In Como, the 22nd PhD Day of the Interuniversity Consortium on Chemical Reactivity and Catalysis: young researchers discuss catalysis and sustainability.

The 22nd edition of the PhD Day of the Interuniversity Consortium on Chemical Reactivity and Catalysis, CIRCC, was held on 23 and 24 April in the Aula Magna of the Cloister of Sant’Abbondio in Como. The annual event is dedicated to promoting the research activities of PhD students affiliated with the Consortium’s Units.

The University of Insubria is one of the 18 member institutions of CIRCC and participates in its activities with five Research Units: four belonging to the Department of Science and High Technology and coordinated respectively by Professors Gian Attilio Ardizzoia, Gianluigi Broggini, Andrea Penoni and Umberto Piarulli, and one active in the Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, coordinated by Professor Loredano Pollegioni.

CIRCC promotes the development of skills ranging from basic knowledge to the design of innovative and applied processes, acting as a reference platform for scientific cooperation at national and international level. In this context, the training of young researchers plays a central role: the PhD Day offers an opportunity for direct exchange with a qualified scientific community, encouraging the sharing of ideas and professional growth.

The event, held under the patronage of the University and thanks to a contribution from the Department of Science and High Technology, to which the organisers Professor Stefano Brenna and PhD holders Gioele Colombo and Chiara Vola belong, opened with institutional greetings from the Director of CIRCC, Angela Dibenedetto, Professor at the University of Bari, and the Deputy Rector of the University of Insubria, Umberto Piarulli. This was followed by an invited lecture by Dr Stefania Guidetti, Head of the Bio Energy Mobility Services Program Management R&D unit at ENI, entitled “The role of biofuels in the decarbonisation of the mobility sector”.

During the first day, 18 PhD students presented the results of their research. The topics at the heart of the programme included biomass valorisation, green hydrogen production, carbon dioxide reduction and recycling, the development of advanced catalytic materials and applications of sustainable chemistry. Ample space was devoted to decarbonisation strategies and the design of low-environmental-impact chemical processes.

The programme also included an awards ceremony for the best master’s and doctoral theses completed by young researchers affiliated with the Consortium’s Units. In particular, the award for best Master’s Thesis was presented to Dr Antonella Rosati, University of Padua, for her thesis entitled “Synthesis of Nanostructured Copper-based Catalysts for the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 combined with the Design of Experiment Approach”. The award for best Doctoral Thesis was presented to Dr Martina Landrini, University of Perugia, for her thesis entitled “Bonding and Reactivity in Heterobimetallic Bridging Hydrides Across the Transition Series”.

The second day was dedicated to the activities of the Consortium’s Research Units and to the CIRCC General Assembly, strengthening the value of the initiative both as a training opportunity for young researchers and as a moment of scientific coordination among the member institutions.

The CIRCC PhD Day is therefore confirmed as an important opportunity for meeting and exchange among scholars, capable of promoting multidisciplinarity, innovation and the dissemination of knowledge in the fields of chemical reactivity and catalysis, strategic areas for scientific and technological innovation and for the transition towards more sustainable models.