Sara Aquilia received her Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Materials Chemistry from the University of Bologna in 2018. She then earned her Master's degree in Chemistry with honors in 2021, also from the University of Bologna. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences at the University of Florence, in collaboration with the company SpinPet, focusing on the development of macromolecular and cross-linked materials based on proteins and peptides derived from vegetable or animal sources. She worked as a research fellow at the University of Padua starting in June to December 2021. From September 2023 to February 2024, she was a visiting Ph.D. student at the Medical University of Vienna. Her research topics mainly include the development of macromolecular and cross-linked materials derived from proteins and peptides of vegetable origin.
Prof. Dr. Claudia Bello is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff” (Interdepartmental Research Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology), University of Florence. She completed her PhD studies in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, with a thesis on the synthesis of new anti-cancer heterocyclic compounds. In 2010 she was the recipient of an A. von Humboldt foundation fellowship for postdoctoral researchers and joined the group of Prof C. F. W. Becker at TUM, Munich, Germany. She then obtained a 6-year position as a Senior Researcher at the University of Vienna, where she developed strong expertise in chemical and semisynthesis strategies for the preparation, purification, and characterization of peptides and proteins specifically modified with sugars. In 2016, she was awarded the "Montalcini Program" for young researchers of the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research. Her skills and expertise include peptides, glycosylation, glycoproteins, and organic synthesis.
Prof. Francesco Ciardelli is a President at SPIN-PET S.r.l., Pontedera, Toscana, Italy. He undertook his postdoc at University Collage London and the Max-Planck Institute in Germany. As a visiting Professor at Berkeley, Kyoto, and Paris Universities, the results of his research have been the basis of more than 380 papers in international journals, more than 250 invited presentations, 22 industrial patents, and 9 books. His main results relate to the formulation of polyolefin adhesives, plastic recycling, blends and composites including nanocomposites, energy production, and catalysis. His research and expertise include polyolefins, catalytic polymerization, composites and nanocomposites, reactive extrusion, and structure-controlled polymers.
Prof. Dr. Luca Rosi is an Associate Professor of Industrial Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, University of Florence. He earned his PhD at the University of Florence, including a research period at the School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews. During his training, he was also a visiting student at the University of Seville. He serves on the board of RE-CORD – Renewable Energy Consortium for Research and Demonstration, Florence, Italy, and holds an honorary appointment as Adjunct Professor at Western University, Canada. His research focuses on the thermochemical valorization of waste materials, with particular emphasis on microwave-assisted pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction/carbonization of plastics and residual biomass.
