Bio
Dr. Simone Pollastri got a master degree cum laude in geological sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. In the same academy he took his PhD, investigating mineral fibres using several techniques, including synchrotron radiation-based XRPD and XAS, in most of the European facilities (SLS, Switzerland; Diamond, UK; ESRF, France; Elettra, Italy). Thanks to the acquired skills, he got a 3 years post-doc position in the frame of the CEROP project (funded by CERIC-ERIC) for the characterization of a fuel cell using cutting edge Pt-ceria catalysts, by means of operando XAS experiments, at the XAFS beamline of Elettra synchrotron (Trieste, Italy). He spent then almost other 3 years at Elettra as a post-doc researcher at the XRF beamline, deepening the knowledge in the X-Ray Fluorescence technique. He is currently time fixed researcher at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia with active collaboration with both Elettra synchrotron (XRF, XAFS and SAXS beamlines) and CNR-IOM (BACH beamline).

Bio
Dr. Martina Fracchia got her master’s degree cum laude in Chemistry at the University of Pavia. She then enrolled in the Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical and Chemical Sciences at the same university, investigating the mechanism of catalytic and electrochemical reactions by operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). During her Ph.D., she spent four months at the University of Bremen (Germany) and since 2015 she has participated to over 30 experiments in synchrotron radiation facilities (ESRF, France and Elettra, Italy). Since 2019 she is post-doctoral fellow at the University of Pavia. Her research is mainly devoted to the study of novel materials (in particular high entropy oxides) for catalysis and energy production/storage, characterizing them through conventional laboratory techniques and advanced synchrotron radiation techniques (XAS, XRD). In 2022 she won the “Young physico-chemist award” issued by the Physical Chemistry division of the Italian Chemical Society (SCI). In 2023 she was awarded the fellowship “L’Orèal-Italia for Women in Science 2023” issued by L’Oréal-Italia and UNESCO, to promote her research on high entropy oxides as sustainable catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Bio
Dr. Boby Joseph is an experimental condensed matter physicist, presently working as the beamline in charge of the Xpress high-pressure diffraction station at the Elettra Synchrotron Center, Trieste. Main theme of his current research is the investigation of the pressure induced electronic and structural changes of materials systems. He is associated with the Elettra Synchrotron Center for last 10 years. Before to join the synchrotron center he had a seven year long post-doctoral period where he was extensively using the European synchrotron facilities for the material science investigations.

Bio
PhD by Université Lille 1 (2015, France). I've developed new approaches (Chemometric/MCR-ALS) to treat in situ/operando time-resolved spectroscopy data (particularly, X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy). A acquired a fair experience in synchrotron facilities, particularly, at XAS (4y postdoc at Elettra). Also interested in how gold nanoparticles interact with sulfur to form self-assembled structures via SERS. It has an important application as gas sensors and biological probe.