Curriculum

• WP Leader of ECPLIPSE Pathfinder PATHFINDEROPEN-01 - ECLIPSE ECL-based Infectious Pathogen (bio)Sensor - Proposal number: 101046787 - Duration (months): 42– Starting Date: 01.05.2022 - funded for 3.1 Mϵ
• PI of Research Unit Project “Graphene Flagship Core Project 3 - GrapheneCore3”, Call: H2020-SGA-FET-GRAPHENE-2019 - Starting Date: 01.04.2020 - funded for £261,001

<>-------http://www.european-mrs.com/meetings/2015-spring/2015-spring-symposia-program
 
 
Attività di Ricerca 
L'attività di ricerca abbraccia ambiti multidisciplinari nella progettazione e sviluppo di materiali e sistemi multifunzionali nanostrutturati, dispositivi e sensori miniaturizzati, come:
(i) sistemi di bioingegneria per applicazioni biomediche con focus sulla progettazione e l’implementazione di nuovi sistemi per il monitoraggio di parametri fisiologici basati su fotorivelatori ottici al silicio a single photon counting ad alta sensibilità (SiPM);
(ii) sistemi nanostrutturati e multifunzionali, con realizzazione di materiali nanostrutturati (bidimensionali e tridimensionali su nanoscala) in grado di svolgere specifiche funzioni sotto il controllo di stimoli ottici o elettrici (approcci bottom-up);
(iii) dispositivi e metodi innovativi per il bio-rilevamento, con particolare focalizzazione su nuovi biochip per la detection molecolare, come (i) trasduttori amplificanti segnali di emissione ottica di marcatori fluorescenti, (ii) chip in silicio miniaturizzati per la rilevazione del DNA mediante trasduzione elettrochimica (Cover Page Analyst, 2017, 142, 2090-2093) o capacitiva-induttiva, (iii) metodi di rilevamento del DNA privi di amplificazione;
(iv)  nuovi materiali e sistemi per la sensoristica ambientale e sviluppo di dispositivi miniaturizzati basati su materiali nanostrutturati (nanowalls, nanorods di ossidi di nichel e zinco, Silicon nanowires (Si NWs), carbon dots, grafene) per il monitoraggio degli inquinanti ambientali.
 
 

L’attività di ricerca include 286 contributi: 

- 145 pubblicazioni (35 come corresponding author, 3 Cover e 1 Hot Paper su riviste internazionali peer-reviewed) 

- 133 comunicazioni a congressi nazionali ed internazionali

- 26 Brevetti

Curriculum

Full professor of Physics (FIS03) at University of Messina, Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences (from Oct 2019);
 
Rector Delegate to Technology Transfer at University of Messina
 
Head of Joint Research Laboratory between STMicroelectronics (Multinational Semiconductor Industry, www.st.com) and University of Messina whose purpose is to carry out research activities, industrial exploitation of results and technology transfer;
 
Head of the Research Unit at Third Parties (URT) of the Department of Physical Sciences and Technologies of Matter (DSFTM) of the National Research Council (CNR) - Lab SENS- Beyond Nano, at the University of Messina (UNIME)
 
Member of the Strategic and Advisory Council of the Graphene Flaghship (https://graphene-flagship.eu/project/management/Pages/Strategic-Advisory-Board.aspx ) chaired by the Nobel Prize Prof Konstantin Novoselov (University of Manchester, Manchester, UK).
 
Member of the Biomedical District Council for High Technology-Sicily
Scientific Advisor for Health Programs of Distretto Tecnologico Micro e Nanosistemi Sicilia (http://www.distrettomicronano.it/en/);
 
Scientific Advisor for STMicroelectronics in the field of advanced research on innovative sensors
 

Member of the Board of Professors of PhD Course in "Bioengineering Applied to Medical Sciences" at University of Messina

 
Co-founder (June 2020) of Spin off (Innovative Start Up) Innova Medical Biotechnologies (IBMTech - www.ibmtech.it) which addresses products / services related to: (a) medical devices; (b) artificial intelligence algorithms for medical imaging analysis; (c) Nutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals and Food Supplements;
 
Scientific Advisor for Health Programs of Distretto Tecnologico Micro e Nanosistemi Sicilia http://www.distrettomicronano.it/en/),
 
Scientific Advisor for STMicroelectronics in the field of advanced research on innovative sensors.
 
Member of AISEM Steering Committee - Italian Association of Sensors and Microsystems (http://www.aisem.eu/steering-committee/ ).
 
 
Previous Working Experience
2000-2019 - R&D Manager at STMicroelectronics (ST) covering the several roles (Advanced Devices and Sensors R&D Manager - 2009/2019; BioWare R&D Section Manager - 2005/2009; Molecular Nano Devices Group Leader - 2002/2005; FerroElectric Memory Process engineering -1999/2002) managing and coordinating several Advanced Research Programs in many areas involving (i) development of integrated silicon technological platforms, (ii) nanotechnologies; (iii) systems for physical sensors and biodevices. Responsabilities included: (a) management of multidisciplinary teams with background in physics, chemistry, electronic and mechanical engineering, informatics, molecular biology. (b) research management (activities definition, plan, roadmap…); (c) research projects in cooperation with external partners (both academic and private entities) (d) funding: coordination and definition of projects applied for funding according to the technology Roadmap.
Development of the first Biotechnological Platform of ST, LabonChip BioTechnology, currently commercialised by VeredusLAB (https://vereduslabs.com/products/molecular-testing-loc/). For this activity in July 2009 received the TEAM NOMINEE AWARD from ST.
Member of Steering Committee of ST Technical Staff, a staff including the technical excellence of the company.
Several Patent Awards received from ST for the innovative contribution given in the research.
 
Education And Training
Graduated in Industrial Chemistry cum summa laude at the University of Bologna (Italy)
Ph.D. in Materials Engineering in 2001 from University of Lecce (Italy) spending 1 year as PhD student at the Department of Chemistry University of Ottawa (Canada).
High Education on "Development of monolithic and composite ceramic materials for advanced energy technologies" managed by Eniricerche (1996-1998), spending 20 months at CNR-IRTEC in Faenza (Ra) 6 months at Eniricerche research laboratories and 2 weeks as Visiting Scientist at the University of Massachussets (USA).
 
 
Teaching And Mentoring
AA 2019-2020/2020-2021/ /2020-2022– Teacher of PHYSICS Course for CTF (Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies) degree course at University of Messina (6 CFU).
 
Supervisor of Ph.D Thesis entitled ”Development Of Innovative Technologies For Dna Extraction And Detection” – Student: Sciuto Emanuele Luigi – Ph.D in Material Science and Nanotechnologies (Cycle XXX)- University of Catania (Italy) – Received the First place in III Edition of the Dario Scapaticci PhD Prize MESAP Polo,  Turin 6 June, 2018 - https://www.mesap.it/il-racconto-di-spm2018-lassieme-annuale-del-polo-mesap/#
 

Co-tutor of Industrial PhD Thesis entitled: Development of new materials based on the various allotropic forms of carbon (fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene and also Quantum Dots) for photovoltaics and sensors '' Student: Sawalha Shadi – PHD "Engineering of Materials, Structures and Nanotechnologies" (XXXII cycle) - University of Salento 

 
Co-supervisor of 6 Degree Theses in Chemistry and Materials Engineering
 
 
Reseach Project Coordination
Principal Investigator (PI) of several national Italian research projects, participating as WP leader in various European projects, as below detailed:
• WP Leader of ECPLIPSE Pathfinder PATHFINDEROPEN-01 - ECLIPSE ECL-based Infectious Pathogen (bio)Sensor - Proposal number: 101046787 - Duration (months): 42– Starting Date: 01.05.2022 - funded for 3.1 Mϵ
• PI of Research Unit Project “Graphene Flagship Core Project 3 - GrapheneCore3”, Call: H2020-SGA-FET-GRAPHENE-2019 - Starting Date: 01.04.2020 - funded for £261,001

<>-------http://www.european-mrs.com/meetings/2015-spring/2015-spring-symposia-program
 
 
Reseach Activities 
The research activity embraces multidisciplinary fields in the design and development of multifunctional nanostructured materials and systems, miniaturized devices and sensors, including
(i) Bioengineering Systems for Biomedical Applications with focus on the design and implementation of new bioengineering systems for the monitoring of physiological parameters based on high sensitive single photon counter silicon optical detector SiPM (silicon photomultiplier) 
(ii) 3. Multifunctional nanostructured systems, with creation of nanostructured materials (two- and three-dimensional (2D or 3D) nanoscale systems) able to performing specific functions under the control of optical or electrical stimuli (bottom-up approaches). 
(iii) Innovative devices&methods for biosensing,  focusing on new biochips for molecular biosensing including (i) traducer that significantly amplifies the optical emission signal of the fluorescent label; miniaturized silicon chips that allow the detection of DNA by electrochemical transduction (Cover Page Analyst, 2017, 142, 2090–2093) or capacitive-inductive; (iii) development of DNA detection methods amplification-free.
(iv) New Materials&Systems for Environmental Sensors, focusing on miniaturized devices for environmental sensors using new nanostructured materials (nanowalls, nanorod of NiOx and ZnOx metal oxides, Au and Ni metals and Silicon nanowires (Si NWs), C-dots, Graphene) for monitoring environmental pollutants. 
 

The research activity includes 286 Contributions: 

- 145 Publications (35 as corresponding author, 3 Covers on International Peer Rev Journals, 1 Hot Papers on International Peer Rev Journals) 

- 133 Communications at national and international congresses

- 26 Patents

- Hindex: 29; Cit: 2241 (Scopus)