2013. Laurea triennale in Chimica, Università “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italia.
Titolo della Tesi: Characterization of the binary system gelatin in aqueous solution. Relatore: Prof. Camillo La Mesa.
2015. Laurea magistrale in Fotochimica e Materiali Molecolari, Università “Alma Mater Studiorum”, Bologna, Italia.
Titolo della Tesi: Synthesis and characterization of rigid photoactive tetra(azobenzene)methane compounds. Relatore: Prof. Alberto Credi (https://centri.unibo.it/clan/en/).
2018. Dottorato in Chimica Fisica e Chimica Analitica (Ecole Doctorale 388), UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Chemistry Department, Ecole Normale Supérieure e Sorbonne Université, Parigi, Francia.
Titolo della Tesi: Interface-driven soft matter systems: from 2D particle crystallization and light-responsive assemblies to magnet-guided fluid transport. Supervisore: Prof. Damien Baigl (http://www.baigllab.com).
Novembre 2018 – Aprile 2019. Ricercatore presso UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Chemistry Department, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Parigi, Francia. http://www.baigllab.com.
Giugno 2019 – Dicembre 2022. Ricercatore (Spark research fellow e Marie Curie fellow) presso il Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Svizzera. https://www.isa.mat.ethz.ch.
Dicembre 2022 – Gennaio 2025. Ricercatore (RTDa) presso il Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Firenze.
Febbraio 2025 – ad oggi. Ricercatore (RTDb sul programma Rita Levi Montalcini) presso il Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Firenze.
Vedi Curriculum in inglese.
La mia principale attività di ricerca si concentra sulla Chimica Fisica dei sistemi di Materia Soffice (Soft Matter), con particolare attenzione alla sintesi e alla caratterizzazione delle proprietà strutturali e dinamiche di sistemi colloidali. Principali argomenti di ricerca:
1) Sviluppo di nuovi protocolli di sintesi per controllare la struttura interna di particelle polimeriche con l'obiettivo di modulare le loro proprietà meccaniche e reologiche e la risposta a stimoli esterni (temperatura, luce).
2) Studio di particelle soffici adsorbite su interfasi fluide per comprendere il legame tra la struttura interna e la conformazione dopo l'adsorbimento, ed il conseguente assemblaggio 2D in monostrati, per applicazioni nel campo del patterning e della fotonica. In questo contesto, abbiamo sviluppato una tecnica innovativa basata sulla microscopia a forza atomica (AFM) per visualizzare le particelle all'interfase.
3) Sviluppo di una tecnica innovativa per depositare colloidi su substrati solidi dall'evaporazione di gocce delle loro sospensioni, per il patterning di strutture policristalline 2D.
4) Studio dell'interazione tra colloidi e tensioattivi al fine di: i) controllare il loro assemblaggio e la loro dinamica su interfasi fluide; ii) modulare le loro proprietà reologiche in sospensioni dense.
5) Sviluppo di nuovi metodi per controllare in maniera dinamica, tramite stimoli ottici, la cristallizzazione 2D di particelle su interfasi fluide, per mezzo di colloidi o tensioattivi fotosensibili.
6) Sviluppo di un nuovo metodo di attuazione magnetica per guidare il trasporto di gocce su substrati liquidi mediante deformazione dell’interfase fluida.
Per l'indagine di questi sistemi sono esperto in tecniche avanzate di microscopia ottica, microscopia a forza atomica, scattering della luce statico e dinamico, scattering a basso angolo di neutroni e raggi X, misure di tensione superficiale e pressione superficiale, reologia.
Legenda
2013. Bachelor Degree in Chemistry (L-27), Università “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy.
Thesis title: Characterization of the binary system gelatine in aqueous solution. Supervisor: Prof. Camillo La Mesa.
2015. Master Degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials (LM-54), Università “Alma Mater Studiorum”, Bologna, Italy.
Thesis title: Synthesis and characterization of rigid photoactive tetra(azobenzene)methane compounds. Supervisor: Prof. Alberto Credi (https://centri.unibo.it/clan/en/).
2018. PhD in Physical and Analytical Chemistry (Ecole Doctorale 388), UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Chemistry Department, Ecole Normale Supérieure and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Thesis title: Interface-driven soft matter systems: from 2D particle crystallization and light-responsive assemblies to magnet-guided fluid transport. Supervisor: Prof. Damien Baigl (http://www.baigllab.com).
November 2018 – April 2019. PostDoc, UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Chemistry Department, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. http://www.baigllab.com.
June 2019 – December 2022. PostDoc (Spark research fellow and Marie Curie fellow), Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. https://www.isa.mat.ethz.ch.
December 2022 – January 2025. Researcher (RTDa), Department of Chemistry, University of Florence.
February 2025 – to date. Researcher (RTDb, Levi Montalcini research fellow) Department of Chemistry, University of Florence.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Current position: Researcher (RTDb, Levi Montalcini research fellow), Department of Chemistry, University of Florence.
2022 – 2025. Researcher (RTDa), Department of Chemistry, University of Florence.
2019 – 2022. PostDoc (Spark research fellow and Marie Curie Fellow): Laboratory for Soft Materials and Interfaces, Department of Materials, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Group Leader: Prof. Lucio Isa.
2018 – 2019. PostDoc: UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Chemistry Department, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France. Group Leader: Prof. Damien Baigl.
EDUCATION
2018. PhD in Physical and Analytical Chemistry (Ecole Doctorale 388), UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Chemistry Department, Ecole Normale Supérieure e Sorbonne Université, Paris, France. Thesis: Interface-driven soft matter systems: from 2D particle crystallization and light-responsive assemblies to magnet-guided fluid transport. Supervisor: Prof. Damien Baigl.
2015. Master Degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials, Università “Alma Mater Studiorum”, Bologna, Italy. Thesis: Synthesis and characterization of rigid photoactive tetra(azobenzene)methane compounds. Supervisor: Prof. Alberto Credi.
2013. Bachelor Degree in Chemistry, Università “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy. Thesis: Characterization of the binary system gelatine in aqueous solution.Supervisor: Prof. Camillo La Mesa.
FINANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS
2025: "Levi Montalcini" research fellow. Funding: 270'678,82 €, for a duration of 3 years.
2022: Avviso 247 Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (D.D. 247 published on 19.08.2022, grant Nr. MSCA 0000004), funded by European Union - NextGenerationEU - PNRR, Missione 4, Componente 2, Investimento 1.2. Funding for MSCA winners to work as researcher (RTDa). Funding: 299’600 €, for a duration of 3 years.
2021: Young Investigator Training Programme. Award (3'000 €) funded by ACRI (associazione di fondazioni e di casse di risparmio) to work for one month in an Italian Research Centre.
2020: Marie Curie Individual Fellowship "PhotoSoftMat", funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska Curie grant agreement 888076, title: “Photo-controlled 2D soft materials from microgel particles at liquid interfaces”. Funding: 191’149 €, for a duration of 2 years.
2019: "Spark" fellowship funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), project number CRSK-2_190735 / 1, title: “Microrobots Meet Photocatalytic Water Splitting”. Funding: 98’604 CHF (c.a. 98'245 €), for a duration of 9 months. Co-responsible together with Dr. Fabio Grillo.
2015: PhD scholarship funded by IPGG (Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes pour la Microfluidique), Labex IPGG (ANR-10-LABX-31), title: “A new class of magnetosensitive surfactants for the magnetic actuation of microfluidic operations: from proof-of-concept to autonomous devices”. Participant.
PATENTS
“Substrate-tethered self-assembled colloidal monolayer disk exhibiting patterns of multiple structural colors, a method to produce them, embed or replicate them in polymeric films”. Inventors and contribution: J. Vialetto (35%), M. Morel (35%), D. Baigl (25%), S. Rudiuk (5%).
HONOURS AND AWARDS
Best oral award at Italian Soft Days conference, Bari, Italy, 2022.
Young Investigator Training Programme. Award (3'000 €) funded by ACRI (associazione di fondazioni e di casse di risparmio) to work for at least one month in an Italian Research Centre. 2021.
Poster prize at the “Designer Soft Matter” conference, Singapore, 2018.
Soft Matter Poster prize at the 91st annual meeting of the American Chemical Society Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, New York, US, 2017.
PARTICIPATION AT CONFERENCES, oral contribution
▪“Deposition of Complex Colloidal Assemblies from Drop Evaporation”, 8th International Soft Matter Conference, Raleigh, NC, USA, 29/07 – 2/08/2024.
▪“From microgels to hard-core soft-shell particles at fluid interfaces: in situ imaging of their 3D shape by atomic force microscopy", 7th International Soft Matter Conference, Osaka, Japan, 4 – 8/09/2023.
▪“Controlling the 3D shape of soft particles at fluid interfaces and how this affects their 2D assembly”, Italian Soft Days, Bari, Italy, 29-30/09/2022. Winner of the best oral award.
▪“Controlling the 3D shape of soft particles at fluid interfaces and how this affects their 2D assembly”, 36th European Colloid & Interface Society Conference, Crete, Greece, 4-9/09/2022.
▪“Controlling the 3D shape of soft particles at fluid interfaces and how this affects their 2D assembly”, SoftComp Annual Meeting, Salerno, Italy, 17-19/05/2022.
▪“The effect of internal architecture on the assembly of soft particles at fluid interfaces”, Interfaces International Conference, Pula (CA), Italy, 21-25/09/2021. Winner of the Young Investigator Training Programme, funded by ACRI.
▪“Hollow microgels at fluid interfaces: conformation and 2D assembly”, Italian Soft Days, Online, 21-25/09/2020.
▪“Direct adsorption and organization of colloidal particles at the air/water interface: structural and dynamic properties”, Colloidal Science and Metamaterials, Paris, France, 25-27/02/2019.
▪“Stimuli responsive two-dimensional colloidal crystals”, Journée des Jeunes Chercheurs de l’ENS, Paris, France, 05/03/2018.
My main research activity focuses on the Physical Chemistry of Soft Matter systems, with particular emphasis on the synthesis and characterization of structural and dynamic properties of colloidal systems. Main research topics:
1) Development of novel synthesis protocols to control the internal structure of polymeric particles with the goal to modulate their mechanical and rheological properties, and response to external stimuli (temperature, light).
2) Investigation of soft particles adsorbed at fluid interfaces to get insight into the link between internal structure and conformation after adsorption, and resulting 2D assembly in monolayers, for applications in patterning and photonics. In this context, we developed a novel technique based on atomic force microscopy, AFM, to visualize in-situ the particles at the interface.
3) Development of a novel technique to deposit colloids on solid substrates from the evaporation of drops of their suspensions, for the patterning of 2D polycrystalline structures.
4) Investigation of the interaction between colloids and surfactants in order to: i) control their assembly and dynamics at fluid interfaces; ii) modulate their rheological properties in dense suspensions.
5) Development of novel methods to dynamically control via optical stimuli the 2D crystallization of particles at fluid interfaces, by means of photosensitive colloids or surfactant.
6) Development of a novel magnetic actuation method to guide the transport of drops on liquid substrates by deforming the fluid interface.
For the investigation of these systems I am expert in advanced techniques in optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, static and dynamic light scattering, small-angle neutron and X-rays scattering, surface tension and surface pressure measurements, rheology.
