Research statement
I am a geomorphologist focusing on cold-region landscapes and their interactions with climate dynamics. My research has examined glacial fluctuations, postglacial geomorphic responses, and denudation rates in the European Alps over the Late Pleistocene, using a combination of (1) geomorphological mapping, (2) Quaternary geochronological techniques—including 10Be surface-exposure dating, catchment-wide denudation rate analysis, and luminescence dating—and (3) numerical ice-flow modeling.
During my postdoctoral fellowship within the ICE group at UNIL, I aim to develop a novel approach that integrates the geochronological techniques outlined above with numerical modeling to investigate sediment tracing and fingerprinting in present-day proglacial stream systems in both Alpine and polar environments.
Brief Biography
I hold a B.Sc. in Natural Sciences (2012–2015) and an M.Sc. in Sciences and Sustainable Management of Natural Systems (2015–2017) from the University of Turin, Italy. My academic path began with a Bachelor’s thesis on permafrost presence in the western Italian Alps, followed by a Master’s thesis at Stockholm University (Sweden) as part of the Erasmus+ and Erasmus Traineeship Programs, where I investigated ice-sheet geomorphology in East Antarctica using high-resolution remote sensing.
I pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Bern (2017–2021), within the Institute of Geology and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Research, focusing on valley glacier fluctuations and postglacial geomorphic responses in the western European Alps. Afterward, I completed a one-year internship (2022–2023) at the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo, Bern), contributing to GIS-based cartographic data management and automation.
From 2023 to 2025, I held a self-funded postdoctoral position through the SNSF Postdoc.Mobility fellowship at the University of Freiburg (Germany), where I advanced my expertise in luminescence dating by applying combined single-grain and cobble approaches to Alpine glaciofluvial deposits. In parallel, I completed a Teaching Diploma for Secondary Schools at the Pedagogic School of Bern (PHBern).
Publications
(10) Serra, E., Mueller, D., Gegg, L., Firla, G., Piccoli, F., Hergarten, S. and Preusser, F., 2025. Combined single grain and cobble luminescence dating of poorly bleached glaciofluvial deposits from the Swiss Alpine foreland. Quaternary Geochronology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2025.101650
(9) Marik, M., Serra, E., Gegg, L., Wölki, D. and Preusser, F., 2024. Combined different luminescence dating approaches on fluvial gravel deposits from the southern upper Rhine graben. Quaternary Geochronology, 82, 101536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2024.101536
(8) Pfander, J., Schlunegger, F., Serra, E., Gribenski, N., Garefalakis, P. and Akçar, N., 2022. Glaciofluvial sequences recording the Birrfeld Glaciation (MIS 5d–2) in the Bern area, Swiss Plateau. Swiss Journal of Geosciences, 115(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s00015-022-00414-z
(7) Serra, E., Valla, P.G., Delunel, R., Gribenski, N., Christl, M. and Akçar, N., 2022. Spatio-temporal variability and controlling factors for postglacial denudation rates in the Dora Baltea catchment (western Italian Alps). Earth Surface Dynamics, 10(3), 493-512. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-493-2022
(6) Serra, E., Magrani, F., Valla, P.G., Gribenski, N., Carcaillet, J. and Egholm, D.L., 2022. Lateglacial paleoglacier and paleoclimate reconstructions in the north-western Italian Alps. Quaternary Science Reviews, 298, 107822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107822
(5) Serra, E., Valla, P.G., Gribenski, N., Carcaillet, J. and Deline, P., 2022. Post-LGM glacial and geomorphic evolution of the Dora Baltea valley (western Italian Alps). Quaternary Science Reviews, 282, 107446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107446
(4) Serra, E., Valla, P.G., Gribenski, N., Guedes Magrani, F., Carcaillet, J., Delaloye, R., Grobéty, B. and Braillard, L., 2021. Geomorphic response to the Lateglacial–Holocene transition in high alpine regions (Sanetsch pass, Swiss alps). Boreas, 50(1), 242- 261. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12480
(3) Magrani, F., Valla, P.G., Gribenski, N., Serra, E., 2020. Glacial overdeepenings in the Swiss Alps and foreland: Spatial distribution and morphometrics. Quaternary Science Reviews, 243, 106-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106483
(2) Newall, J.C.H., Dymova, T., Serra, E., Blomdin, R., Fredin, O., Glasser, N.F., Suganuma, Y., Harbor, J.M., Stroeven, A.P., 2020. The glacial geomorphology of western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Journal of Maps, 16, 468–478. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2020.1761464
(1) Colombo, N., Salerno, F., Martin, M., Malandrino, M., Giardino, M., Serra, E., Godone, D., Said-Pullicino, D., Fratianni, S., Paro, L., Tartari, G., Freppaz, M., 2019. Influence of permafrost, rock and ice glaciers on chemistry of high-elevation ponds (NW Italian Alps). Science of the Total Environment, 685, 886–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.233
Contact
Elena Serra
University of Lausanne
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics
Géopolis, office 3120
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
elena.serra@unil.ch