PROFILE
Research expertise: Porous materials, catalysis, organocatalysis, solid oxides, functionalised materials, zeolites, sustainable chemistry, adsorption in porous media, fluid/solid interactions, membranes, transport and diffusion in fluids and porous media, diffusion and adsorption in catalysis, molecular dynamics, soft matter, ionic liquids, deep eutectic solvents, green solvents, fine chemicals, petrochemicals, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Pulsed-Field Gradient (PFG) NMR diffusometry and NMR relaxometry, Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy, Infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TGA, TPD, TPO, TPR), mass spectrometry, gas chromatography.
Technical expertise: Process engineering design in petrochemical, refining and food industries; Mechanical design of process equipment; Nuclear energy technology; Removal of pollutants from wastewater; Sustainable development; Planning, monitoring and reporting of project plans, schedule and progress of activities for large size projects in the oil & gas industry.
EDUCATION
University of Cambridge, PhD in Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge, UK (2008 – 2011)
Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Master Degree (MEng) in Chemical Engineering, Napoli, Italy (2004 – 2006)
Loughborough University, Erasmus scholarship for exchange study, Department of Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University, UK (2005)
Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Bachelor Degree (BEng) in Chemical Engineering, Napoli, Italy (2001 – 2004)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senior Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, UK (06/2021 – Present)
Associate Professorship, Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Italy (09/2022 – Present)
University Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Manchester, UK, (02/2018 – 06/2021)
University Lecturer, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, UK (10/2013 – 12/2017)
Research Associate, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, UK (01/2012 – 10/2013)
Postgraduate Researcher, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, UK (11/2008 – 12/2011)
Process Engineer, Oil & Gas, Technip, Italy (04/2008 – 11/2008)
Planning/Project Control Engineer, Oil & Gas, Technip, Italy (03/2007 – 04/2008)
Process Technologist, Oil Refining, ENI, Italy (01/2007 – 03/2007)
TEACHING
- Carbon capture and storage technologies
- Environmental and production processes safety engineering
- Principles of chemical engineering laboratory
EDITORIAL & REVIEWER ACTIVITIES
Advisory Board member of Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, Royal Society of Chemistry.
Reviewer for the UK Research Council, the Energy Market Authority of Singapore and CONICYT of Chile.
Reviewer for Nature Communications (Nature), ACS Catalysis (ACS), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (ACS); ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (ACS), The Journal of Physical Chemistry (ACS), The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (ACS), Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (ACS), Energy & Fuels (ACS), Organic Process Research & Development (ACS), Chemical Communications (RSC), PCCP (RSC), New Journal of Chemistry (RSC), Journal of Material Chemistry (RSC), Dalton Transactions (RSC), RSC Advances (RSC), Reaction Chemistry & Engineering (RSC), Catalysis Today (Elsevier), Chemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier), Chemical Engineering Science (Elsevier), Microporous and Mesoporous Materials (Elsevier), Journal of Hazardous Materials (Elsevier), Chemical Physics Letters (Elsevier), Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics (Elsevier), Energy (Elsevier), Resource-Efficient Technologies (Elsevier), Colloids and Surfaces (Elsevier), Colloids and Surfaces (Elsevier), Polymer (Elsevier), Materials Chemistry and Physics (Elsevier), Chemical Engineering Research and Design (IChemE/Elsevier), Frontiers in Chemistry (Frontiers), Angewandte Chemie (Wiley), Chemistry - A European Journal (Wiley), Chemical Engineering & Technology (Wiley), ChemCatChem (Wiley).
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Author of over 100 peer-reviewed papers and 46 conference proceedings in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Catalysis and Physical Chemistry.
PRIZES, AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
- “Highly cited article” of the year in all Royal Society of Chemistry Journals, 2023
- “Outstanding Reviewer 2022” for the journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2022
- “2020 Reaction Chemistry & Engineering Outstanding Early Career Paper Award”, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021
- “Tsinghua University Visiting Professorship”, Beijing, China, 2021
- “Junior Moulton Medal” for the most meritorious paper published by IChemE, 2021
- Press release for breakthrough article on Science Advances, 2020
- “Reaction Chemistry & Engineering Emerging Investigator” in recognition of potential to influence future directions in the field, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019
- “Extraordinary Fellowship”, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, 2016
- “Junior Research Fellowship” (JRF), Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, 2013
- “Young Scientist Award”, 15th International Congress on Catalysis, Germany, 2012
- “Top cited article” of the year in Green Chemistry, 2011
- Prize for “Best UK poster” at the Japan-UK Symposium: Catalysis for a Sustainable World, awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, London, UK, 2010
