Position/Role

Lucia Banci is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florence.

Professional career

She graduated in Chemistry at the University of Florence in 1978, and continued her training through various research periods abroad, mainly in the USA. She continued her academic career at the University of Florence, first as a researcher and in 1987 as Associate Professor. Since 1999 she is Full Professor of General and Inorganic Chemistry and, from 2011 to 2017, she has been Director of CERM (Magnetic Resonance Center) of the University of Florence. Lucia Banci is the Head of the Italian Core Center of the ESFRI Research Infrastructure Instruct-ERIC, and a member of the Instruct-ERIC Executive Committee and of the Council.

Scientific results

Lucia Banci has provided and is providing original and innovative contributions in structural biology and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) applied to biological systems. In particular, she has gained visibility as an international leader for the characterization of functional processes in living cells with atomic-level resolution. She applied and is applying this approach to the study of the processes responsible for the transport and use of metal ions, in particular copper and iron. She has developed innovative approaches for "in cell NMR", ie high resolution NMR in living cells, which allows the characterization of human proteins in living human cells at atomic resolution. Lucia Banci is contributing to the development and use of high resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, a research field in which she has provided important theoretical and methodological advances. She has been active in research projects of structural genomics, in which she uses a "functional" approach, that is, she exploits the knowledge of the conformation of the biomolecules to understand their function and how it can be altered by mutations or other alterations. She has also been a pioneer in the development of an absolutely innovative approach for the rational design of highly effective vaccines, ie the structural vaccinology, based on the structural characterization of the antigens and their interaction with the antibodies.

Editorial work and publications

She has published about 400 research articles on peer reviewed journals with a total of 21.000 citations, including:

(2018) Luchinat E, Banci L. In-Cell NMR in Human Cells: Direct Protein Expression Allows Structural Studies of Protein Folding and Maturation. Acc Chem Res., 51, 1550-1557.

(2016) Nuttle X, Giannuzzi G, Duyzend MH, Schraiber JG, Narvaiza I, Camponeschi F, Ciofi-Baffoni S, Sudmant PH, Penn O, Chiatante G, Malig M, Huddleston J, Benner C, Stessman HAF, Marchetto MCN, Denman L, Harshman L, Baker C, Raja A, Penewit K, Tang WJ, Ventura M, Antonacci F, Akey JM, Amemiya CT, Banci L, Gage FH, Reymond A and Eichler EE. Emergence of a Homo sapiens-specific gene family and the evolution of autism risk at chromosome 16p11.2. Nature, 536:205-209.

(2015) Banci L, Ciofi-Baffoni S, Gajda K, Muzzioli R, Peruzzini R and Winkelmann J. N-terminal domains mediate [2Fe-2S] cluster transfer from glutaredoxin-3 to anamorsin. Nature Chemical Biology, 11:772-778.

(2011) Scarselli M, Aricò B, Brunelli B, Savino S, Di Marcello F, Palumbo E, Veggi D, Ciucchi L, Cartocci E, Bottomley M.J, Malito E, Lo Surdo P, Comanducci M, Giuliani M.M, Cantini F, Dragonetti S, Colaprico A, Doro F, Giannetti P, Pallaoro M, Brogioni B, Tontini M, Hilleringmann M, Nardi-Dei V, Banci L, Pizza M. & Rappuoli R, Rational design of a meningococcal antigen inducing broad protective immunity. Science Translational Medicine, 3:91ra62.

(2010) Banci L, Bertini I, Ciofi-Baffoni S, Kozyreva T, Zovo K & Palumaa P. Affinity gradients drive copper to cellular destinations. Nature, 465:645-648

Awards and prizes

During her career she has received prizes and awards, among which the IUPAC "Distinguished Women in Chemistry" award and the "Fiorino d’Oro della Città di Firenze" Gold Medal of the City of Florence in 2015. In 2017 she received the “Instruct Bertini Award” for Integrated Structural Biology and the Premio Scienza Madre in 2018. She is a member of EMBO (European Organization for Molecular Biology) and is the Italian delegate at the Council of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

Position/Role

Professor of Chemistry at Politecnico di Torino, where she is the Contact person for the Batteries @ Polito task force

Professional career

After graduating in Chemistry at the University of Turin, she got PhD in Material Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano. University researcher in Chemical Foundations for Technology, since 1995 and Associate Professor in the same SSD since 2015. She carries out her activity in the Department of Applied Science and Technology of the Polytechnic of Turin where she coordinates a research group made up of 15 young people, researchers, grant holders research and doctoral students.
The teaching activity is mainly carried out within the basic chemistry courses. In addition, she carries out numerous educational activities in the electrification masters and from next year in the new course of electrochemical energy storage systems.
She is also launching of the new European Master on Energy Storage.
Leader of the "education" activities in the European initiatives Battery2030+ (battery2030.eu) and in the ETIP Batteries Europe.
Since its starting in 1995, she has been the referent for the chemistry teaching laboratories and since 2018 she has been the referent for the chemistry courses of the Politecnico di Torino.
She is also responsible for the energy storage laboratories at the Energy Center Lab interdepartmental laboratory.

Scientific results

Silvia Bodoardo's main research activity is in the Electrochemistry group of the Politecnico di Torino.
Over the years, her research has focused on various lines of research in the field of physical chemistry and in particular of electrochemistry, studying and designing in particular new materials for different types of electrochemical energy generators.
The main themes studied are: structural characteristics and electrochemical properties of manganese dioxide as an active substance in alkaline batteries, lead-acid accumulator, electrode materials for lithium ion cells, high-capacity materials as anode for lithium ion cells, high potential materials as cathode for lithium ion cells, electrodes and electrolytic materials for lithium-sulfur cells, electrodes and electrolytic materials for lithium air cells, characterization of industrial cells for lithium ion batteries, hybrid electrochemical systems: high energy / high power
 
She has participated in numerous projects funded by the European community (coordinator of the STABLE project) and also in national and regional projects. She is currently the only Italian researcher who participates in the Large Research initiative Battery2030 + (battery2030.eu) in which he deals with smart batteries. She is also cochair in WG3 on Advanced Materials in the ETIP BatteRIes Europe technology platform. Silvia has organized numerous conferences and seminars on materials with electrochemical application and was chair woman at the launch of the Horizon Award on innovative batteries.
She is also an evaluator for the European community of ERC projects and in the NMP and ICT area, LCBAT.
National evaluator of FIRB and PRIN projects, for Faraday and for the Norwegian research council.
 
Recently she has started a new research line on new battery designs by publishing a new international patent and for which she won two Proof of Concept projects.

Editorial work and publications

[2019] Giai Pron, Vittorio; Versaci, Daniele; Amici, Julia; Francia, Carlotta; Santarelli, Massimo; Bodoardo, Silvia, Electrochemical Characterization and Solid Electrolyte Interface Modeling of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4-Graphite Cells, Journal of Electrochem Soc. 166(10) 2255 doi: 10.1149/2.0941910jes
[2019] Zubair, Usman; Amici, Julia; Crespiera, Sandra Martinez; Francia, Carlotta; Bodoardo, Silvia, Rational design of porous carbon matrices to enable efficient lithiated silicon sulfur full cell, Carbon doi10.1016/j.carbon.2019.01.005
[2019] J. Amici, S. Romanin, M. Alidoost, D. Versaci, C. Francia,F .Smeacetto, S. Bodoardo, UV-cured methacrylate based polymer composite electrolyte for metallic lithium batteries, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 837 (2019) 103–107.  DOI:10.1016/j.jelechem.2019.02.027
[2018] J. Amici, M. Alidoost, F. Caldera, D. Versaci, U. Zubair, F. Trotta, C. Francia, S. Bodoardo,  PEEK-WC / nanosponge membranes for lithium anode protection in rechargeable Li-O2 batteries, ChemElectroChem 5, 1599–1605. DOI: 10.1002/celc.201800241R1
[2018] Bodoardo, S.; Zubair, Usman; Serrapede, M.; Amici, J.; Zaccagnini, P.; Versaci, D.; Francia, C.; Pirri, C.; Lamberti, A. Dispositivo elettrochimico a commutazione automatica per l’accumulo ad alta energia e ad alta potenza P2952PC00  - PCT/IB2019/053525
[2017] U. Zubair, A. Anceschi, F. Caldera, M.  Alidoost, J. Amici, C. Francia, M. Zanetti, F. Trotta, S. Bodoardo, N. Penazzi.  Dual confinement of sulphur with rGO wrapped microporous carbon from ß-cyclodextrin nanosponges as a cathode material for Li-S batteries, Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 21(12), 3411. DOI: 10.1007/s10008-017-3664-6
[2017] D. Versaci, R. Nasi, U. Zubair, J. Amici, M. Sgroi, M.A. Dumitrescu, C. Francia, S. Bodoardo, N. Penazzi, New ecofriendly low-cost binders for Li-ion anodes, Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, 21(12), 3429-3435. DOI: 10.1007/s10008-017-3665-5
[2016]J. Amici, M. Alidoost, C. Francia, S. Bodoardo, S. Martinez Crespiera, D. Amantia, M. Biasizzo, F. Caldera, F. Trotta O2 selective membranes based on a dextrin-nanosponge (NS) in PVDF-HFP polymer matrix for Li-Air Cells, Chem. Commun., 52, 13683—13686. DOI: 10.1039/c6cc06954a
[2001] S. Bodoardo; N. Penazzi; P. Spinelli; M. Arrabito Influence of aluminium doping on the electrochemical behaviour of manganese dioxide J. Power Sources 94(2) 194 doi: 10.1016/S0378-7753(00)00586-3
[1998] Bodoardo S.; R.Chiappetta; B. Onida; F.Figueras; E.Garrone Ammonia interaction and reaction with Al-pillared montmorillonite: an IR study Microporous and Mesoporous Materials20,187
[1997] Fubini B; Mollo L; Bodoardo S.; Onida B; Oberson D; Lafuma C. Evaluation of  the surface acidity of some phillosilicates in relation to their activity toward the enzyme human leucocyte elastase Langmuir 13 919
[1995] Bodoardo S. Maja M., Penazzi N. Processes involving gases in valve-regulated lead/acid batteries. J. Power Sources 55 (2) 183 doi:10.1016/0378-7753(95)02188-M
 

Awards and prizes

Professor Bodoardo has received numerous invitations from the European Community to present the results of the research: for example, she partecipated in the consultation day on battery-related issues promoted by DG Connect (10 January 2018), and she presented the activities on the subject of lithium air during the FET day (Brussels, 10 January 2018) and was rapporteur of the mobility table.
 
She was sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bolivia for a course on lithium systems from 16 to 22 May 2010.
 
Silvia Bodoardo was invited to present scientific papers at numerous international conferences.

She is an active member of the scientific committee of the Telios Foundation.

Position/Role

Full professor in Fundamentals of Chemistry for the Technologies at the University of Brescia. Responsible for the research line concerning eco-materials at the Chemistry for Technologies Laboratory.

Professional career

After graduating in Environmental Engineering from the University of Brescia, she continues her studies at the same university with a PhD in Engineering Materials, focusing mainly on materials characterisation and advanced X-ray characterisation techniques. During her PhD, she worked in Grenoble (France), at the 'Laboratoire de Crystallographie', in Professor Raoux's group. Since 2011, she has been full professor of Chemical Foundations of Technologies at the University of Brescia.

Scientific results

Elza Bontempi was 2017-2020 TOP WORLD RESEARCHER (first position of reported 500 researchers by SciVal) for the research topic of Waste Incineration; Municipal Solid Waste; Carbonation.

She currently is (from 2021) in the list of TOP 2% of world scientists, proposed by Stanford University.

She has been responsible for several national and international research projects, developing new technologies and new sustainable materials, coming from waste and by-products. In recent years, his scientific activity has focused on the recovery of critical raw materials in the field of circular economy, such as lithium and cobalt, from exhausted batteries. She is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed papers and several patents in the field of material recovery. She is included in the list of Unstoppable Women (the 1000 women that are changing Italy) and the Top Italian Scientists (https://topitalianscientists.org/) in the field of natural and environmental sciences.

Editorial work and publications

Elza Bontempi is the author of numerous publications, including:

[2023] Ducoli, S., Zacco, A., Valentim, B., Zanoletti, A., Ye, G., Mousa, E., Bontempi, E.

ESCAPE simplified approach designed to evaluate materials sustainability: The case of new adsorbent materials for activated carbon substitution, Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 38, art. no. e00709.

[2023] Fahimi, A., Alessandri, I., Cornelio, A., Frontera, P., Malara, A., Mousa, E., Ye, G., Valentim, B., Bontempi, E. A microwave-enhanced method able to substitute traditional pyrometallurgy for the future of metals supply from spent lithium-ion batteries, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 194, art. no. 106989.

[2023]Sorrentino, G.P., Zanoletti, A., Ducoli, S., Zacco, A., Iora, P., Invernizzi, C.M., Di Marcoberardino, G., Depero, L.E., Bontempi, E. Accelerated and natural carbonation of a municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash mixture: Basic strategies for higher carbon dioxide sequestration and reliable mass quantification, Environmental Research, 217, art. no. 114805.

[2022]Fiameni, L., Fahimi, A., Federici, S., Cornelio, A., Depero, L.E., Bontempi, E.

A new breakthrough in the P recovery from sewage sludge ash by thermochemical processes, Green Chemistry, 24 (18), pp. 6836-6839. 

[2022] Fahimi, A., Ducoli, S., Federici, S., Ye, G., Mousa, E., Frontera, P., Bontempi, E.

Evaluation of the sustainability of technologies to recycle spent lithium-ion batteries, based on embodied energy and carbon footprint, Journal of Cleaner Production, 338, art. no. 130493.

[2022] Bontempi, E. A global assessment of COVID-19 diffusion based on a single indicator: Some considerations about air pollution and COVID-19 spread, Environmental Research, 204, art. no. 112098.

[2021] Zanoletti, A., Cornelio, A., Bontempi, E. A post-pandemic sustainable scenario: What actions can be pursued to increase the raw materials availability?, Environmental Research, 202, art. no. 111681.

[2021] Fahimi, A., Federici, S., Depero, L.E., Valentim, B., Vassura, I., Ceruti, F., Cutaia, L., Bontempi, E. Evaluation of the sustainability of technologies to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge ash based on embodied energy and CO2 footprint, Journal of Cleaner Production, 289, art. no. 125762.

[2020] Assi, A., Bilo, F., Federici, S., Zacco, A., Depero, L.E., Bontempi, E.

Bottom ash derived from municipal solid waste and sewage sludge co-incineration: First results about characterization and reuse, Waste Management, 116, pp. 147-156.

[2020] Assi, A., Bilo, F., Zanoletti, A., Ponti, J., Valsesia, A., La Spina, R., Zacco, A., Bontempi, E.Zero-waste approach in municipal solid waste incineration: Reuse of bottom ash to stabilize fly ash, Journal of Cleaner Production, 245, art. no. 118779.

[2018] Bilo, F., Pandini, S., Sartore, L., Depero, L.E., Gargiulo, G., Bonassi, A., Federici, S., Bontempi, E. A sustainable bioplastic obtained from rice straw, Journal of Cleaner Production, 200, pp. 357-368.

[2017] Bontempi, E. A new approach for evaluating the sustainability of raw materials substitution based on embodied energy and the CO2 footprint, Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, pp. 162-169.

Full list available at OPENBS Iiris.

Awards and prizes

Winner of the European prize: EIT Raw Materials Business Ideas Competition, in collaboration with Velaworks (December 2016).

Winner of the national prize in the theme "Enabling Technologies and Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Cities," awarded by the Italian Association for Industrial Research (AIRI) in May 2018.

Winner of the national Gaetano Marzotto Prize (November 2018).

Winner of the national ITWIIN (Italian Women Innovators and Inventors Network) Prize as an innovator (November 2018).

Winner of the national "Innovation Village Award" established by Innovation Village and ASviS – Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (April 2019).

Winner of the national ENERGY GLOBE AWARD (July 2020).

Winner of the "European Business Idea Competition on raw materials" from the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Raw Materials, for a new technology for recovering raw materials from waste (February 2022).

Winner of the 2031 Prize (formerly Gaetano Marzotto) (November 2023).

Position/Role

Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Milan

Professional career

After graduating in Chemistry from the University of Milan in 1993, she continued her education with a PhD in Chemical Sciences in 1997. From 1999 to 2012 she was a researcher in Analytical Chemistry at the University of Milan in the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences. From 2012 to 2014 she carries out her research activity at the Department of Chemistry of the same university. Since 2015 she has been associate professor of Analytical Chemistry. She teaches Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry at the Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry degree courses of the University of Milan. Since 2008 she has been a member of the faculty of the Doctorate in Chemistry.

Scientific results

Paola Fermo's research topics concern the study and characterisation of environmental matrices and in particular atmospheric aerosols (micrometer-sized particles suspended in the atmosphere) and pollutants in a gaseous state, both externally and internally. The main objective of the research is to quantify the constituents of the different particle size fractions (PM10, PM2.5, etc.) of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) in order to determine the sources responsible for emissions. In this regard, an analytical method was developed for the quantification of levoglucoasane, a unique marker of wood combustion, an important source of atmospheric particulate matter not only in rural but also in urban environments. The species analysed within PM include the main inorganic and organic constituents. In addition, substances of toxicological interest (PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are quantified, which show adverse effects on human health and are considered carcinogenic. In the urban environment, the degradation induced by air pollution on stone surfaces of interest for cultural heritage is also studied. Environmental issues include the study of contaminants in water (drinking water and waste water). A further line of research concerns the study of artefacts of historical and artistic interest (ceramics, mortar, stucco, paintings, etc.).

Editorial work and publications

Paola Fermo is on the editorial board of the following journals: Mediterranean Journal of Chemistry, Annals of Chromatography and Separation Techniques, American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Analytical & Bioanalytical Techniques. She is also a reviewer for several international journals.

She is the author of about 12 book chapters, numerous conference proceedings and about 100 publications in international journals, including:

(2019) Ielpo, P., Mangia, C., Marra, G.P., Comite, V., Rizza, U., Uricchio, V.F., Fermo, P. Outdoor spatial distribution and indoor levels of NO2 and SO2 in a high environmental risk site of the South Italy, Science of the Total Environment, 648:787-797.

(2018) Fermo P., Goidanich S., Comite V., Toniolo L., Gulotta D., Study and characterization of environmental deposition on marble and surrogate substrates at a monumental heritage site; Geosciences; in press

(2018) Amadori M.L., Raspugli V., Comite V., Fermo P., Mini F.M., La Russa M., Maekawa Y., Integrated Scientific Investigations On Constitutive Materials From Me-taw-ya Temple, Pagán Valley, Burma (Myanmar), Measurement, ISSN 0263-2241, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2018.09.004.

(2018) Amadori, M.L., Pallante, P., Fermo, P., Emami, M.A., Chaverdi, A.A., Callieri, P., Matin, E., Advances in Achaemenid brick manufacturing technology: Evidence from the monumental gate at Tol-e Ajori (Fars, Iran) Applied Clay Science, 152: 131-142.

(2018) Vecchi, R., Bernardoni, V., Valentini, S., Piazzalunga, A., Fermo, P., Valli, G., Assessment of light extinction at a European polluted urban area during wintertime: Impact of PM1 composition and sources, Environmental Pollution, 233: 679-689.

(2018) Daellenbach, K.R., El-Haddad, I., Karvonen, L., Vlachou, A., Corbin, J.C., Slowik, J.G., Heringa, M.F., Bruns, E.A., Luedin, S.M., Jaffrezo, J.-L., Szidat, S., Piazzalunga, A., Gonzalez, R., Fermo, P., Pflueger, V., Vogel, G., Baltensperger, U., Prévôt, A.S.H., Insights into organic-Aerosol sources via a novel laser-desorption/ionization mass spectrometry technique applied to one year of PM10 samples from nine sites in central Europe Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18 (3): 2155-2174.

(2017) Corsini E, Ozgen S, Papale A, Galbiati V, Lonati G, Fermo P, Corbella L, Valli G, Bernardoni V, Dell'Acqua M, Becagli S, Caruso D, Vecchi R, Galli CL, Marinovich M. Insights on wood combustion generated proinflammatory ultrafine particles (UFP). Toxicology Letters, 266, 74-84. 

(2016) Daellenbach KR, Bozzetti C, Křepelová A, Canonaco F, Wolf R, Zotter P, Fermo P, Crippa M, Slowik JG, Sosedova Y, Zhang Y, Huang R, Poulain L, Szidat S, Baltensperger U, El Haddad I, Prévôt ASH. Characterization and source apportionment of organic aerosol using offline aerosol mass spectrometry. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 9, 23-39. 

(2016) Cattaneo A, Fermo P, Urso P, Perrone MG, Piazzalunga A, TarlassiJ, Carrer P, Cavallo DM. Particulate-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon sources and determinants in residential homes. Environmental Pollution, 218, 16-25. 

(2016) Ielpo P, Fermo P, Comite V, Mastroianni D, Viviano G, Salerno F, Tartari G. Chemical characterization of biomass fuel particulate deposits and ashes in households of Mt. Everest region (NEPAL). Science of The Total Environment, 573, 751-759. 

(2016) Amadori ML, Del Vais C, Fermo P, Pallante P. Archaeometric researches on the provenance of Mediterranean Archaic Phoenician and Punic pottery. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 1-29. 

(2016) Fasani D, Fermo P, Barroso PJ, Martín J, Santos JL, Aparicio I, E. Alonso E. Analytical Method for Biomonitoring of PAH Using Leaves of Bitter Orange Trees (Citrus aurantium): a Case Study in South Spain. Water Air and Soil Pollution, 227, 360. 

Awards and prizes

Paola Fermo is a member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA) and a member of the Italian Chemical Society (Division of Analytical Chemistry and Division of Chemistry of the Environment and Cultural Heritage), the Italian Society of Archaeometry (AIAR) and the INSTM consortium (International Consortium for Materials Science and Technology).

Position/Role

IMPROVEMENT & SAVING Project Leader. EU Lead Auditor Conformity Assessment CE marking

Professional career

After graduating in Chemistry at the University of Florence (1999) and a scholarship at the Interuniversity Consortium for Research on Metal-Proteins of the University of Florence, she gained professional experience in various fields, distinguishing herself for the study and optimisation of business processes and analytical methods in the pharmaceutical and environmental fields.

From 2000 to 2017 she was Technical Consultant for the Office of the Court of Florence.

From 2003 to May 2008, she worked at ALPHA ECOLOGIA Srl, obtaining ACCREDIA accreditation, optimising company processes and chemical laboratory activities.

In 2006 she obtained the certification of Internal Auditor (ISO19011) for Quality Management Systems at CSQA. 

From May 2008 to February 2016 she worked at Biochemielab Srl, first as Laboratory Manager implementing the Quality Management System with the process approach, the QA/QC EPA Standard Quality System, increasing ACCREDIA ISO17025 accreditation, digitalization of laboratory activities; then as Quality Assurance Manager dealing with the integrated quality-environment-safety system, ISO9001, ISO14001 certifications, ACCREDIA ISO17025 accreditation, optimization of business processes.

From 2016 to 2022 she held the role of Quality Assurance Manager in SAGEA Centro di Saggio Srl, International Contract Research Organization in the agri-food sector, dealing with GLP and GEP certifications as an internal auditor. He has implemented the ISO9001 Quality Management System in the company, the process approach of the Japanese Total Quality model.

In 2022 she becomes IMPROVEMENT & SAVING Project Leader, leading some standardization projects for European laboratories, projects commissioned by the European Commission DG-GROW with the CEN in Brussels, and EU Lead Auditor at a Dutch notification/certification body EFCI Register ( NB2832) authorized by the European Commission for the conformity assessment and CE marking of products for the European market.

Since 2016 she has been national president of the Food Sector of AICQ (Italian Association of Quality Culture) for the diffusion of quality in the agri-food sector and vice-president of the Testing and Calibration Laboratories Committee of AICQ for the diffusion of quality in testing laboratories.

Since 2019 she has been Green Belt Six Sigma and is an international consultant in TQM and Lean Six Sigma at COMATCH GmbH based in Berlin.

Scientific results

Since 2000, she has been an expert in the implementation of the Japanese Total Quality Management model (Toyota Way), Kaizen continuous improvement, business process analysis and Lean Six Sigma projects, and the corporate implementation of MonozukuriWG. 

She has participated in numerous presentations as a speaker and gained extensive training experience.

In particular, from 2016 to date, her activity in AICQ has allowed her to organise Training Courses and National Conferences with Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ACCREDIA, AICQ-SICEV.

Since 2018 she is a UNI/CT 003 member "Agro-food Commission" with voting rights, UNI/CT003/GL21 member "Plant Biostimulants" with voting rights, UNI/CT406 member "Fertilizers" with voting rights, UNI/CT003/GL23 member "Food Authenticity" with voting rights.

Since 2019 she is one of the managers of the European Training Project ENVIRECA-ERASMUS+ European Commission, AICQ, DU, FLA, HRC, CSM and EXELIA "Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training" for the HORECA sector.

Editorial work and publications

[2017] Gallerini S., Le GLP/BPL, il Kaizen e il Monozukuri, Magazine Qualità AICQ gen-feb 

[2016] Gallerini S., Le GLP/BPL, il Kaizen e il Monozukuri, AICQ QualitàOnLine, novembre 

[2007] Gallerini S., Salvini A., Frediani P., Homogeneous hydrogenation of ketones in the presence of H₂Ru(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂, Dalton Transaction, Issue 39

[2001], Gallerini S., Total Quality Management nel passaggio generazionale delle imprese toscane, ASFOR Toscana

[2000] Gallerini S., Salvini A., Frediani P., Homogeneous hydrogenation of ketones in the presence of H₂Ru(CO)₂(PPh₃)₂, Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 14: 570-580

[1999] Gallerini S., Salvini A., Frediani P., Homogeneous hydrogenation, XIII FECHEM International Conference on Organometallic Chemistry Book of Abstract, Lisbon

Awards and prizes

In 2016 she received the Sagea Innovation Award, an award for the implementation of Total Quality Management aimed at the pursuit of continuous Kaizen improvement.

In 2017 she received the AICQ Committees and Sectors Award, as president of the Food Sector for having actively participated in the diffusion of Quality Culture in Italy, for national training events organised with success in terms of audience and contents and for articles published in the magazines Qualità Magazine and Qualità On Line.

Position/Role

Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry, University of Pavia and Director of the PVsquared2 team at the Chemistry Department of University of Pavia

Professional career

Giulia Grancini received an MS in Physical Engineering in 2008 and obtained her PhD in Physics cum laude in 2012 at the Politecnico of Milan. Her experimental thesis focused on the realisation of a new femtosecond-microscope for mapping the ultrafast phenomena at organic interfaces. During her PhD, she worked for one year at the Physics Department of Oxford University where she pioneered new concepts within polymer/oxide solar cell technology. From 2012-2015, she was a post-doctoral researcher at the Italian Institute of Technology in Milan. In 2015, she joined the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) with a Co-Funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship. From 2016 to 2019, she has been awarded by the Swiss Ambizione Energy Grant providing a platform to lead her independent research group at EPFL. Since July 2019, Giulia is Associate Professor at Physical Chemistry Unit at University of Pavia, leading the PVsquared2 team, and PI of the ERCStG Project “HYNANO”aiming at the development of advanced hybrid perovskites materials and innovative functional interfaces for efficient, cheap and stable photovoltaics. 

Scientific results

The research interest of Giulia Grancini is focused on exploring the fundamental photophysical properties and dynamical processes behind advanced materials and devices, with a special attention to nanostructured semiconductors for the development of new generation solar cells.  Within this field, she contributed to reveal the fundamental light-induced dynamical processes underlying the charge generation mechanisms happening on ultrafast time scale whose understanding is paramount for a smart device optimization. In particular, she made seminal contributions in ultrafast science applied to investigate the interface physics in polymer blends, and hybrid polymer/oxide systems. With the ERC “HY-NANO” project, her recent research is focused on the design and the study of HYbrid NANOstructured multi-functional interfaces for the development of advanced photovoltaic devices based on low dimensional hybrid perovskite semiconductors. More in details, her multidisciplinary team aims at expanding the family of hybrid perovskite materials and interfaces as lego-bricks for a new generation of efficient, stable, environmentally friendly solar technology. 

Editorial work and publications

She is author of more than 90 publications (h index= 44, with more than 14000 citations).

[2020] Sutanto A, Szostak R, Drigo N, Queloz V, Marchezi P, Germino J, Tolentino H, Nazeeruddin M, Nogueira A, Grancini G* In Situ Analysis Reveals the Role of 2D Perovskite in Preventing Thermal-Induced Degradation in 2D/3D Perovskite Interfaces Nano Lett. 20, 5, 3992-3998.

[2020] Queloz V. et al. Spatial Charge Separation as the Origin of Anomalous Stark Effect in Fluorous 2D Hybrid Perovskites Adv. Funct. Mater. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202000228

[2019] Grancini G*, Nazeeruddin M Dimensional tailoring of hybrid perovskites for photovoltaics Nature Rev. Materials, 4, 4-22.

[2018] Pantaler M, Cho K, Queloz V, García Benito I., Fettkenhauer C, Anusca I, Nazeeruddin M, Lupascu D, Grancini G* Hysteresis-Free Lead-Free Double-Perovskite Solar Cells by Interface Engineering ACS Energy Lett. 3, 1781-1786.

[2017] Grancini G. et al. One-Year stable perovskite solar cells by 2D/3D interface engineering. Nature Comm., 8(1) 1-8, 15684.

[2017] A. D. Jodlowski, C. Roldán-Carmona, G. Grancini, et al. Large guanidinium cation mixed with methylammonium in lead iodide perovskites for 19% efficient solar cells Nature Energy 2, 972.

[2016] Gratia, P., Grancini G.* et al. Intrinsic Halide Segregation at Nanometer Scale Determines the High-Efficiency of mixed cation/mixed halide Perovskite Solar Cells J. Am. Chem. Soc. 138 (49), 15821.

[2015] Grancini G. et al. Role of microstructure in the electron-hole interaction of hybrid lead halide perovskitesNature Photonics 9, 695-701.

[2014] D’Innocenzo V., Grancini G. et al. Excitons versus Free Charges: a Photophysical Picture of Organo-lead Tri- Halide Perovskites Nat. Commun. 5, 3586.

[2013] Grancini G. et al. Hot exciton dissociation in polymer solar cells Nature Mater. 12, 29.

[2013] Stranks S. D., Eperon G. E., Grancini G. et al. Electron-Hole Diffusion Lengths Exceeding 1 Micron in an Organometal Trihalide Perovskite Absorber Science 342 (6156), 341. 

[2012] G. Grancini, et al. Boosting Infrared Light Harvesting by Molecular Functionalization of Metal Oxide/Polymer Interfaces in Efficient Hybrid Solar Cells Adv. Funct. Mater. 22, 2160. 

Awards and prizes

In 2015 she received the prestigious National Award for Physics 2015 from EDISON, “in memoria di Francesco Somaini”. 

In 2017 she has been awarded by the IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in Optics from the International Commission of Optics for her ““deep knowledge on photophysical properties and ultrafast light-induced dynamical processes”c.

In 2018 she received the “Swiss Physical Society Award” from the Swiss Physical Society.

In 2018 she has been granted by the ERC Starting Grant HYNANO (1.5 M€) for the developement of “HYbrid NANOstructured multi-functional interfaces for stable, efficient and eco-friendly photovoltaic devices”.

In 2019 she has been nominated USERN Laureate in Physical Science. In addition, from January 2020 she is the Italian Ambassador for USERN.

In 2019 she appears among the “Highly Cited Researchers” (ranking in the top 1% by citations for field and year), Web of Science.

From 2020 she joined the “Gruppo 2003” and she is part of the Top Italian Scientist list.

Position/Role

Research Director at CNR, the National Council of Research of Italy.

Professional career

After graduating in Chemistry at the University of Milan, she carried out research activities at the University of Bari where she obtained her PhD in 1988 and began her career as a CNR researcher. In 1996 she moves to Milan, where in 2020 she becomes Research Director at the 'Giulio Natta' Institute of Chemical Sciences and Technologies (SCITEC).

Scientific results

Much of hes scientific activity has been dedicated to the use of heterogeneous catalysis in organic synthesis processes (selective catalytic hydrogenation in the synthesis of fine chemicals and specialties, selective catalytic dehydrogenation, heterogeneous catalytic epoxidation), and selective catalytic transformations of raw materials from renewable sources (vegetable oils, terpenes, sugars, cellulose, valorisation of agro-industry waste, circular economy).

She has been in charge of several contracts with italian and foreign industries.

She has been the Principal Investigator of research projects of interest for the development of Circular Economy: VeLiCA: da antiche colture materiali e prodotti per il futuro (Regione Lombardia, 2011-2013); RiceRes: From waste to resource: an integrated valorization of the rice productive chain residues (Fondazione Cariplo, 2015-2017); Circo: Multi valorization of silverskin, a residue of the coffee roasting industry (Fondazione Cariplo e InnovHub, 2018-2021)

Editorial work and publications

[2021] Cavuoto D, Ravasio N, Scotti N, Gervasini A, Campisi S, Marelli M, Cappelletti G,  Zaccheria F. A green solvent diverts the hydrogenation of γ–valerolactone to 1,4   pentandiol over Cu/SiO₂. Molecular Catalysis, 516: 111936

[2021] Overturf E, Pezzutto S, Boschiero M, Ravasio N, Monegato A. The CirCo (Circular Coffee) Project: A Case Study on Valorization of Coffee Silverskin in the Context of Circular Economy in Italy. Sustainability, 13: 9069

[2021] Bellini M, Zaccheria F, Bianchi S, Ravasio N. Vegetable oils as Triple Bottom Line compliant lubricants. Tribology International, 161: 107103

[2021] Nasti R, Galeazzi A, Marzorati S, Zaccheria F,  Ravasio N, Bozzano G.L.,  Manenti F, Verotta L. Valorisation of Coffee Roasting By‑Products: Recovery of Silverskin Fat By Supercritical CO₂ Extraction. Waste and Biomass Valorization, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-021-01435-9

[2020] Cavuoto D, Zaccheria F,  Ravasio N. Some Critical Insights into the Synthesis and Applications of Hydrophobic Solid Catalysts. Catalysts 10: 1337

[2020] Zaccheria F,  Bossola F, Scotti N, Evangelisti C, Dalsanto V,  Ravasio N. On demand production of ethers or alcohols from furfural and HMF by selecting the composition of a Zr/Si catalyst. Catalysis Science and Technology,  10: 7502–7511

[2020] Pappalardo V.M, Cavuoto D,  Sangiorgio S, Speranza G, Cappelletti G,  Ravasio N, Zaccheria F. Clays as Effective Solid Acid Catalysts for the Preparation of Sugar Esters with Surfactant Properties. ChemistrySelect 5: 8009–8014

[2020] Overturf  E, Ravasio N,  Zaccheria F, Tonin C, Patrucco A,  Bertini F,  Canetti M, Avramidou K, Speranza G, Bavaro T, Ubiali D. Towards a more sustainable circular bioeconomy. Innovative approaches to rice residue valorization: The RiceRes case study. Bioresource Technology Reports,  11: 100427

[2020] Cavuoto D,  Zaccheria F, Marelli M,  Evangelisti C, Piccolo O, Ravasio N. The Role of Support Hydrophobicity in the Selective Hydrogenation of Enones and Unsaturated Sulfones over Cu/SiO₂ Catalysts. Catalysts 10: 515

[2020]  Scotti N, Bossola F, Zaccheria F, Ravasio N. Copper-zirconia catalysts: Powerful multifunctional catalytic tools to approach sustainable processes. Catalysts 10: 168

[2020]  Scotti N, Ravasio N, Zaccheria F, Irimescu A, Merola S.S. Green pathway to a new fuel extender: continuous flow catalytic synthesis of butanol/butyl butyrate mixtures. RSC Advances, 10: 3130 – 3136

[2017]  Zaccheria F, Mariani M, Scotti N, Psaro R,  Ravasio N. Catalytic upgrading of lactose: a rest raw material of the dairy industry. Green Chemistry 19: 1904 - 1910

Awards and prizes

In 2021 she was awarded the  Medaglia Piero Pino  by the Industrial Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society "For contributions of scientific, innovative and applicative importance, in the sector of heterogeneous catalysis with particular attention to the substitution of noble metals in fine chemical synthesis and to selective transformation of renewable raw materials"

Position/Role

Scientific Officer at CAAT-Europe (University of Konstanz, Germany, Project Manager at TEAM Mastery)

Professional career

After her master degree in Chemistry with bio-organic specialisation at the University of Milan in 1989, she worked for 10 months in Germany as a chemist trainee at the Hewlett Packard (now Agilent Technology). The following years, she started as Chromatography Applicant specialist to investigate components in complex mixtures. For 15 years, she worked as analytical manager in national and international companies and in 2005 she joined the European Commission for a three year program at ECVAM, the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods where she participated in the working group RIP 3.3 (REACH Implementation Project, Technical Guidelines to Industries) and coordinated the integrated European Project Sens-it-iv, for the development of in vitro and in silico methods for the assessment of skin sensitisation. Since 2009 she has been appointed as Scientific Officer at CAAT - Europe (Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing) at the Konstanz University in Germany, in collaboration with the John Hopkins University in Baltimora (USA). For 10 years, Costanza Rovida has been also Project Manager at TEAM Mastery, a consultancy company in the business of regulatory affairs for chemistry, with special focus on REACH Regulation, that implements safe use of chemicals in the EU to improve human and environment health

Scientific results

Costanza Rovida has been committed in the evaluation of strategies to reduce or avoid the use of animals for scientific purposes. As Project Manager at TEAM Mastery and expert in testing strategies, she is also responsible for the preparation of registration dossiers of chemical substances, or for the toxicological evaluation of food/feed ingredients or cosmetics products in compliance with EU or non-EU legislation. Costanza Rovida is educator at the Association for Environment and workers taking care of safety in compliance with the provisions of both REACH and CLP (Regulations about how to communicate and manage the risk related to the handlings of chemicals). Her main commitment still lays in the dissemination and promotion of innovative human-based methods that are not using animals, through the organisation of workshops and publication of scientific papers as well as the spread of safety culture in compliance with international guidelines or with (International Conference on Harmonisation), with FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in collaboration with ECVAM, the European Centre for Validation of Alternative Methods.

Editorial work and publications

She is the author of many peer review publication, including: 

(2018) Meigs L., Smirnova L., Rovida C., Leist M. and Hartung T. Animal Testing and its Alternatives – the Most Important Omics is Economics. ALTEX  35(3) 275-305

(2016) Luechtefeld T, Maertens A, Russo DP, Rovida C, Zhu H and Hartung T. Global analysis of publicly available safety data for 9,801 substances registered under REACH from 2008-2014. ALTEX 33(2), 95-109

(2015) Rovida C, Asakura S, Daneshian M, Hofman-Huether H, Leist M, Meunier L, Reif D, Rossi A, Schmutz M, Valentin JP, Zurlo J, Hartung T. Toxicity testing in the 21st century beyond environmental chemicals. ALTEX Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 32(3):171-81. 

(2015) Rovida C, Alépée N, Api AM, Basketter DA, Bois FY, Caloni F, Corsini E, Daneshian M, Eskes C, Ezendam J, Fuchs H, Hayden P, Hegele-Hartung C, Hoffmann S, Hubesch B, Jacobs MN, Jaworska J, Kleensang A, Kleinstreuer N, Lalko J, Landsiedel R, Lebreux F, Luechtefeld T, Locatelli M, Mehling A, Natsch A, Pitchford JW, Prater D, Prieto P, Schepky A, Schuurmann G, Smirnova L, Toole C, van Vliet E, Weisensee D, Hartung T. Integrated Testing Strategies (ITS) for safety assessment. ALTEX Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 32(1): 25-40. 

(2014) Rovida C, Vivier M, Garthoff B, Hescheler J. ESNATS Conference — The Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells for Novel Toxicity Testing Approaches. ATLA Alternatives to Laboratory Animals, 42, 97-113. 

(2014) Knight J, Rovida, C. Safety Evaluations under the Proposed US Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013: Animal Use and Cost Estimates. ALTEX Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 31(2):177-208.

(2013) Rovida C, De Angelis I, Lorenzetti S. Alternative in vitro methods to characterize the role of Endocrine Active Substances (EASs) in hormone-targeted tissues. ALTEX Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 30(2):253-5. 

(2011) Rovida C, Longo F, Rabbit RR. How are Reproductive Toxicity and Developmental Toxicity Addressed in REACH Dossiers? ALTEX Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 28(3), 111-132. 

(2010) Rovida C. Food for Thought... Why No New In Vitro Tests Will Be Done for REACH by Registrants. ALTEX, Alternatives to Animal Experimentation, 27(3), 175-183. 
(2009) Hartung T, Rovida C. Opinion. Chemical regulators have overreached. Nature, 460, 1080-1.

Awards and prizes

Costanza Rovida is in the list of National Certified Toxicologists Register (RENTIC) and Accredited Stakeholder at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). She is in the expert group of the National Reference Centre for Alternative Methods (Istituto Zooprofilattico di Brescia), of ESTAF (ECVAM Stakeholder Forum), IPAM (Italian Platform for Alternative Methods) and secretary of ecopa (European Platform for Alternative Methods). She is also member of several scientific societies such as ESTIV (European Society of in vitro testing), SITOX (Italian Society Italiana of Toxicology) and AFI (Italian Associazione of Pharma). She is in the list of STOA consultant (European Parliament Science and Technology Options Assessment).

Position/Role

Full professor of Chemistry at the University of Bari (Italy) and adjunct professor at the Abo Academy University in Finland.

Professional career

She holds a degree in Physics and a PhD in Chemistry from UNIBA and was a post-doctoral fellow at Bell Labs in the USA. In 2010 Torsi was awarded the H.E. Merck Prize by the well-known multinational company, and to date she is still the only woman to have received this prestigious international award. In 2019, she was awarded the Distinguished Women Award by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry - IUPAC. She was also the only woman president of the European Material Research Society which, with more than 4000 members, is the largest of its kind in Europe. Torsi is the author of more than 200 papers, some of which have been published in high impact journals such as Science and Nature. Her work has garnered almost 13,000 citations, contributing to an h-index of 54 (google scholar). Research funding of more than €26 million includes several national and European projects, of which Torsi is often the coordinator. Luisa Torsi is also highly engaged as a role model for young female scientists. In a recent Bracco Foundation campaign, she starred in a TOPOLINO story as Louise Torduck, a successful scientist from the Calisota Valley.

Scientific results

Luisa Torsi's research focuses on bio-electronic transistor systems capable of detecting a single protein marker or a single virus in a real, non-pretreated sample of blood or saliva (10 zeptomolar concentration). The interface of the device, which responds in a few minutes and can be manufactured at low cost, is orders of magnitude larger than the single protein to be detected. This is a world record based on the Single-Molecule with a large Transistor -SiMoT technology patented by Torsi and his group in 2018. The prospect is the development of ultra-sensitive, fast, low-cost and high-reliability diagnostics for ultra-early screening of progressive diseases such as cancers and both viral and bacterial infections.

Editorial work and publications

Torsi has authored almost 200 ISI papers, including papers published in Science, Nature Materi-als, Nature Communications, PNAS and is co-inventor of several awarded international patents. Her works gathered almost 11.000 Google scholar citations resulting in an h-index of 50 (ISI h-index: 43).

(2020) Macchia E., Picca R.A., Manoli, K., Di Franco, C., Blasi, B., Sarcina, L., Ditaranto, N., Cioffi, N., Österbacka, R., Scamarcio, G., Torricelli, F., Torsi L.* About the amplification factors in organic bioelectronic sensors. Materials Horizons, 7, 999 – 1013. 2020 Materials Horizons most popular article.

(2019) Macchia, E., Tiwari, A., Manoli, K., Holzer, B., Ditaranto, N., Picca, R.A., Cioffi, N., Di Franco, C., Scamarcio, G., Palazzo, G., Torsi, L.*Label-free and selective single-molecule bioelectronic sensing with a millimeter-wide self-assembled monolayer of anti-immunoglobulins. Chemistry of Materials, 31, 6476-6483.

(2018) Macchia, E., Manoli, K., Holzer, B., Di Franco, C., Ghittorelli, M., Torricelli, F., Alberga, D., Mangiatordi, G.F., Palazzo, G., Scamarcio, G., Torsi, L.* Single mo-lecule detection with a millimetre-sized transistor. Nature Communications, 9, 3223; Highlighted in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05950-z

(2017) Holzer., B., Manoli, K., Ditaranto, N., Macchia, E., Tiwari, A., Di Franco, C., Scamarcio, G., Palazzo, G., Torsi, L. Characterization of Covalently Bound Anti-human Immunoglobulins on Self-assembled Monolayer Modified Gold Elec-trodes. Advanced Biosystem, 1, 1700055.

(2016) Macchia E, Alberga D, Manoli K, Torsi L, et al. Organic bioelectronics probing conformational changes in surface confined proteins. Scientific Reports, 6, 28085

(2015) Macchia E, Giordano F, Magliulo M, Torsi L, et al. An analytical model for bio-electronic organic field-effect transistor sensors.Applied Physics Letters, 106(2). 

(2015) Afzal A, Di Franco C, Mesto E, Torsi L, et al. Au/In2O3 and Au/ZrO2 composite nanoparticles via in situ sacrificial gold electrolysis.  Materials Express, 5(3):171-179

(2015) Mulla M Y, Tuccori E, Magliulo M, Torsi L, et al. Capacitance-modulated transistor detects odorant binding protein chiral interactions, Nature Communications, 6,6010

(2015) Palazzo G, De Tullio D, Magliulo M, Torsi L, et al. Detection Beyond Debye's Length with an Electrolyte-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistor. Advanced Materials, 27(5):911-916. 

(2013) Torsi L et al. Organic field-effect transistor sensors: a tutorial review. Chemical Society Reviews, 42(22):8612-8628. 

(2008) Torsi L, et al. A sensitivity-enhanced field-effect chiral sensor. Nature Materials, 7(5): 412-417. 

(1995) Dodabalapur A, Katz EH, Torsi L, et al. Organic Heterostructure Filed-Effect Transistors.Science, 269 (5230):1560-1562. 

(1995) Dodabalapur A, Torsi L, Katz EH. Organic Transistors - 2 dimensional transport and improved electrical characteristics. Science, 268 (5208):270-271.

Awards and prizes

In 2010, she was the first Italian and the first woman to win the Henrick Emmanuel Merck Prize for Analytical Sciences, an international award given to scientists who have invented a method of analysis capable of improving the quality of life of citizens. She received it for the invention of the bio-electronic sensor that can be printed on plastic or paper.

In 2013 she was awarded the itwiin prize as "Best Italian inventor of 2013" by the Italian Association of Women Inventors and Innovators.

In 2015 Euwiin International 2015 (European Union WomenInventors&Innovators Awards) awarded her the title of Best European Inventor in the "Inventor" section (first place overall).

In 2015 she was the President of the European Material Research Society, the first woman to hold this position.

In 2021, it was awarded the Wilhelm Exner Medal, a prestigious award conferred since 1921 in the presence of the Austrian President by the Austrian Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to celebrate excellence in research and science.

Position/Role

Full professor of General Chemistru at University of Bologna

Professional career

After graduating in Chemistry at the University of Bologna in 1971, she continued her education first as a fellow, then a contractor and finally a researcher at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Bologna until 1992. In the same year she became associate professor in the faculty of Mathematical Sciences , Physics and Natural of the same university, and is confirmed again in 1995. Since 2005 she is full professor of General Chemistry of the University of Bologna.

Scientific results

From 1972 to 1991 she worked at National Research Council of Bologna where her main research activity was focused on the field of Radiation Chemistry. In particular, she studied the electron-transfer processes involved in model systems for the conversion of solar energy in chemical energy. Her present research activity is in the field of Supramolecular Photochemistry and Electrochemistry; specifically she is involved in the realization of systems made by two or more molecules capable of performing useful functions. The aims of the research are the following. 1. The desing and construction of chemical systems where the molecular components display changes in their relative positions as a result of some external stimulus, that can be photochemical, chemical and electrochemical in nature. Such systems are called molecular machines and their importance is testified by the fact that this research topic was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016. 2. The design and construction of systems capable of transferring, switching, collecting, storing, and elaborating photochemical, chemical and electrochemical signals. Up to now several systems of this kind have been obtained, like molecular antennae, wires, plug/socket and extension devices. The results of her research are of great importance in the fields of nanosceince and nanotechnology; for example the developed systems can lead to the construction of molecular devices able to convert solar energy in chemical energy and to elaborate information (chemical computer); they can also find applications in the field of medicine, for example, to develop drug delivering systems that can open new perspectives to treat tumors.

Editorial work and publications

Margherita Venturi is author of two books (with Vincenzo Balzani) Chimica! Leggere e scrivere il libro della nature(Scienza Express Edizioni, 2012) and Energia, Risorse, Ambiente (Zanichelli, 2014).

She is co-author of more than 250 scientific papers, including several reviews, published in the most relevant international journals. Five of them are listed below.

(2015) D’Agostino S, Bergamini G, Ceroni P, Comotti A, Sozzani P, Bassanetti I, Grepioni F, Hernandez TM, Silvi S, Venturi M, Credi A. Photoinduced reversible switching of porosity in molecular crystals based on star-shaped azobenzene tetramers. Nature Chemistry, 7:634-640.

(2015) Ragazzon G, Baroncini M, Silvi S, Venturi M, Credi A. Light-powered autonomous and directional molecular motion of a dissipative self-assembling system. Nature Nanotechnology, 10:70-75.

(2008) Balzani V, Credi A, Venturi M. Photochemical conversion of solar Energy. ChemSusChem, 1:26-58.

(2008) Balzani V, Credi A, Venturi M. Molecular Devices and Machines – Concepts and Perspectives for the Nanoworld. Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, 1-546.

(2006) Balzani V, Clemente-León M, Credi A, Ferrer B, Venturi M, Flood A H, Stoddart J F. Autonomous artificial nanomotor powered by sunlight. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103:1178-1183.

Awards and prizes

In 2014 she received the Gold Medal Gabriello Illuminati from the Italian Chemical Society because of her contribution and involvement in teaching and spreading Chemistry as author of articles and books, as coordinator and partner of national and European projects, and as organizer of seminars, scientific exhibits, and teacher training courses. In addition, the medal recognized the fact that in 2000 she began to organize at the Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician” a show entitled Sounds, Lights, Colors and Other Special Effectsduring which the attending students (from primary to high schools) and citizens can see chemical demonstrations and understand the importance, utility, and beauty of Chemistry.