Students and PostDocs

Samet received his MSc from Ulm University (Germany). He wrote his MSc thesis in the research group of Prof. K.Landfester at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP-Mainz, Germany)‬. In 2012, he started his PhD in the Molecular Spectroscopy Department of MPIP-Mainz, under the supervision of Prof. M.Bonn and Prof. S. Parekh. After his PhD, he worked as a postdoc in the same group for half a year.  

In 2018-2020, he worked as a postdoc and lecturer in the group of Prof. S.Seeger at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Between 2020-2022, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Smart Membranes Group of Prof. A.A.Brunsen in TU-Darmstadt, Germany. Between 2022-2023, he worked on his self-funded project in TU-Darmstadt as a Career Bridging Fellow.  

Currently (2023-2025), Samet is working as an Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow (host: Prof. D. Genovese) on his research ideas aiming to design mechano-repsonsive smart-gating membranes to control nanopore transport.  

Matteo received his Bachelor’s degree in Material Sciencesfrom University of Padova in 2016 with final thesis on a biomedical and biocompatible polymer for medical application. He got a Master’s degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials in 2018 with a final dissertation on the interactions of proteins with a fluorescently labelled bio-probe, investigated with fluorescence microscopy techniques".  He was then granted a research fellowship in Prof. Luca Prodi's group in 2018, and finally awarded a PhD in Nanoscience in 2022.

His research focuses on the design and characterization on light activated nanostructures for medical and environmental applications.

Chiara got the Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Materials Chemistry at University of Bologna in 2018, with a thesis project based on the study of redox-reactive luminescent silica nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

In 2020 she received the master’s degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials at University of Bologna, with a thesis entitled “Luminescent probes for micro- and nanoplastics detection: state of the art and a new approach”.

Since the same year she is a PhD student in Nanoscience for Medicine and Environment; her research focuses on the development of fluorescently labelled probes based on biopolymers and silica nanoparticles for biological, medical and environmental applications, especially for micro- and nanoplastics detection.

Yemataw received his joint Erasmus Mundus master’s degree in chemical innovation and regulation (chemistry) in 2018 from University of Algarve and Bologna University with a final thesis entitled “Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Evaluation of Zinc (II) Complexes with Phenanthroline Derivatives and S-Methyl Dithiocarbazate Schiff Bases ".

In 2020, he was granted a PhD scholarship in chemistry at Bologna University under the supervision of Prof. Luca Prodi and Prof. Giovanni Valenti. The title of his PhD thesis was “ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENT AND LUMINESCENT NANOPARTICLES FOR BIOANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS”. After obtaining a PhD in 2024, he is working as a post-doc research fellow at University of Bologna with Prof. Enrico Rampazzo.

Yemataw’s research work is now focused on design and synthesis of various dye doped-nanoparticles assisted by “Design of Experiments” and studying their photophysical and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties for bioanalytical applications.

Eugenio received his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Materials Chemistry from University of Bologna in 2019 with final thesis on photoactive metal complex-polymer composite material for medical application. He got a Master's degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials in 2021 with a final dissertation on the synthesis and characterization of fluorescent probes based on biopolymer for the detection of microplastics. In the same year, he was granted a PhD fellowship in "Nanoscience for medicine and environment".

Filippo obtained his Bachelor degree in Chemistry and Materials Chemistry at University of Bologna in 2018, with a project about the synthesis and characterization of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy agents using proteins as carriers for novel photosensitizers.

In 2021 he received his Master degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials, with a dissertation on the photochemical characterization of chemosensors for the detections of emerging pollutants.

In the same year he was granted a PhD fellowship in “Nanoscience for medicine and environment”, under the supervision of Prof. Luca Prodi, for a project on water quality monitoring using luminescent and nanostructured chemosensors.

Maria Vittoria received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Materials’ Chemistry from University of Bologna in 2020, with a final thesis on the analysis of different nanoparticles-based electrochemiluminescent biosensors for viruses and bacteria quantification.

In 2022, she got her Master’s degree in Photochemistry and Molecular Materials with a final dissertation on the development of electrochemiluminescence-based sensors for the analysis of samples of clinical interest. In the same year, she was granted a PhD fellowship in Chemistry.

Her research focuses on the development of luminescence-based biosensors for applications in the biomedical field.

Francesco Casnati was born and raised in Parma, Italy in 1999. He moved to Bologna in 2018 where he started his Bachelor degree in Chemistry and chemistry of material. He graduated in 2021 with a thesis regarding the use of Hyaluronic acid use in the biomedical field (followed by Prof. Dr. N.Zaccheroni). He then continued his education in Bologna with a Master degree in photochemistry and molecular materials. He did is internship abroad with Erasmus+ network in the laboratory of Professor Sijbren Otto working on a project about complex coacervate formation by self-replicators through photocatalysis processes. He graduated cum laude in 2023 and he is now a PhD student in the group of Professor Prodi under the supervision of Professor Damiano Genovese.