Executive Committee
Prof. Martino Bolognesi
Martino Bolognesi graduated in Chemistry, "cum laude", at the University of Pavia in 1974, and subsequently
specialized in Biochemistry (1978, "cum laude"), both as Fellow of Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia. Between 1978
and 1981 he spent his post-doc years at the University of Oregon (USA), Institute of Molecular Biology
(Prof. B.W. Matthews) and at the Max Planck Institut fur Biochemie (Martinsried-Munich, Germany, Prof. R. Huber),
respectively. Back in Italy, he was Associate Professor of Biophysical Chemistry at the University of Pavia
(1981-1991), subsequently, full Professor of Biophysics, at the University of Genova (1991-2004), where he led the
bio-crystallographic lab hosted at the Advanced Biotechnology Center, U. of Genova. From Novemberv2004 he is full
Professor of Biochemistry at the Dept. of Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Milano, where a
new structural biology lab has been established. His scientific career has been constantly centered on the study
of protein structure through X-ray crystallography, with more than 320 papers published to date on the structural
biology study of metallo-proteins and enzymes (about 160 original depositions in the Protein Data Bank). During his
career Prof. Bolognesi has been (and is) member of different international science advisory committees
(SACs and Review panels), and issued lectures at academic or private scientific institutions, in different
Countries (Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, England, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Israel, Russia, China, USA,
Canada, Brazil, Japan).
- EMBO Member since 1995
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Scientific Advisory Committee, 1998 – 2003, Vice-Chairman since 2002.
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF, Grenoble): Scientific Advisory Committee 1996-1998, 2006 -
- EMBL Outstation at Hamburg Synchrotron (DESY): Head of Beamtime Allocation Committee for Life Sciences 1998 – 200
Member of Beamtime Allocation Committee for Life Sciences 1995 –1998
- EMBO Young Investigator Program member of selection Commitee: 2004 - 2007
- Human Frontier Science Program: Member of Internal Referee Panel 1998 – 2002, Vice Chairman of Int. Referee Panel 2001 - 2002
- International Union of Crystallography: Commission on Biological Macromolecules (1993 – 1999)
- European Science Foundation Network “Crystallography of Biological Macromolecules” 1989 – 1995
- Editorial Boards: Macromolecular Structures (Current Biol. Ltd.) 1993-1998, Journal of Molecular Recognition
(John Wiley & Sons) 1988-1998, Biological Chemistry, Hoppe Seyler’s (W.de Gruyter) from 1995, Protein Science
(cold Spring Harbor Press) from, 2004
- Societa’ Italiana di Biochmica e Biologia Molecolare: Coordinator of : Gruppo Struttura e Funzione delle Proteine,
1999 – 2002
Prof. Dominique Roberto
In 1984 and 1989, under the guidance of prof. Howard Alper of the University of Ottawa (Canada),
she received the Bachelor with specialization and the Ph. D. in Chemistry, earning 24 scientific awards given
by private chemical industries or governmental institutions including the gold medal governor-general of Canada.
Since 1989 she collaborates with prof. Renato Ugo at the University of Milan. She was Researcher (1995-1998 ),
Associate Professor (1998-2006) and since October 2006 she is Full Professor for General and Inorganic Chemistry,
at the Science Faculty of the University of Milan. Prof. D. Roberto did research in the following areas: synthesis
of organic compounds, in particular of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, catalysed by transition metals; (2)
synthesis of organometallic compounds with electric or non-linear optical properties; (3) surface organometallic
chemistry, in particular (i) reactivity and characterization of metalcarbonyl complexes or clusters supported on
silica, (ii) synthesis of organometallic compounds as models of surface species, (iii) use of the silica surface
as reaction medium for the selective and high-yield synthesis, working under mild conditions, of various
metalcarbonyl species. The use of silica to carry out surface-mediated synthesis has been very innovative and
opens a new area of synthetic methodologies.
For her work on surface organometallic chemistry, in 1996 she received the "Flavio Bonati" award from the
"Gruppo Interdivisionale di Chimica Organometallica" (Società Chimica Italiana) and in 1998 she earned the
“Federchimica-per un futuro intelligente” award.
Prof. D. Roberto is author of 80 publications on highly qualified international journals and 76 communications
in national and international congresses. She was Guest Editor of 2 volumes on Journal of Molecular Catalysis
A: Chemical (year 2003) and is Editor of a book on Advances on Surface Organometallic Chemistry (together with
Renato Ugo, Rinaldo Psaro and Jean-Marie Basset). She is member of the international committee of Molmat
(Molecular Materials based on Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry).
Her activity in CIMAINA is focused on (I) design, preparation and characterization of nanostructured molecular
materials for opto- and micro-electronics and (II) nanomanipulation and nanofunctionalization of surfaces,
including reactivity of organometallic complexes with silanol ligands as models of silica-supported organometallic
species, aggregation of metalcarbonyl species on the silica surface to form high nuclearity clusters, and
generation on inert surfaces of metallic nanoparticles with catalytic properties.
Dr Paolo Piseri
Paolo Piseri is senior researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Beams and Nanocrystalline
Materials at the Department of Physics, University of Milan, where he also graduated
and obtained his PhD.
He has been working at the laboratory since its establishment and has
significantly contributed to the development of its synthesis and characterization
techniques as well as to its growth and international reputation. His research is
related to generation and deposition of clusters, the development of the respective
apparatus, gas phase nanoparticle manipulation as well as their characterization
using spectroscopic methods.
Since 1997 he is active in the field of X ray absorption spectroscopy performing
experiments at LURE synchrotron radiation facility; since 2003 he works on the topic
of applying these techniques to the study of free nanoparticles made from refractory
material.
He is presently leading the nanoparticle and nanostructured materials synthesis and
the gas phase nanoparticle characterization and manipulation activities at the
Molecular Beams anad Nanocrystalline Materials Laboratory of the Università degli
Studi di Milano.
He is co-inventor of six italian and international patents in the field of nanotechnology
and co-author of over 80 papers published on international journals in the Thomson
ISI database.
Prof. Elisabetta Ranucci
Elisabetta Ranucci is Associate Professor of Polymer Chemistry at the University of Milan.
Her carrier started as Lecturer at the University of Brescia in 1986, after a doctor degree in Chemistry
at the University of Pisa in 1983. She also worked as Lecturer at the Royal Institute for Technology, Department
of Polymer Technology, in Stockholm (SE), from 1998 to 2001, where she was appointed as Docent in Polymer
Technology in 2000. Her research activity has concentrated on the synthesis of multifunctional polymers, mainly
for the design of new biomaterials and polymer therapeutics, of biodegradable materials from renewable resources,
and of polymer based nanocomposites with special properties. She is co-author of more than 110 articles on
international journals, 8 patents and several reviews. Elisabetta Ranucci has a large experience in participating
in different EU collaborative projects. In the last three years she has acted as scientific responsible for the
University of Milan of the COOP-CT-2005-018003 project “NANORUB” and as coordinator of the NMP-STREP project
N° 516998 “FLARETPOL”. Both projects deal with the development of polymer matrix-based nanocomposites for
the automotive indutry.
Prof. Gian Franco Tantardini
Gian Franco Tantardini is Professor of Theoretical Physical Chemistry at the University of Milan and Director of the Department of
Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry.
After the degree in Chemistry (1969, summa cum laude), he started
his research activity at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, and later (1970) at the C.N.R.Centre for the Study
of the Relationships between Structure and Chemical Reactivity. He became Associate Professor (1987), and then
Full Professor (2000)at the University of Milan.
His scientific activity was developed in Theoretical
Chemistry.
He worked, for quite a few years,, in the ab initio Valence Bond Theory. Then, he became interested
in studies concerning the interaction of molecular species in gas phase and metal surfaces which play a crucial
role in many fields such as heterogeneous catalysis, corrosion, passivation, gas storage, etc., using modelling
approaches based on reactive molecular dynamics. Recent studies are related to recombination of hydrogen on Nickel
surfaces, adsorption of water on Ruthenium, adsorption of Oxygen on Aluminium, diffusion of H atoms and formation
of H2 on graphite.
Member of the Commission for Scientific Research and Technological Transfer, University of
Milan.
Member of the Scientific Council of the Doctorate School in Chemical Science and Technology,
University of Milan.
Associate Member of the C.N.R. Institute of Molecular Science and Technology, Milan.
Former Member of the Administrative Council of the University of Milan (2000-2006).
Former President of the Computational Chemistry Group of the Italian Chemical Society (2000-2003).
He represents the University of Milan in the European Chemistry Thematic Network.
He is the Erasmus Coordinator for the Chemistry Courses, University of Milan.
He is member of the Italian Society of Chemistry, the Italian Society of Physics, of the European Physical
Society, of the American Chemical Society.