Ilaria grew up along the coast of Massachusetts and earned her B.S. in Marine Science from the University of Maine in 2024. As an undergraduate, she did research on the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus, investigating changes in the size and condition of their lipid sacs in the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine. She spent a portion of her undergraduate career in Alaska, studying the potential use of eDNA for the detection of the endangered population of Cook Inlet Belugas. For her undergraduate thesis, Ilaria investigated the use of multimedia in the world of science communication, fucusing primarily on her favorite animal; the Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). While at MLML, Ilaria, advised by Dr. Amanda Kahn, will be researching the community ecology around hydrothermal vents along the Cleft Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. When not at MLML, Ilaria likes to cook, paint, hike, camp, trail run and drink a lot of coffee.