Ivan Marchesini is a Senior Researcher at the National Research Council of Italy, at the Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (CNR IRPI). His scientific activity spans more than twenty years and focuses on applied geomorphology and geo-hydrological hazards, with particular reference to landslides and floods, their modelling, forecasting, and risk management, within the context of climate change.

His research and professional career initially developed in academic and applied settings. After obtaining a PhD in Applied Geology, Geomorphology, and Hydrogeology, he carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Perugia, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, where he worked on geospatial analysis, slope process modelling, and the development of open source GIS tools. In parallel, he gained professional experience in technical and scientific consultancy, taking part in professional associations and contributing to the foundation of a university spin-off focused on the development of software tools and GIS applications for geo-hydrological risk analysis and environmental resource management.

He subsequently continued his scientific career at CNR IRPI, where he progressively held the positions of Technologist and Researcher, until attaining, as of 1 January 2023, the role of Senior Researcher (Level II), following a national competitive selection based on qualifications and interview. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Earth Sciences, awarded with full marks.

His research is characterised by a quantitative and integrated approach, combining physically based, data-driven, and geomorphometric methods, with strong attention to the operational transferability of results. The main research activities include large-area slope stability modelling, including seismically induced scenarios, landslide and flood susceptibility and hazard zonation, the development and validation of early warning systems for rainfall-induced landslides, the assessment of exposure of population and strategic infrastructures, as well as the design and management of geospatial data infrastructures supporting civil protection activities.

He is the author or co-author of 68 scientific publications indexed in international journals. As of 14 June 2025, according to Scopus, his scientific output includes more than 2,450 citations and an h-index of 27. His papers have been published in leading journals in the field of Earth sciences and natural hazards, including Geomorphology, Engineering Geology, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Earth-Science Reviews, Catena, and Journal of Environmental Management. Some contributions have had a significant methodological impact at the international level, such as the development of the open source algorithm r.slopeunits for the automatic delineation of slope units, widely used in landslide susceptibility studies, and the national-scale mapping of non-susceptible landslide areas, adopted in operational contexts and later extended to the global scale.

He has held roles of scientific responsibility, research unit coordination, and Work Package leadership in numerous competitive European, national, and regional projects. He is Principal Investigator of the PRIN project “Hydro4C – Hydrological Controls on Carbonate-mediated CO₂ Consumption”, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, which focuses on the role of geomorphological processes, erosion, and sediment transport in atmospheric CO₂ consumption and the global carbon cycle. He has also coordinated CNR IRPI activities within the European projects RED ROSES and H2020 I-CHANGE, with direct responsibility for the development of digital platforms, data infrastructures, and applied research activities, including citizen science initiatives and living labs.

During the period 2017–2025, he contributed to the scientific and administrative management of research projects for a total amount exceeding 800,000 euros of managed funds, considering the share corresponding to the coordinated research units. The funding estimate refers to the project status updated to 2025.

In 2025, he was awarded a grant under the PIFI – Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Scientist Programme. The project, which foresees a research period at the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is aimed at strengthening scientific cooperation between CNR IRPI and CAS in the study of geomorphological processes and geo-hydrological hazards in mountain environments.

He carries out extensive training and supervision activities. He has supervised and continues to supervise research fellowships and postdoctoral grants, mentored international visiting scientists, and followed numerous Master’s and postgraduate theses. He has served as lecturer and invited speaker in advanced courses, summer schools, and seminars at Italian and international universities, as well as in training programmes for civil protection professionals. Since 2015, he has also been involved in citizen science and school education activities, working with high school students, some of whom have presented the results of their work directly at international scientific conferences.

He is actively engaged in the organisation of the international scientific community, having served as chair, organiser, and member of scientific committees for numerous international conferences and workshops, particularly in the fields of geomorphometry, landslide early warning systems, and open source geographic information, contributing to the dialogue between scientific research and operational applications.