Senior Research Associate
Department of Chemistry
University of Rochester
Hutchinson Hall B28
120 Trustee Road
Rochester, New York 14627
Email: luca.catalano@rochester.edu
Education
B.Sc. Chemistry, University of Milan (Italy), July 2011
M.Sc. Photochemistry and Molecular Materials, University of Bologna (Italy), October 2013
Ph.D. Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy), February 2016
Postdoctoral Fellow, Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy), March 2017 – October 2017
Postdoctoral Associate, New York University Abu Dhabi (UAE), November 2017 – February 2020
Postdoctoral Associate, Materials Innovation Factory, University of Liverpool (UK), March 2020 – February 2021
Maire Curie – ULB Fellow, Free University of Brussels ULB (Belgium), February 2021 – August 2023
Research Interests
I have worked on a wide and diverse range of topics spanning from fundamentals towards applications of organic functional materials. In particular, I have built a robust expertise in the general field of physical organic chemistry, and, specifically, in molecular crystal engineering, polymorphism, light-matter interaction, biomimetic materials, solvent-free synthetic methods, and stimuli-responsive adaptive organic materials.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2021 MSCA Cofund ULB Fellowship. Grant agreement 801505.
- Selected among the “Young Talents 2018” of CrystEngComm (RSC).
- Independent Research Travel Awards NYUAD 2018 and 2019 offered by NYU Abu Dhabi.
- Prize for the Best PhD Thesis in Crystallography 2018 offered by the Italian Crystallographic Association (AIC).
- Primo Levi Prize 2015 (best Italian chemist under-35) top-10 finalist and Special Mention for the best scientific dissemination (Italian Chemical Society).