Giulia Friso Homepage

Welcome to Giulia Friso Homepage!

Giulia joined the Plant Biology Department at Cornell University in 2001, and is actively involved in both research and teaching activities. Giulia’s academic research interest is to excel in mass spectrometry and the bioinformatics pipeline of data analyses applied to plant biology and in supervising, advising and training of others in the academic environment.

One of her main goals as a teacher is to share with her students the world of wonders and complexity of plant chemical compounds, exploring their potential for solutions to health, dietary and sustainable issues. In her courses Giulia, investigates the links between food and health, introduces past and current plant-based natural remedies used across the globe, their relationship with indigenous people, their traditional medicine systems, exploring their efficacy and mode of actions.
By exploring plants pharmacological properties and toxicities, and comparing how plants consumed as food, herbal extracts, dietary supplements, and western medicines are used and regulated, her students not only acquire a deeper appreciation and respect for the natural world, but also a better understanding of the potential benefit and risk of plant-based medicine. In her teaching programs, Giulia uses various active learning strategies aiming to maintain student concentration, to train skills such as critical thinking, to increase student retention and satisfaction and engage students in outreach activities with communities outside of the university.

Humans have looked to nature for healing purposes since ancient times, but with ecosystems under increased threat, biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate. Every time a plant species becomes extinct, millions of years of evolution, and a potential pharmacological factory, is lost forever.

If you would like to know more about ethnobotany, you may enjoy listening to my interview on the Cornell podcast “Nature’s Prescription” – State of the Pod – produced by Macy Smith. giving emerging topics in science and technology the attention they deserve.

If you would like to take a virtual tour of the medicinal plants section of the astonishing Cornell Robison York State Herb Garden in full bloom, please visit “A tour of the Cornell Botanic Garden with Giulia & curator Pamela Shade”, a collaboration with curator Pamela Shade and the Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) at Cornell University.

In her free time Giulia enjoys traveling, gardening, taking long walks in nature, swimming, cooking, experimenting with art such as photography and painting, visiting art and science museums, playing the piano, listening to music and attending live concerts. Not surprisingly most of her art and photography is focused on the natural world. For a pick to Giulia’s art, please visit Giulia’s creative picks. All photographs found here are part of Giulia’s photo gallery.

She is fluent in Italian.