Curriculum Vitae
Professore di Chimica-Fisica, Direttore di Dipartimento
Dipartimento di Chimica “G. Ciamician”, Università di Bologna, V.
F. Selmi 2, 40126 Bologna, Italy, Tel +39 051 209 94 73 or +39 349
38 26 714; Fax +39 051 209 94 56,
francesco.zerbetto@.unibo.it
Homepage
http://www.unibo.it/docenti/francesco.zerbetto
Academic qualifications
1982 Laurea in Chimica (110/110 summa cum laude)
1986 PhD in Chemistry (after Laurea, 12 months compulsory service
in the Army)
Research career
1986-1990 Research Associate, National Research Council of Canada,
Ottawa, Canada
1990-1999 Lecturer, University of Bologna
2000-2001 Associate Professor, University of Bologna
2001-to date Professor, University of Bologna
Publications
More than 290 papers in internationally refereed journals including
Science, Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Nanotech., PNAS, Chem.
Rev., Acc. Chem. Res., Chem. Soc. Rev., Nano Lett., Angew. Chem.
Int. Edit., Adv. Mater., J. Am. Chem. Soc., Biophys. J.,
Proteins.
Citations Hirsch-index 47
Awards
1995 Premio Federchimica for work on Theoretical Spectroscopy
2003 Finalist Descartes Prize for work on interlocked
molecules
2006 Nominee Descartes Prize for work on Fullerenes and Carbon
Nanotubes
2007 Descartes Prize for work on Molecular Machines
European Union Grants (amounts for the group of the
Applicant)
The total amount of funding from 1996 is close to € 2.5
Million
(i) ENBAC (Benzylic Amide Catenanes, 1996-2001) 260 k€
(ii) USEFULL (Useful fullerenes, 1997-2001) 169 k€
(iii) DRUM (Rotaxane-based Unconventional Materials,
1997-2001) 165 k€
(iv) FUNCARS (Functionalised Carbon Nanotubes, 2000-2003) 185
k€
(v) MIPA (Interlocked Polymers, 2000-2004) 200 k€
(vi) MechMol (Molecular Motions, 2002-2005) 250 k€
(vii) CassiusClays (Polymer-clays intercalation, 2002-2006) 185
k€
(viii) Wonderfull (fullerene derivatives, 2002-2006) 175 k€
(ix) EMMMA (Mechanical architecture, 2002-2006s) 160 k€
(x) Hy3M (Molecular motions, 2005-2008) 250 k€
(xi) STAG (Smart Tags 2007-2010) Coordinator, 250 k€ for the group
and k€2000 overall
(xii) Biodot (Organic transistors for sensing 2007-2010) 180
k€
Reviewing and Editorial Boards
Reviewing for JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Nano Letters, SMALL,
Chemistry Eur. J., ChemPhysChem, Langmuir, J. Phys. Chem., J. Chem.
Phys., Chem. Phys. Letters, PCCP, and other journals.
Board member of Fullerenes, Nanotubes, and Carbon
Nanostructures.
Panel advisor or PhD examiner in Ireland, Finland, Belgium and
Holland.
Conference organization
1997 ESF Conference: Vice chairman of “Fullerenes in Context”,
Espinho, Portugal
1999 ESF Conference: Chairman of “Taming Molecular Complexity” S.
Feliu du Guixols, Spain
2003 ESF Workshop: Vice chairman of “New perspectives on
Aromaticity”, Exeter, UK
2004 Chair “Modelling and Simulating Materials Nanoworld”,
Acireale, Italy
Many international workshops connected to the EU grants (one or two
per each grant)
Board of the International WinterSchool on Electronic Properties of
Novel Materials (IWEPNM) from 2003-2005.
Research
My research is in theoretical and computational chemistry. To
understand how molecules work singly, or together, or when they are
set off by an external stimulus describes the focus of the activity
of my group. The stimuli can be of mechanical nature, or photons,
or electrons, or other molecules. Experimental data and/or
collaborations with experimental groups are central to my work. The
aim is not the simple reproduction of experiments by computer
simulations; rather the purpose has always been to bring the use of
computational chemistry at the same level of any of the host of
experimental techniques that are used in the investigation of
complex phenomena.
Collaborations
Strong collaborative links exists with several experimental groups
such as P. Rudolf (Groningen), W.J. Buma (Amsterdam), M. Prato
(Trieste), D.M. Guldi (Erlangen), F. Biscarini (CNR,
Bologna).