Women in science

Despite the progress towards achieving gender balance over the last few decades, women are still under-represented in scientific research. Cnr Nano acknowledges the critical role women and girls play in science and technology, and  is committed to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women.

 

On the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2023, our institute celebrated the talent and contribution of its excellent female researchers by joining the social media campaign #womenatCNR

 

The initiative was inaugurated on Feb. 11, 2022 by the Cnr-Scitec institute, in 2023 it was taken up by Cnr Nano and many other Cnr institutes, garnering a total of 300 women who participated enthusiastically with a snapshot in the lab and a short caption telling their interests and what they love about their job. The #womenatCNR were therefore the protagonists throughout 2023 of a social campaign aimed at enhancing the female community working at Cnr animated by enthusiasm, passion and curiosity.

 

The faces and stories of Cnr NANO’s female protagonists are gathered here to highlight the wealth of expertise, enthusiasm and commitment of female scientists dedicated to nanoscience research

Lucia Sorba

#Meet Lucia Sorba! She is acting director of Istituto Nanoscienze - @Cnr_Nano. She uses epitaxial growth techniques to realise low dimensional semiconductor nanostructures, which are key materials for quantum technology.

Valentina Zannier

Meet Valentina Zannier! @valezannier86 is a researcher @Cnr_Nano Pisa. She studies the growth of semiconductor nanowires and nanostructures by Chemical Beam Epitaxy, for applications in photonics, electronics and solid-state quantum devices.

Rosa Di Felice

#Meet Rosa DiFelice! Rosa is a research director @Cnr_Nano and professor @USC. She uses classical and quantum computers to determine the properties of inorganic, organic and biological matter by numerically solving the laws of physics.

Giorgia Brancolini

#Meet Giorgia Brancolini! @gbrancol is a Senior Researcher at @Cnr_Nano. Protein and tea lover, she combines computational modelling and deep learning algorithms to design engineered nanoparticles and surfaces for biosensors (e.g. for Covid-19) and biomedical applications. #AI4Health #biosensors

CHIARA DE CESARI

Meet Chiara De Cesari! @Chiara_DeCe is a biotechnologist at Cnr Nano, Pisa. She is working on the identification of molecular biomarkers for AngelmanSyndrome using small extracellular vesicles called exosomes.

ANTONELLA BATTISTI

Meet Antonella Battisti! Antonella is a chemist and researcher at Cnr Nano, Pisa. She’s fascinated by nature and tries to exploit natural mechanisms to produce innovative biomaterials for biomedical applications and to develop novel sensing platforms.

CLAUDIA CARDOSO

Meet Claudia Cardoso! @Claudia81668079 is a theoretical physicist working as a researcher at Cnr Nano in Modena. She uses high performance computer simulations to predict the electronic and optical properties of innovative materials, such as bidimensional ones.

ANTONELLA SGARBOSSA

Meet Antonella Sgarbossa! @AntoSgarb is a biophysicist fascinated by molecules of biomedical interest. She uses #fluorescence techniques to study neurotoxic peptides and antimicrobial properties of photosensitizing molecules.

PAOLA LUCHES

Meet Paola Luches! @LuchesPaola is a senior researcher at Cnr Nano in Modena. She develops nanostructured materials for efficient solar energy conversion and test them at advanced laser facilities, such as free electron lasers.

ILARIA TONAZZINI

Meet Ilaria Tonazzini! @ilat79 is a senior research scientist at Cnr Nano in Pisa. She is a biochemist by formation and her research focuses on the development of nanostructured biomaterials to study and cure the nervous system.

MIRIAM SERENA VITIELLO

Meet Miriam Serena Vitiello! She is Director of Reserach at Cnr Nano in Pisa. She leads the Terahertz nano-photonics group, pioneering the development of quantum laser sources, 2Dmaterial nanodetectors and near-field microscopy.

ELISA RICCARDI

Meet Elisa Riccardi! She is a technologist at Cnr Nano in Pisa with expertise in micro- and nano-device design, fabrication and characterisation. Her present activity focus on far infrared quantum cascade laser sources and detectors.

CHIARA SCHIATTARELLA

Meet Chiara Schiattarella! She is a physicist with expertise in the bio- and nanophotonics fields. Her current activity is focused on the development of advanced imaging techniques in the far infrared/THz range, such as s-SNOM imaging.

GIORGIA TORI

Meet Giorgia Tori! She is a PhD student in nanoscience at Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. She is working on the development of advanced biosensors with application in agrifood field.

MIRIAM DE SARLO

Meet Miriam De Sarlo! She is a postdoc researcher with a background in molecular biology that she leverage to develop new strategies and nanotechnologies to study neurodegenerative disorders, such as Krabbe disease.

LAURA ZANETTI POLZI

Meet Laura Zanetti Polzi! She is a researcher at Cnr_Nano in Modena. Laura uses cutting-edge theoretical-computational methods to understand and predict the mechanisms at the basis of complex biomolecular phenomena.

LAURA COLAGIORGIO

Meet Laura Colagiorgio! She is a molecular biotechnologist at Cnr_Nano in Pisa. Within the Neurosens Group, Laura works on the development of a nanoparticles based therapy for Krabbe disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease.

BARBARA STORTI

Meet Barbara Storti! Barbara is a researcher at Cnr Nano in Pisa. She investigates cellular processes in living cells by using fluorescence microscopy combined with genetic engineering.

MELISSA SANTI

Meet Melissa Santi! @melissa_santi6 works on the synthesis of new targeting molecules for cancer drug delivery and crossing the blood-brain barrier. She's also exploring circadian rhythms and neurodegenerative disorders.

AMBRA DEL GROSSO

Meet Ambra Del Grosso! Ambra is a biologist working at the Neurosens group at NEST Lab. She's dedicated to finding new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Krabbe desease, using nanotechnology and autophagy modulation.

FEDERICA BIANCO

Meet Federica Bianco! Federica is a research scientist at Cnr Nano in Pisa. She exploits 2D materials and their interaction with light and electrons for next-generation electronics and optoelectronics devices.

ALESSANDRA DI GASPARE

Meet Alessandra Di Gaspare! She is a research scientist at Cnr Nano in Pisa. She designs cutting-edge terahertz quantum cascade laser structures using advanced nanofabrication and spectroscopy techniques.

SARA CHIARUGI

Meet Sara Chiarugi! Sara is a a research fellow at Cnr Nano in Pisa; she is dedicated to crafting nanoparticles for ASO molecules delivery to the brain, pioneering new therapies for Angelman Syndrome.

SARA CARPI

Meet Sara Carpi! She is a molecular pharmacologist, she studies the pathogenic mechanisms involved in Krabbe disease and the development of a novel platform for the Enzyme Replacement Therapy (ERT).

YLEA VLAMIDIS

Meet Ylea Vlamidis! Ylea is Cnr Nano associate researcher. As a chemist she explores the properties of graphene combined with organic molecules or metallic nanoparticles for hydrogen storage and sensing applications.

STEFANIA BENEDETTI

Meet Stefania Benedetti! Stefania is a research fellow at Cnr Nano in Modena; she develops nanostructured oxide films and studies their properties for applications in energy harvesting and optoelectronics.

VALENTINA TOZZINI

Meet Valentina Tozzini! Valentina is head of research at Cnr_Nano in Pisa; she uses multi-scale computer simulations to study biomolecular systems for teranostics and to design materials for green energy and environment.