Leonardo Macelloni

Dr. Leonardo (Leo) Macelloni assumed the role of Director of the Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute (MMRI) and the Center for Marine Resources and Environmental Technology (CMRET) in August 2024. He transitioned from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he served as Associate Research Professor in the School of Ocean Science and Engineering and Associate Director of the Hydrographic Science Research Center. Dr. Macelloni is no stranger to MMRI, having previously held positions as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Assistant Research Professor from 2005 to 2012.
A native of Rome, Italy, Dr. Macelloni graduated summa cum laude from a combined Bachelor-Master program in Geology at La Sapienza University of Rome in 2001. He furthered his education at the same institution, earning a Ph.D. in Applied Geophysics in 2005.
With over 20 years of experience in both academia and industry across various fields of Earth Science, Dr. Macelloni's professional and research activities have spanned coastal engineering, oil and gas exploration, deep ocean exploration, marine minerals, underwater robotics, and ocean acoustics. His current research focuses on the ecological characterization of marine critical minerals within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), assessing the potential of lithium deposits in Mississippi, and developing advanced remote sensing techniques to characterize potential offshore reservoirs of geologic hydrogen.
In his free time Dr. Macelloni loves history, enjoys cooking especially traditional Italian recipes and southern comfort food, is a huge Rebels fan, supporting in particular Football and the men's Tennis team and loves New Orleans where he lived for 6 years.