Piero Lionello is full professor of Meteorology and physical Oceanography at the University of Salento, coordinates the Network MedCLIVAR (Mediterranean Climate Variability, added to CLIVAR-WCRP and funded by the European Science Foundation), is member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of ECMWF (European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts) and coordinator of the PhD programme in 'Ecology and Climate Change' at the University of Salento.
He graduated in physics Magna cum laude in 1984. From 1987 to 1992 he worked at ISDGM (I), MIT (USA), MPI für Meteorology (D), ECMWF (UK), KNMI (NL), Italian institutions. Successively (until 1999) he worked as researcher at the department of Physics, University of Padua (1992-1999). Subsequently he joined as associate professor the University of Salento in 1999, where he became full professor in 2016.
Piero Lionello contributed as principal investigator to several international projects: ECAWOM (European Wave Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Model, EU-MAST program), STOWASUS02100 (Storms, Waves, Surges Scenarios for 2100, Environment and Climate EU Program), CIRCE (Climate Change and Impact Research: the Mediterranean Environment, EUFP6), WASSERMed (Water Availability and Security in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, EU-FP7), RISES-AM (Responses to coastal climate change: Innovative Strategies for high End Scenarios - Adaptation and Mitigation, EU -fp7 ongoing). He has worked in many Italian projects, 3 times as coordinator. ln addition, he has contributed to international initiatives such as WAM (WAve Model), IMILAST (Intercomparison of Mid Latitude Storm Diagnostics) and COWCLIP (Coordinated Ocean Wave Climate Project), the latter currently in progress.
Since 2003 he has promoted and coordinated the Network Scientific MedCLIVAR (Mediterranean Climate Variability). In 2006 he was elected chairman of the Steering Committee, a position maintained for the duration of the project funded by the ESF (European Science Foundation, 2006-2011) and successively confirmed for its continuation as scientific network, which led to four international conferences (Lecce 2011, Madrid 2012, Ankara 2014, Athens 2016). He also has been elected chair of 'International Scientific Steering Committee of the project HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean eXperiment) for two terms (2008-2012), and was coordinator of the research line' extreme events' of Circe EU-FP6 program. In 2009 he was appointed member of the Scientific Advisory Committee ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), a position confirmed for a second term in 2013. At the national level he has been member of the expert panel of CORILA for the study of the effects of climate change on the lagoon. He is currently member of the steering committee of CINFAI (National Inter-University Consortium for the Study of Atmosphere and hydrosphere) and of the Board of Directors of the Foundation Center Euro-Mediterranean on Climate Change.