C & G. Manzi 2006 - Cranial Structure and Evolution in Alouatta: Temporal Fossa and Interorbital Morphology. Folia Primatol. 77; page 286.

Bruner E., L. Fiorenza, G. Manzi, 2003. Orbital Frontation and Morphological Variability in Primates: Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Upper Facial Structures in Anthropoidea. Folia Primatol. 75; page 404.

Bruner E., L. Fiorenza, G. Manzi, 2002. Orbital Frontalisation and Morphological Cranial variability in Anthropoidea. Folia Primatol. 73; page 324.

Research Interests

Masticatory function in human and non-human primates.
Functional morphology analysis of teeth and dental wear in Pleistocene hominins and modern hunter-gatherers, using digital 3D models of teeth.
Study of interproximal and occlusal wear facets of isolated teeth for specimen association and tooth identification.
Functional morphology in the skull of Primates.
Orbital convergence and the evolution of vision in Primates.
Functional aspects of malocclusion in ancient and modern human populations.
Diet and nutrition in ancient human populations

 
Professional Affiliations

Istituto Italiano di Antropologia (ISItA)

NESPOS (NEanderthal Studies Professional Online Service)
 

Multimedia

Frankfurter NeuePresse. DerUrzeitauf den Zahngefühlt. 18thDecember 2007
Newcomers Guide. Frankfurt –Rhein–Main. 5thEdition, 2009.