RUINI Alice

1 PERSONAL DATA
Work Address: Department of Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics (FIM), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UniMoRe), Via Campi 213/A, IT-41125 Modena
Phone – Email: +39 059 205 8380 - alice.ruini@unimore.it
Scientific Sector: SSD FIS/03
Competition Sector: SC 02/B2
ORCID: 0000-0002-6870-2071
RESEARCHER ID: D-8271-2013
2 EDUCATION
Degree in Physics
Awarded on July 28, 1994, from the University of Modena, with a score of 110/110 cum laude.
Thesis title: Electron-electron interaction in mesoscopic and low-dimensional systems
(Supervisor: Prof. Carlo Jacoboni).
Magister Philosophiæ in Condensed Matter Theory
Awarded on October 17, 1995, from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste.
Thesis title: Schottky Barrier in Al/GaAs junctions
(Supervisors: Prof. Raffaele Resta and Stefano Baroni).
Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Theory
Awarded on October 24, 1997, from SISSA (Trieste).
Thesis title: Dynamical Charges at Surfaces and Interfaces: Their Role in the Schottky Barrier Problem
(Supervisors: Prof. Raffaele Resta and Stefano Baroni).
Diploma “Perfezionamento” in Engineering Methodologies
Awarded in January 1998, from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Modena.
Diploma “Perfezionamento” in Physics Education
Awarded on December 17, 1997, from the Interuniversity Training Consortium for Communication, promoted by the University of Rome “La Sapienza”.


3 ACADEMIC POSITIONS
11/2024 – today Full Professor, Dipartimento FIM, UniMoRe
11/2015 – 10/2024 Associate Professor, Dipartimento FIM, UniMoRe
01/2005 – 10/2015. Researcher, Dipartimento FIM, UniMoRe
2010 – today Associated to the Nanoscience Institut, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNRNANO), S3 Center, Modena
9/1997 – 2010 Associated to the Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia (INFM)
9/2001 Visiting professor at Instituto de Fisica, Universitade de Sao Paulo, Brasile.
02/1999 - 01/2004 post-doc, Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Modena
11/1997 - 10/1998 post-doc, Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia (INFM)
4 TEACHING ACTIVITY
4.1 I am currently involved in teaching activities within the Bachelor's Degree (LT) in Physics, the International Master's Degree (LM) in Physics, and the Bachelor's Degree (LT) in Chemistry at UniMoRe. Previously, I have also taught courses in the Degree Programs in Mathematics, Engineering, and Master’s programs.
Below is a list of the courses I have taught.
Academic years 2023/24 – today: Fisica della Materia (3 CFU), LT in Fisica, UniMoRe
Academic years 2020/21 - today: Laboratory of Quantum Simulation of Materials (6 CFU), LM in Physics, UniMoRe
Academic years 2005/06 – today: Fisica 2 (6 CFU), LT in Chimica, UniMoRe
Academic years 2019/20 - 2020/21: Fisica B (6 CFU), LT in Matematica, UniMoRe
Academic years 2015/16 - 2022/23: Fisica dello Stato Solido (6 CFU), LT in Fisica, UniMoRe
Academic years 2017/18 - 2019/20: Laboratory of Computational Quantum Mechanics (6 CFU), LM in Physics, UniMoRe
Academic years 2002/03 a 2003/04: Complementi di Metodi Matematici, Master di Specializzazione in Finanza Computazionale e Gestione del Rischio), UniMoRe
4.2 Supervision
Supervision of Bachelor's Thesis in Physics
Giulia Bertolini (A.A. 2022/23), Matteo Barduzzi (A.A. 2021/22), Chiara Zanoli (L.T. in Matematica,
A.A. 2021/22), Paolo Fanti (A.A. 2019/20) Federica Benassi (A.A. 2019/20), Rebecca Ghidoni (A.A. 2019/20), Silvia Barbieri (A.A. 2019/20), Paola Scodino (A. A. 2018/19), Daniele Pignedoli (A.A. 2017/18)
Supervision of Master Degree Thesis in Physics
- Matteo Barduzzi - Improving thermoelectric performance in twinning superlattice InAsSb nanowires: a combined computational/experimental study - Laurea Magistrale in Physics, Dipartimento FIM, UniMoRe, laurea cum laude,
- Andrea Pintus - Stability of Second-order screened exchange solutions through Algorithmic inversion and Sum-over-poles representation - Laurea Magistrale in Physics, Dipartimento FIM, UniMoRe, laurea cum laude, 16 aprile 2024 (A.R. correlatrice)
- Simone Vacondio - Towards many-body perturbation theory for atomic systems - Laurea Magistrale in Physics, 110/110 cum laude, Dipartimento FIM, UniMoRe laurea cum laude, 13 dicembbre 2018
- Andrea Ferretti - Interazioni intermolecolari in polimeri coniugati per applicazioni optoelettroniche - Laurea in Ingegneria dei Materiali (VO), Facoltà di Ingegneria, UniMoRe laurea cum laude, 25 ottobre 2001 (A.R. correlatrice)
- Giovanni Bussi - Proprietà ottiche di polimeri coniugati - Laurea in Fisica (VO), Facoltà di Scienze MM. FF. e NN., UniMoRe laurea cum laude, 5 ottobre 2001 (A.R. correlatrice)
Supervision of PhD Students
- Vinicius Alves Bastos, (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XXXIX cicle, Thesis (title to be confirmed): ”Linear and nonlinear optical response of 2D materials by first-principles schemes”
- Simone Vacondio (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XXXV cicle, Thesis: ”Assessment of Many-body perturbation theory approximations beyond GW”
- Alberto Guandalini (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XXXII cicle, Thesis: “Charged and nonlinear neutral excitations in lowdimensional and molecular systems by means of density-functional approaches”
- Luigi Cigarini (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XXX cicle, Thesis: “Towards hybrid thermoelectrics: a theoretical approach”
- Marzio De Corato (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XXVIII cicle, Thesis: “Vibrational and optical fingerprints in graphene-based nanostructures“
- Benedetta Bonferroni (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XX cicle, Thesis: “Real space description of electronic and transport properties of hybrid interfaces” (A.R. co-supervisor)
- Deborah Prezzi (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XX ciclo, Thesis: “Optical excitations in low-dimensional Carbon-based systems” (A.R. co-supervisor)
- Clotilde Cucinotta (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Universit`a di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XVIII cicle, Thesis: “Thermodymanics and Kinetics for Chemisorption on Silicon Substrates” (A.R. co-supervisor)
- Giovanni Bussi (Phd School “Physics and Nanosciences”, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia); XVII cicle, Thesis: “Excited states in low-dimensional systems” (A.R. co-supervisor)
Supervision and co-supervision of post-doc
- Simone Vacondio – 2023-2024
- Pino D’Amico – 2014-2016, today Researcher at CNR-NANO
- Shudong Wang – 2013-2015, today Researcher at Inner Mongolia University
- Deborah Prezzi – 2010-2012, today Senior Researcher at CNR-NANO
- Layla Martin-Samos – 2005-2008, today Researcher presso CNR-IOM Democritos
- Clotilde Cucinotta 2006, today Group Leader and EPSRC fellow presso Imperial College London
- Eric Chang 2003 –2005
- Leena Torpo – 2003-2004, supervisor for radiation protection protezione, Studsvik, Sweden
5 SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY
5.1 Summary
My scientific research in the field of quantum theory of solids has focused on the study of the electronic and optical properties of polymers, nanoscale semiconductor systems—typically carbon-based, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons—oxides, and hybrid systems, including metal/semiconductor, organic/metal, and dye/semiconductor interfaces.
The research is primarily aimed at understanding the physical properties (structural, electronic, transport, optical, thermoelectric, etc.) of a wide range of systems and materials by developing and employing theoretical/computational methods that leverage first-principles approaches and high-performance computing techniques. The predictive power of this methodological approach allows for a deep understanding of experimental findings obtained through various spectroscopic techniques, as well as the opportunity to contribute to materials design and discovery. The research activity is consistently characterized by numerous collaborations with leading experimental groups in their respective fields.
Recently, research efforts have been primarily focused on quantum nanostructured and low-dimensional systems (as mentioned above), considering both fundamental and applied aspects, particularly in the fields of energy (e.g., photovoltaics, batteries) and ICT (e.g., electronics based on sustainable 2D materials).
Below is a summary of the main research lines, further detailed in Section 5.5, along with the methods employed.
Main Research Lines
• Optical excitations in 0D, 1D, and 2D systems
• Electronic and optical excitations in hybrid systems
• Electronic and thermal transport phenomena at the nanoscale
Main Methods and Techniques
• Density Functional Theory (DFT)
• Many-Body Perturbation Theory: (beyond-)GW and Bethe-Salpeter
• Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT): linear and nonlinear optics
Publications and Bibliometric Indicators
Co-author of:
• 80 articles in peer-reviewed international journals, including 5 Phys. Rev. Lett., 2 JACS, 1 Nat. Comm., 1 ACS Photonics
• 2 contributions to monographs
• 4 conference proceedings with peer review
A complete list of publications is provided in Appendix A.
On Google Scholar, there are 137 entries, 3812 citations, an H-index of 28, and an i10-index of 52.
On ISI Web of Science, 87 publications are listed. These publications have received approximately > 3122 citations (> 2948 excluding self-citations), with an H-index of 26 (source: ISI Web of KnowledgeSM, April 2024).
5.3 Funding and Research Support
Scientific coordinator, as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI, of national and international projects:
2023-2025 Innovation Grant ASGARD "Atomistic Simulations of damaGe, Adhesion and dRag reduction of graphene-based coating", ICSC - National Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing, with the participation of Leonardo and Ferrovie dello Stato (Total Budget: €445,306, Local: €44,965); Local PI. Additionally, I serve as co-leader of WP1 "Adhesion and defect formation in graphene-based coatings."
2023-2025 PRIN 2022 Project BITEs4IoT "BIodegradable Thin film Electronics for massively deployable and sustainable Internet of Things applications" (Total Budget: €199.6k, Local: €54k); Local PI
2023-2024 Strategic University Project "HPC digital design of sustainable materials", UniMoRe (led to the allocation of four positions, including 2 RTT FIS/03 at FIM, 1 RTT MAT/08 at FIM, and 1 PA CHIM/02 at the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences); PI
2022-2026 Innovation Ecosystem Project "ECOSISTER - Ecological transition based on HPC and Data Technology", EU-MUR-PNRR, Spoke 6 "Ecological transition based on HPC & data technology" (Total Budget for the Emilia-Romagna Region: €112,003k, Total Budget for UniMoRe: €12,966k; Local (Unimore@Spoke6): €2,000k); co-PI. Additionally, I serve as co-leader of WP1@Spoke6 "HPC materials design for clean energy applications."
2022-2024 EUMaster4HPC - EU Master in High-Performance Computing, H2020-JTI-EuroHPC-2020-03 (Total Budget: €7,057k, Local: €85.9k); Local co-PI
2023-2026 MaX "Materials design at the exascale", HORIZON-EUROHPC-JU-2021-COE-01 (project 101093374) (Total Budget: €8,496k, Local: €120k); Local co-PI for UniMoRe
2017 FAR Departmental Project, "Ab initio simulation of optical vibrational spectroscopies in graphene nanoribbons" (Budget: €4,652); PI
2014-2016 Strategic University Project, WP4, "Theoretical investigation of innovative oxide-based nanostructures for advanced solar energy harvesting applications" (Budget: 24 months of Research Grant); PI
2010 Collaboration project with the University of São Paulo under the UniMoRe program for scientist mobility (visit/stay of PhD student L.M.M. Jorge); PI
2002-2006 European Network "EXCITING" No. HPRN-CT-2002-00317 "First-Principles Approach to the Optical Properties of Solids", Fifth Framework Program (Total Budget: €1,398k, Local Budget: €186k); co-PI of the Modena node
2002 Bilateral project by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for scientific collaboration with the University of São Paulo, Brazil, titled "Optical and electronic properties of organic materials" (Budget: €33.2k); co-PI
In addition to the projects I personally presented and coordinated, I have contributed to the formulation, design, and scientific execution of projects totaling over €10M in funding.
Recent projects I participated in:
• 2022-2024 FAR Project "FLUID - FLuoride UltrathIn Dielectric films for 2D electronics", UniMoRe FAR Mission-Oriented Project
• 2020-2024 Project "Bat4ever - Autonomous Polymer-based Self-Healing Components for high-performance Lithium-Ion Batteries", H2020-EU.1.2. - Future and Emerging Technologies

I have also been the scientific coordinator of High-Performance Computing (HPC) projects. In particular, I have led 16 CINECA projects and participated in numerous HPC projects, including those with CINECA and PRACE. Below is the list of computational projects for which I have been the Principal Investigator (PI).
2022-23 Project ”SEE-NOW - SElf-healing Effects in silicon NanOWires”, Cineca, ISCRA-C, Hosts: M100, Budget (standard hours): 30720 CPUh
2022 Project ”MAN-BAT - organic functionalization can improve Mechanical properties of Anodes in Li-BATteries”, Cineca, ISCRA-C, Hosts: M100, Budget (standard hours): 32000 CPUh, WORK Quote (in GB): 1024
2020-21 Project ”FUSA - organic FUnctionalization of Si substrates in view of optimized battery Anodes”, Cineca, ISCRA-C, Hosts: M100, Budget (standard hours): 29500 CPUh, WORK Quote (in GB): 1024
2018 Project ”RAGNO - RAman features in Graphene NanOribbons: interpretation from abinitio calculations”, Cineca, ISCRA-C, Hosts: MARCON1, Budget (standard hours): 40000, WORK Quote (in GB): 1024, Additional Budgets: Selected Host: MARCON2 Host Budget: 3325 CPUh
2017-18 Project ”VIGOR - VIbrational figerprints in Graphene nanORibbons”, Cineca, ISCRA-C, Hosts: MARCON1, Budget (standard hours): 35000, WORK Quote (in GB): 1024
2014-15 Project ”GRANA - Optical properties of experimentally feasible GRAphene NAnoribbons”, Cineca, ISCRA-B, Selected Host: FERMI, Host Budget: 1520000 CPUh
2013-14 Project ”OPLA - OPtical Limit in orgAnic molecules”, Cineca, ISCRA-B, Selected Host: EURORA, Host Budget: 100000 CPUh
2011-13 Project ”DOOR - Designing Optoelectronic properties of pOlymer cRystals”, Cineca, ISCRA-B, Selected Host: FERMI, Host Budget: 115000 CPUh
2010-11 Project ”PHOTON - oPtoelectronic beHavior Of TiO2 Nanoparticles upon organic functionalization”, Cineca, ISCRA-B, Selected Host: SP6, Host Budget: 65000 CPUh
2008-09 Project ”First-Principles Simulation of Near-Field Optical Spectra in Organic Polymers”, Cineca, 45000 CPUh
2007 Project ”Excitons in graphene nanoribbons and nanotubes”, Cineca, 40000 CPUh
2006 Project ”Kinetics for the formation of organic layers on hydrogenated silicon surfaces”, Cineca, 25000 CPUh
2006 Project ”Ab initio investigation of luminescence properties in organic semiconductors and amorphous systems”, Cineca, 25000 CPUh
2006 Project “Structural and transport properties of organic crystals”, Cineca, 12000 CPUh
2005 Project “Optoelectronic properties of organic molecular crystals”, Cineca, 32500 CPUh
2005 Project “Thermodynamics and kinetics of organic molecules on hydrogenated silicon surfaces”, Cineca, 37500 CPUh
5.4 Participation in Scientific Committees and Memberships
• 2024 Member of the Electrochemical Society (ECS)
• 2023 Member of the Scientific Committee of WP Leaders for the ASGARD project
• 2022 Member of the Scientific Committee of WP Leaders for Spoke 7 of the National Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing, as co-leader of WP4 "Pilot Applications"
• 2020 Member of the Scientific Committee of the Angelo Della Riccia Foundation
Main Research Topics and Scientific Achievements
Below is a brief description of key research areas—mainly defined by the studied systems—and a selection of significant scientific results obtained in each.
Organic Polymers

This line of research has led to the conceptualization of the optical and electronic transport properties of semiconducting polymers, with particular focus on the effect of chain packing occurring in polymer solids. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that inter-chain interactions play a crucial role: they can introduce the presence of dark excitons in the optical absorption spectrum and significantly enhance transport in the direction orthogonal to the chains, which can become highly efficient. To describe this latter mechanism using first-principles approaches, the calculation of transfer integrals has been developed and implemented, while optical properties have been studied by introducing electron-hole interaction into the code, which is absolutely crucial in low-dimensional systems.
Selected Publications
- Solid state effects on exciton states and optical properties of PPV, Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 206403 (2002)
- Interchain interaction and Davydov splitting in polythiophene crystals: an ab initio approach, Appl. Phys. Lett. 80, 4118 (2002)
- Transport properties in polymer crystals: the effect of interchain interaction, Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 086401 (2003)
- Ab initio study of transport parameters in polymer crystals Phys. Rev. B 69, 205205 (2004)
- Fluorine-Induced Enhancement of the Oxidation Stability and Deep-Blue Optical Activity in Conductive Polyfluorene Derivatives, Journal of Physical Chemistry C 117, 26760 (2013)
CARBON NANOTUBES
To efficiently study the optoelectronic properties of nanotubes using sophisticated (and costly) beyond-DFT methods, we developed a scheme specifically designed for systems with helical symmetry, which exploits a set of localized and symmetrized basis functions (instead of plane waves). This approach has enabled us to predict the excitonic properties of nanotubes in both the linear and non-linear regimes and to rationalize the results of photoluminescence experiments, both one-photon and two-photon.
Selected Publications
- Excitons in carbon nanotubes: an ab initio symmetry-based approach Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 196401 (2004)
- First-principles approach for the calculation of optical properties of one-dimensional systems with helical symmetry: The case of carbon nanotubes Phys. Rev. B 72, 195423 (2005)
- Exciton binding energies in carbon nanotubes from two-photon photoluminescence Phys. Rev. B (R) 72, 241402 (2005)
NANOSTRUTTURE DI GRAFENE
The study of graphene-based nanostructures, particularly graphene nanoribbons and nanoflakes, has been a highly fruitful line of research, yielding interesting results both from a conceptual and predictive standpoint and in terms of rationalizing experimental findings.
Numerous joint theoretical-experimental publications have followed (and validated) the initial purely theoretical works—for instance, the study that predicted and quantified the fact that the optical response is dominated by excitons (PRB-RC-2018), later confirmed (NATCOMM-2014).
Graphene nanostructures are highly stimulating systems: we have demonstrated various mechanisms that allow tuning of their electronic and optical properties, such as structural distortions, functionalization, and edge geometry
Selected Publications
- Optical properties of graphene nanoribbons: The role of many-body effects, Phys. Rev. B 77, 041404(R) (2008)
- Quantum dot states and optical excitations of edge-modulated graphene nanoribbons, Phys. Rev. B 84, 041401(R) (2011)
- Designing All-Graphene Nanojunctions by Covalent Functionalization, Journal of Physical Chemistry C 115, 2969 (2011)
- Optical Excitations and Field Enhancement in Short Graphene Nanoribbons, Journal of Physical Chemistry Lett. 3, 924 (2012)
- Exciton-dominated optical response of ultra-narrow graphene nanoribbons, Nature Communications 5, 4253 (2014)
- Raman Fingerprints of Atomically Precise Graphene Nanoribbons Nano Letters 16, 3442 (2016)
- Bandgap Engineering of Graphene Nanoribbons by Control over Structural Distortion J. Am. Chem. Soc 140, 7803 (2018)
HYBRID SYSTEMS
An effective strategy for designing materials with desired properties consists of organic functionalization through the adsorption of suitable ligands. This allows control over the distribution of states within the gap, regulation of ionization potential/electron affinity, and the tailored design of band alignments at interfaces based on the identification of the fundamental mechanisms governing them.
The picture we have extracted from our results provides effective strategies for applications in various fields, such as photovoltaics, batteries, photodetectors, and chemical sensing.
Selected Publications
- Mixing of electronic states in pentacene adsorption on copper, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 046802 (2007)
- Anchor Group versus Conjugation: Toward the Gap-State Engineering of Functionalized ZnO(10-10) Surface for Optoelectronic Applications, Journal of the American Chemical Society 133, 5893 (2011)
- A first-principles study of self-healing binders for next-generation Si-based lithium-ion batteries, Materials Today Chemistry 29, 101474 (2023)
OXIDES
Oxides constitute a highly versatile class of materials, covering virtually the entire spectrum of functionalities—from dielectrics to semiconductors, from metallic to superconducting behavior. My main research in this field has focused on:
(i) The effects of disorder and defects on the electronic properties of a prototype oxide, SiO₂, a dielectric of great technological interest.
(ii) The study of the origin of the optical and plasmonic properties of transparent conductive oxides (particularly Al-doped ZnO, a low-cost, easily processable, and indium-free material), also analyzing the impact of defects. This understanding is strategically relevant for applications in optoelectronics, spintronics, and telecommunications.
Selected Publications
- Unraveling effects of disorder on the electronic structure of SiO2 from first-principles, Phys. Rev. B 81, 081202(R) (2009)
- Transparent Conductive Oxides as Near-IR Plasmonic Materials: The Case of Al-Doped ZnO Derivatives, ACS Photonics 1, 703 (2014)
- Optoelectronic properties and color chemistry of native point defects in Al:ZnO transparent conductive oxide, Journal of Materials Chemistry C 3, 8419 (2015)
- Magnetic Transparent Conductors for Spintronic Applications, arXiv:2312.13708, resubmitted to Advanced Physics Research (2024)
DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION, AND BENCHMARKING OF ADVANCED THEORETICAL/COMPUTATIONAL SCHEMES
Beyond the interest in understanding and predicting the intrinsic properties of physical systems, we have also been deeply involved in the methodological development of advanced theoretical frameworks for studying these properties.
Among these, we highlight the implementation and validation of self-energies beyond GW for investigating electronic excitations, the design of tight-binding Hamiltonians derived from ab initio approaches for spectroscopy studies (also leveraging symmetry-based considerations or high-throughput methodologies), and the development of TDDFT-based schemes for nonlinear optical problems (e.g., optical limiting).
Oltre all’interesse per la comprensione/predizione delle proprietà per se dei sistemi fisici, ci siamo notevolmente dedicati allo sviluppo metodologico di schemi teorici avanzati per lo studio di tali proprietà. Tra questi, si menzionano qui l’implementazione e validazione di self-energies beyond GW per lo studio delle eccitazioni elettroniche, la progettazione di Hamiltoniane tight-binding a partire da schemi ab initio per lo studio delle spettroscopie (anche sfruttando considerazoni basate sulle simmetrie o utilizzando metodologie high-throughput), e lo sviluppo di schemi basati su TDDFT per problemi di ottica non-lineare (v. optical limiting).
Selected Publications
- Ab initio complex band structure of conjugated polymers: Effects of hydrid density functional theory and GW schemes, Phys. Rev. B 85, 235105 (2012)
- Ab Initio Simulation of Optical Limiting: The Case of Metal-Free Phthalocyanine, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 198303 (2014)
- Accurate ab initio tight-binding Hamiltonians: Effective tools for electronic transport and optical spectroscopy from first principles, Phys. Rev. B 94, 165166 (2016)
- Nonlinear light absorption in many-electron systems excited by an instantaneous electric field: a non-perturbative approach, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 23, 10059 (2021)
- Effect of uniaxial strain on the excitonic properties of monolayer: A symmetry-based analysis, Physical Review B 107, 045430 (2023)
- Numerically precise benchmark of many-body self-energies on spherical atoms, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 18, 3703 (2022)
OTHER INSTITUTIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
6.1 Coordination or Participation in Governing Bodies
• 2005 – present: Member of the PhD School Board in Physics and Nanosciences, UniMoRe
• 2018 – 2024: Chair of the Research Committee of the FIM Department, UniMoRe (previously a member of the same committee since 2015)
• 2018 – 2024: Member of the Executive Board of the FIM Department, UniMoRe
• 2022 – present: Member of the ICSC Foundation, National Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing (PNRR), representing the University (by permanent delegation from the Rector of UniMoRe)
• 2022 – present: Member of the Committee of Spoke Leaders of ECOSISTER – Emilia-Romagna Territorial Innovation Ecosystem (PNRR)
• 2023 – 2024: Member of the Quality Committee of the FIM Department, UniMoRe

6.2 Science Communication and Outreach
Alongside my research and teaching activities, I have been involved in science communication and outreach, primarily targeting high school students and teachers.
• 2024: Seminar "Graphene: The Wonder Material", for 4th and 5th-year students of Liceo Scientifico A. Tassoni, as part of the Thematic Seminar Day organized by the school.
• 2017, 2019–24: Seminars and laboratory activities "Simulating Materials with Computers", for 4th-year high school students from Modena and Reggio Emilia, as part of the initiatives "A Week as a Scientist" and "Face-to-Face with Science" (winter and summer sessions) at the FIM Department, UniMoRe.
• 2016: Seminar "The Wonders of Graphene", organized by the Society of Naturalists and Mathematicians of Modena, at the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, UniMoRe.
• 2015: Seminar "Simulating Matter with Computers", primarily for teachers and 5th-year high school students in Modena and Reggio Emilia, as part of the Physics Class initiative, at the FIM Department, UniMoRe.
• 2011: Seminar "Conductive Polymers", as part of the NANOLAB initiative – Theoretical and Practical Training Course on Nanosciences and Technologies for High School Teachers, Department of Physics, UniMoRe.
• 2010–11: Seminars and exercises "Computational Laboratory", for high school students as part of the FareFisica college program, Department of Physics, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
2007: Seminar "Physics and Research: Building Models and Simulating Matter", for high school students and teachers, and organization of a training session on "Simulating Materials", as part of the event "The Education of a Physicist: From High School to University and the Job Market", organized by the Department of Physics, UniMoRe.
2006: Guided tours for middle and high school students at the science outreach exhibition "Blow-up", Foro Boario, Modena.
2003: Participation in the coordination of the exhibition "From Atoms to Biomolecules – Linus Pauling, Twice a Nobel Laureate, Between Science and Civil Commitment", Chiesa di San Vincenzo, Modena. This activity also involved collaboration with middle and high schools in the Province of Modena for organizing and conducting guided tours for school groups and teacher training sessions.
1998: Translation from English to Italian of the popular science book "Mathematics", by Ron van der Meer and Bob Gardner, published by Franco Cosimo Panini Editore.
6.3 Conference and Workshop Organization
• 2024: Member of the Organizing Committee of the Spoke 7 Workshop of the National Center for HPC, Big Data, and Quantum Computing, Rome.
• 2023: Organizer of the Kick-off Meeting of WP1@Spoke6 of ECOSISTER, Modena.
• 2015: Organizer of the "Physics@Modena" Workshop (December 18) at the FIM Department, UniMoRe, funded by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena.
• 2005: Organizer of the topical session "Nanotubes and Nanowires: Electronics and Optics", at the Matter, Materials, and Devices (MMD) Meeting 2005, Genoa.
6.4 Editorial Activities
• Member of the Review Editor Panel for the Condensed-Matter Section of the journal Frontiers in Physics, from 2014 to present.
• Referee for numerous scientific journals (e.g., Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B, RCS Advances, Nanotechnology, Journal of Chemical Physics, Chemical Physics, etc.).
6.5 Research Evaluation Activities
Research Projects
• Member of the MUR (REPRISE) register of scientific experts.
• Reviewer for the evaluation of research outputs within VQR 2011-2014 and VQR 2015-2019.
• Evaluator for scientific project proposals (ERC-Starting, 2021; University of Nova Gorica, 2013) and high-performance computing projects (>10 ISCRA-CINECA projects).
PhD Thesis Evaluations
• 2024: Jury member for the PhD thesis defense of Alam T. Osorio Delgadillo, Doctoral School, École Doctorale de l’Institut Polytechnique de Paris.
• 2023: Member of the final PhD examination committee in Physics, University of Lecce.
• 2016: Member of the evaluation committee for the award of the PhD degree in "Physics and Nanosciences", within the PhD School in Physics and Nanosciences (XXVII and XXVIII cycles), UniMoRe.
• 2013: Member of the final PhD examination committee in Physics, University of Cagliari.
• 2004: Member of the final PhD examination committee in Physics, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, Paris.
6.6 Selection Committees
Member or chair of selection and evaluation committees for scientific personnel in academia and research institutions. I have participated in more than 15 selection committees for research fellowships. Below are details of my participation in PhD admission and researcher recruitment committees:
PhD Admission Committees
• 2022: Member of the evaluation committee for admission to the PhD program in "Physics and Nanosciences", XXXVIII cycle – (Call dated 19/10/2022 for positions with a specific research topic).
• 2021: Member of the evaluation committee for admission to the PhD program in "Physics and Nanosciences", XXXVII cycle.
• 2020: Member of the evaluation committee for admission to the PhD program in "Physics and Nanosciences", XXXVI cycle.
• 2017: Member of the evaluation committee for admission to the PhD program in "Physics and Nanosciences", XXXIII cycle.
• 2015: Member of the evaluation committee for admission to the PhD program in "Physics and Nanosciences", XXXI cycle.
Researcher Recruitment Committees (RTD and RTT, SC 02/B2, SSD FIS/03)
• 2023: Member of the selection committee for a tenure-track researcher (RTT) position, FIM Department, UniMoRe.
• 2023: Member of the selection committee for a fixed-term researcher position under Art. 24, paragraph 3, letter b) of Law 240/2010, Area of Physics, SISSA, Trieste.
• 2023: Member of the selection committee for a fixed-term researcher (Type A) position at the Aldo Pontremoli Department of Physics, University of Milan.
• 2023: Member of the selection committee for a fixed-term researcher (Type B) position at the Department of Physics, University of Parma.
• 2022: Member of the selection committee for a fixed-term researcher (Type A) position, FIM Department, UniMoRe.
• 2019: Member of the selection committee for a fixed-term researcher (Type A) position, Department of Physics, University of Parma.
6.7 Qualifications
• National Scientific Qualification (ASN) for Full Professor in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics (SC 02/B2).
o Obtained in the ASN 2016-2018 session, valid from 08/08/2018 to 08/08/2029.
• National Scientific Qualification (ASN) for Associate Professor in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics (SC 02/B2).
o Obtained in the ASN 2013 session, valid from 07/10/2014 to 07/10/2025.
• Secondary Education Teaching Qualification, obtained through the Ordinary Competition for Exams and Titles (D.D. 31/03/1999 – 12/07/1999), in the following subject areas:
o Mathematics (A047)
o Physics (A038)
o Mathematics and Physics (A049)
o Mathematical, Physical, and Natural Sciences for Middle School (A059).