Paolo Valera graduated in Geology at the University of Cagliari on 26/02/1996. He defended an experimental thesis entitled “Remote Sensing and economic geology of the Wukro-Negash area (Tigray – Northern Ethiopia)”. The research was carried out in a virgin and inaccessible area in northern Ethiopia.

The collaboration with an operational department of the Ministry of Mines of Ethiopia began with some consulting as prospector geologist for the Tantalum Kenticha deposit. The study focused on Ta, Nb, Be and Li in granitic pegmatites rocks. Integration of various research methods led to the identification of a deposit of Columbo-tantalite, economically interesting in the area of Kenticha.

In the academic year 1996/97 he was accepted in the 12th cycle of Doctorate (Ph.D.) at the University of Trieste, the thesis being “Sustainable development and natural resources in Ethiopia”.

Between 1996-1997 he participated, as consultant, in a project of the technical cooperation program with the Ethiopian University, organized and financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the aim to realize a metallogenic map of the northern area of the Mekelè Outlier (Ethiopia).

In 1999 he was consultant for an Australian Gold Mining society (Sardinia Gold Mining), as mining geologist.

In the year 2000, immediately after to have achieved the Doctorate (Ph.D.) position (26/02/2000), he signed a contract with the DIGITA (i.e. Dep. of Geoengineering and Environmental Technologies, University of Cagliari), as consultant for the activity of qualified support.

During June – August 2001 he carried out a consultancy in the project “Cartografia Geochimica Internazionale: Progetto IGM-Italia” (International Geochemical Mapping: IGM-Italy project) for the Department for the Study of the Territory and its Resources (DIPTERIS), University of Genoa.

On September 2001, he was winner of a biennial scholarship (with two-year renewal) in the University of Cagliari, with subject “Distribution of the heavy metals in the Hydrographic net of Sardinia and its fallout on the water reserves”.

In 2002 he went to Ethiopia to collect data and make field observations on the Ethiopian Rift for the research “Epithermal mineralization of precious metals in the Ethiopian Rift”. During the field work a meeting with the leaders of the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines took place. The topic was the processed data and the results obtained with the microprobe analysis of Columbo-tantalite samples collected in a reservoir located in southern Ethiopia Archaeozoic rocks (Kenticha).

In 2003 he started a collaboration program with the CRS4 (Research Center, Development and Superior Studies in Sardinia) for the accomplishment of a system GRID for the management of geo-database distributed. The consequence of this collaboration was the project GRIDA3 (Shared Resources Manager for Environmental Data Analysis and Applications), started in July 2006, and funded by the Italian Research Ministry (MIUR).

In 2004 he was involved in the project “GEOBASI” (GEOchemical BASelines of Italy), funded by the ANPA “Agenzia Nazionale di Protezione Ambientale” (National Agency for Environmental Warning).

In 2004, he was consultant for the evaluation of gold deposit “Esperanza”, located in the north-western Peruvian Cordillera (Yube area, Province of Contumaza).

He won the competition of “University Researcher”, and in such a position he belongs to the staff of the DIGITA from May 2006.

In February 2008 he was involved in the GEMAS (GEochemical Mapping of Agricultural and grazing Soils of Europe) and in the EGG (European Ground water Geochemistry) projects, as local P.I.

In May 2008 he was declared “Associated” to the CNR (National Research Council).

He won the “Associate Professor” competition, and in that position belongs to the DICAAR staff since March 2019.

Founder in the 2009, along with colleagues Prof. Rodolfo Coccioni and Fabio Tateo, of the Associazione Italiana di Geologia Medica (Italian Medical Geology Association).

Member of IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences) Commission on “Global Geochemical Baselines”.

P.I. of the project “Study for applicability evaluation of Faraday and Hall effect for the seizure of Fluoride ions present in the Rift Valley’s hot spring to naturally chemical traps” in collaboraton with the University of Addis Abeba (D.R. n. 1044, 2008)

P.I. of the Visiting Professor project (Prof. Bekele Abebe – University of Addis Ababa) “Geodynamics, Resources And The Environment In The Ethiopian Rift: Resources for Sustainable Development”, funded by Regione Autonoma Sardegna (2009).

P.I. for Sardinia in the national project “Atlante Geotermico del Mezzogiorno” (Geothermal Atlas of the South), financed by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (2013).

In the fields of the studies carried out for the Degree thesis, for the Ph.D thesis, and for several other researches, he has a continuous and special collaboration activity with the Ethiopian Researchers of the Addis Ababa University.

Coordinator of international agreement between University of Cagliari and University of Addis Ababa (2011-2016) and of a Memorandum of Understanding between University of Cagliari and Universitat de Lleida (2013-2018).