Bio
Dr. Navpreet Kaur is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Brescia, Italy, specializing in advanced nanomaterials science and chemical/gas sensor technology. With a Ph.D. in Physical Science and Engineering, she has developed a research portfolio in nanomaterials, focusing on enhancing chemical sensing performance through advanced material engineering strategies to fabricate metal oxide-based nanostructures, heterostructures, and surface functionalization with self-assembled monolayers. Her current work involves developing low-power consuming chemical sensors using metal oxide nanowires functionalized with metal–organic frameworks for applications in environmental and health monitoring. Throughout her research career, she has conducted several research visits to prestigious international/national institutions, including Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. With an H-index of 18 on Google Scholar, Dr. Kaur has contributed significantly through high-impact publications and collaborations. She also serves on the Early Career Editorial Board of Hygiene and Environmental Health Advances (Elsevier) and as a Guest Editor for different Special Issues of Sensors (MDPI).

Talk
Presentation title: Challenges and opportunities in nanostructured metal oxides for chemical and gas sensing

Bio
Prof. Elisabetta Comini is a full professor of physics at the University of Brescia, Italy. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and has been a leader in the field of metal oxide nanostructures, focusing on their growth, electronic properties, and applications in sensing. Prof. Comini is the director of the SENSOR Laboratory at the University of Brescia and co-founder of NASYS. With over 460 peer-reviewed publications and an h-index of 75 (Google Scholar), her work has been widely cited, achieving more than 24067 citations. She has received numerous awards, including the EUROSENSORS 2012 Fellowship, and has been ranked among the top 100 Italian women scientists in the fields of material and nano sciences. Prof. Comini has been a key figure in organizing major symposia and served as chair of the MRS Fall Meeting in 2013. She has delivered more than 80 invited talks, including plenaries, and has received several accolades for her contributions, such as the Silver Medal at the 14th International Invention and Innovation Show in Poland (2021). Her research has led to significant advancements in gas sensing, nanotechnology, and environmental monitoring. She is a prominent member of several academic committees and has played a crucial role in innovation and technology transfer at her university. Additionally, Prof. Comini serves as an editor for several renowned scientific journals, including Sensors and Actuators B.

Talk
Presentation Title: Self-assembled Monolayers Functionalized Metal Oxides Nanowires: A Strategy to Enhance Sensor Performance

Bio
Dr. Mandeep Singh is a researcher at IMEM-CNR/FBK in Trento. He completed his Ph.D. in Material Science at the University of Bari, Italy, in 2016. His doctoral research focused on ZnO-Based Electrolyte-Gated Thin-Film Transistors for Biosensing. He then pursued postdoctoral work at the Sensor Lab-University of Brescia and Politecnico di Milano, where his research focused on the development of SAM-functionalized metal oxide nanowires and 2D nanohybrid-based chemical sensors, fuel cells and understanding exciton/plasmonic dynamics in heavily doped nanocrystals using femtosecond pump–probe spectroscopy. Dr. Singh also worked as a visiting researcher in Prof. Delia Milliron’s Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, where he contributed to the synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals for next-generation PV self-powered sensors and IR photodetectors. He was also a Guest Editor of the Special Issue ”Advanced Nanomaterials for Sensing” for Sensors. Currently, his work focuses on nanostructured metal oxide-based gas sensors, ultrafast dynamics in heavily doped nanocrystals, and micro/nano-fabrication using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD).