Margherita Marsili is Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Bologna. Her research is in theoretical condensed matter physics and computational materials modelling. Her main research interests concern the electronic and optical properties of materials, many-body perturbation theory, GW-BSE and TDDFT methods, molecular plasmonics, plasmonic photocatalysis, and ab initio studies of surfaces.
Education
MM obtained a degree in Physics from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 2002. In 2006, she received a PhD in Physics from the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, with a dissertation on the electronic and optical properties of the C(111)2x1 diamond surface studied through ab initio methods supervised by Prof. R. Del Sole.
Academic career
After completing her PhD, MM held postdoctoral research positions at École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, the University of Padova, and CNR-NANO S3 in Modena. During this period, she worked on the development and application of ab initio, TDDFT, and GW-BSE methods for the study of the electronic and optical properties of surfaces, nanostructures, two-dimensional materials, porphyrins, and complex molecular systems.
From 2018 to 2021, she was a research fellow in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Padova, where she worked on the integration of GW-BSE methods, stochastic Schrödinger equations, and polarizable continuum models to describe photoinduced electronic dynamics in plasmonic systems.
From 2022 to 2025, MM was Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Bologna. In this role, she coordinated the development and maintenance of Tribchem.
Since July 2025, MM has been Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Bologna.
Teaching activity
Since 2022, MM has taught at the University of Bologna in degree programmes in Physics and Materials Science. Her teaching has included modules in Thermal Phenomena, Materials Science, and Fundamentals of Statistical Physics.
She previously carried out teaching-support activities at the University of Padova, in laboratory courses on classical mechanics and electromagnetism for engineering degree programmes. She also gave lectures and tutorials at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” on solid-state theory, time-dependent density-functional theory, and DFT methods.
She has contributed as lecturer or tutor to international schools on ab initio methods, many-body perturbation theory, the Bethe-Salpeter equation, GW methods, and the Yambo code.
Scientific activity
MM research concerns the development and application of theoretical and computational methods for the study of electronic and optical properties of materials. A substantial part of her work concerns methodological development and implementation in open-source codes, including Quantum ESPRESSO, Yambo, Tribchem, and WaveT-TDPLAS.
Since 2019, she has been a developer of the WaveT-TDPLAS code. Between 2022 and 2025, she coordinated the Tribchem development team. She previously contributed to the development of the GWW-BSE code within Quantum ESPRESSO, the exc code, and activities related to the Yambo project.
She has participated in national and international research projects, including the H2020 ERC project “TAME Plasmons”, the H2020 project ProID, the H2020 ERC project “Slide – Advancing solid interfaces and lubricants by first principles material design”, and the European Innovation Council project “Mojito – Decarbonized liMe PrOduction through enhanced JoInt dielectric heaTing and waste carbonaceous material additiOn”.
Since 2024, she has been Research Team Leader at the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility.
She has been Principal Investigator of several computing projects on CINECA infrastructures. These projects have addressed topics including optical properties, plasmonic systems, diamond surfaces, graphene-metal interfaces, and dielectric properties of graphene flakes.
Her publication record includes more than 50 articles in international journals. Her Scopus indicators include an h-index of 21 and more than 10,000 citations.
Institutional activities and academic service
MM contributes to institutional activities at the University of Bologna through roles related to teaching, student orientation, quality assurance, and inclusion policies. She is a member of the Advisory Committee with external stakeholders for the degree programme in Physics, the Orientation Committee for the degree programme in Materials Science, the Quality Assurance Committee for the degree programme in Physics, and the Working Group on Equal Opportunities and Inclusion of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
She has also served on doctoral evaluation committees. In 2024, she took part in doctoral committees at the University of Bologna, the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, and the University of Padova. From 2008 to 2011, she was a member of the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility implementation team for communication, dissemination, and wider participation in scientific activities.
Conference organisation, invited contributions, and seminars
MM has served on the organising committees of international workshops and conferences, particularly in the context of the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility and the Yambo project.
She has given invited presentations at international conferences and workshops on plasmonic photocatalysis, computational tribology, hot-electron dynamics, GW-BSE methods, the ultrafast response of two-dimensional materials, and the optical properties of surfaces and nanostructured systems.
She has also given invited seminars at research institutions and universities, including ETSF, the University of Trento, CNR-INFM Modena, INFN Frascati, CNRS Strasbourg, and the University of Würzburg.
Third mission and public engagement
MM has organised outreach activities for high-school students and teachers on topics related to Nobel Prizes in Materials Science, including fullerenes, graphene, and quantum dots. She has developed interactive workshops for primary schools on internet safety and the responsible use of digital devices.
She has also designed laboratory activities for teaching physics and scientific reasoning in preschool and primary-school settings.
Other activities
From 2011 to 2012, MM worked as an R&D employee at Xgroup SpA. In this role, she worked on research projects in the field of solar cells and on technology transfer between research institutions or universities and the company. She also taught mathematics and science in lower secondary school in the periods 2015–2017 and 2021–2022.
See attached CV.
