Silvana received his PhD from the Università di Siena (Italy) and then held several postdoctoral fellowships at the Universidade de Lisboa, among which a Marie Curie fellowship to investigate the mechanisms of nitrogen tolerance/sensitivity in lichens. Her current research is driven by three overarching objectives: i) exploit the possible practical applications of lichens as ecological indicators; ii) investigate common patterns of stress response, in particular nitrogen, in symbiotic systems (lichens and mycorrhizas); iii) provide science-based indications on nitrogen use to industry, policy-makers and citizenry for a more sustainable development. Silvana organized several national and international meetings, including the 8^th ISS congress in 2015, participated in many dissemination activities and participated in several advanced courses and training schools. She was Secretary and Treasurer of the Italian Lichen Society from 2008 to 2017.