Catia Bastioli to receive honorary doctoral degree from the University of Bologna

The ceremony will be followed by the presentation of the Professor Emeritus diplomas.

The ceremony awarding the Honorary Doctoral Degree in Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering to entrepreneur Catia Bastioli – chemist, scientist, CEO of Novamont SpA and Chairwoman of Terna SpA. – will be held on Monday 27 May, at 16:30, in the Santa Lucia main lecture hall (Via Castiglione 36, Bologna).

Rector Francesco Ubertini and the Director of the Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, Alberto Montanari, will attend. After the ceremony, Professor Emeritus diplomas will be presented to: Lorenzo Gennaro Bianconi, Giovanni Brizzi, Massimo Derenzini, Giovanni Geraci, Sandro Grilli, Bruno Marano, Paola Monari, Arrigo Pareschi, Ugo Reggiani.

The University has decided to confer the honorary degree in Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering to Catia Bastioli for her distinguished role as European and international scientist and industrialist, promoter of important industrial initiatives in the chemicals and Bioeconomy sector, and her ability to combine the power of culture and knowledge with technology application.

Throughout her professional life, Dr. Bastioli has always found valid solutions able to make a significant difference in everyday life, foreseeing new emerging market opportunities in the science and technology of materials and Bioeconomy sectors.

She started her career as a researcher at Istituto Donegani (Novara) working in fields such as chemicals, science and technology of materials, environment and renewable raw materials sustainability, and soon became Technical Manager of Novamont – a company that produces biodegradable and compostable plastic materials from non-food biomasses – and currently is Novamont’s CEO.

During her career, Dr. Bastioli has held various important positions working on the research, production and commercialisation of new sustainable materials, starting new companies, including: Mater-Biopolymer S.p.A., Patrica (Fr) – of which she is Chairwoman – a company created by converting a former polyethylene terephthalate production plant into the first plant in Italy, using continuous line technology for the production of biodegradable polyesters; Mater-Biotech S.p.A, Bottrighe (Adria) – of which she is CEO – the first industrial plant in the world for Bio-butanediol (BDO) production from renewable sources through fermentation processes; Matrìca S.p.A., Porto Torres – of which she is CEO – a JV with ENI Versalis whose purpose is to reconvert the petrochemical facility at Porto Torres into a green biorefinery for the production of innovative intermediates from renewable sources.

In all these companies, Catia Bastioli has curated the creation of new materials, from basic scientific research to their production in ad hoc facilities, strengthening Italy’s leading role in the production of biodegradable materials obtained from renewable sources.

She has obtained many recognitions, such as the Honorary Degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Genoa in 2008, the Honorary Degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Palermo in 2016 and the Honorary Degree in Business Administration from the University of Foggia in 2018. Awarded the honorary distinction of Knight on the Order of the Italian Republic by President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano (2013) and appointed to the Order of Merit for Labour by President Sergio Mattarella (2017).

Tireless promoter of new industrial initiatives in the chemicals and materials fields, Catia Bastioli has always focussed on environmental and economic sustainability, combining research, industrialisation, employment and environment.