Lorenzo Marcucci - A Multi-scale Model of Muscle Mechanics: from molecule dynamics to clinical application (4M)

Lorenzo Marcucci comes from Japan. His research topic is the mathematical modelling of muscle contraction. He has been involved in this subject since his PhD Thesis (2005-2008) at Ecole Polytechnique (France) and then with the collaboration with Prof. Toshio Yanagida (Osaka University-Riken Japan). In the current project 4M (“A Multi-scale Model of Muscle Mechanics: from molecule dynamics to clinical application”) under the supervision of Prof. Reggiani Carlo of the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Padua, he is exploring the possibility that the force-velocity curve, one of the most known experimental behaviour of muscle contraction, can be generated by an intimate property of each single actomyosin complex instead of their cooperative interaction.
lorenzo.marcucci@gmail.com

  Antonio Acosta-Vigil - Nanogranite Inclusions: New Window into the Partial Melting of the Deep Earth´s Crust (NANOGRANITES)

Antonio Acosta-Vigil comes from Spain. He took his PhD degree  in 1998 from Universidad de Granada. His research interest focus on the  process of crustal anatexis (partial melting of the continental crust) from different perspectives, including field work, classical Petrology and Geochemistry, Experimental Petrology, the study of glassy melt inclusions in anatectic enclaves, and now the study of crystallized melt  inclusions in anatectic terranes. His project NANOGRANITES (“Nanogranite Inclusions: New Window into the Partial Melting of the Deep Earth´s Crust”) deals with the microstructural, experimental and geochemical study of nanogranites (crystallized former melt inclusions) in peritectic minerals of anatectic terranes of different ages and geodynamic scenarios, in order to extract information on the origin and evolution of the continental crust. He is working under the supervision of prof. Bernardo Cesare at the Department of Geosciences.
aacosta@ugr.es

  Rosario Forlenza - Italy And The Birth Of Democracy: Symbols, Memory, And Culture 1943-1948 (ITADEMO)

Rosario Forlenza comes from Italy. He took his PhD in 2007 at the University of Tuscia (Viterbo). He is a historian of modern Europe and  twentieth century Italy. His fields of expertise include political anthropology, symbolic and cultural politics, and memory studies. He has worked at the University of Cambridge, Princeton University, New York University, and Columbia University. His research project ITADEMO (“Italy And The Birth Of Democracy: Symbols, Memory, And Culture 1943-1948”) supervised by dr. Focardi Filippo of the Department of Political Science, Law, and International Studies is a detailed study of the political transformation of Italy after WWII. It places human experiences and the formation of meaning at the center of democratic politics, and foregrounds political anthropology and memory studies to address the subject of democracy from both historical and theoretical perspectives.
rosario.forlenza@unipd.it

  Gordana Hrzica - Language Dominance in Bilingual Speakers Perceived As Balanced (LADOBI)

Gordana Hrzica comes from Croatia. She graduated in Croatian philology and comparative literature at the University of Zagreb in 2005, she is a linguist working in the field of psycholinguistics with experience in child language corpora research and in developing paradigms for objective language assessment on both behavioural and neurocognitive level. She was involved in research on typical and atypical population, including children with SLI and dyslexia. She is now working under the supervision
of Dr. Roch Maja of the Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation to her research project LADOBI (“Language Dominance in Bilingual Speakers Perceived As Balanced”) which aims to  measure language dominance and explain psychological and sociological factors relevant for language dominance in group of bilingual speakers (i.e. Italian-Croatian bilingual community in Istria).
ghrzica@erf.hr
gordana.hrzica@gmail.com

  Véronique Larosa - Dissection of mitochondrial chloroplasts crosstalk in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii via the use of mutants with altered mitochondrial functions (MitoChlosstalk)

Véronique Larosa was awarded her master degree in plant biology in 2007 at the University of Liège in Belgium,then started her PhD with Prof. Hamel at the Ohio State University (USA), completing it with Prof. Claire Remacle in Liège. She developed many new techniques in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to assess problematic around mitochondrial respiratory complex I, as for example the mitochondrial DNA transformation nowadays only feasible in two organisms. For this she was granted national and international fellowships (example: United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation in US and the Belgian FNRS) and could obtain her PhD in May 2012. She then started her first post-doc experience with Prof. Remacle laboratory in Liège. Thanks to her experience in Chlamydomonas mitochondria, her collaboration with Prof. SZABO and Prof. MOROSINOTTO of the Department of Biology (experts in photosynthesis, cellular signaling and ions channels) she will be able to identify actors involved in this crosstalk through the use of mitochondrial mutants available in her home laboratory.

e-mail contact: veronique.larosa@ulg.ac.be; veronique.larosa@unipd.it

  José Antonio Lay Valera - Exotic Nuclei: Structure and Reactions of Weakly Bound Systems (WeBS)

José Antonio Lay Valera comes from Spain. He got his PhD in Nuclear Physics at the University of Seville in 2012 with a thesis focused on the study of nuclear reactions with light exotic nuclei. His research project WeBS (“Exotic Nuclei: Structure and Reactions of Weakly Bound Systems”) supervised by dr. Fortunato Lorenzo of the Department of Physics and Astronomy aims to extend theoretical frameworks intended to study stable nuclei to nuclei far from the stability line.
lay@pd.infn.it

  David Martínez-Maradiaga - Integrated solar system with latent heat storage at high temperature for heating and cooling (INSOLATE)

David Martínez-Maradiaga comes from Honduras. He obtained his B.S in Chemical Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Honduras in 2006 and received his M.S. in Chemical and Process Engineering in 2009 and his Ph.D. in Thermodynamic Fluid Engineering in 2013, both from the University Rovira i Virgili (Spain). His research interests focus on thermal energy systems, latent heat storage and renewable energies. The objective of his research project INSOLATE (“Integrated solar system with latent heat storage at high temperature for heating and cooling”), supervised by prof. Del Col Davide of the Department of Industrial Engineering (DII) of the University of Padua, is to study an integrated solar cooling system consisting of a solar concentrator with thermal receiver (working at temperatures from 150 to 180 °C), an absorption machine and a novel latent heat storage system.
davidestefano.martinezmaradiaga@unipd.it

  Anna Pagotto - Role of autophagy in the maintenance and tumourigenic potential of human ovarian cancer stem cells (APOCSC)

Anna Pagotto comes from Italy. She obtained a BSc degree in Biotechnology at the University of Padua in 2004 and an MSc degree in Medical Biotechnology at the University of Trieste in 2006  then moved to Oxford University (UK) to carry out a PhD in Clinical Medicine, which she completed in 2013. Her research project APOCSC (“Role of autophagy in the maintenance and tumourigenic potential of human ovarian cancer stem cells”), supervised by prof. Amadori Alberto of the Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology of the University of Padua aims to clarify the role of  autophagy in cancer stem cells isolated from patients affected by ovarian carcinoma. The aim is to provide novel targeted therapeutic approaches for recurrent ovarian cancer, which is at present the most lethal gynaecological malignancy.
pagotto.anna@gmail.com

  Alfredo Franco Perez - Self-assembled films for plasmonic photonic arrays (SAFIPPCRY)

Alfredo Franco Perez comes from Mexico. He got his PhD in Physics in 2007 from the Universidad  Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and filled postdoctoral researcher positions in several institutions of Mexico and Italy ever since. His research experience focuses on experimental photo-active nanostructured hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gel materials and his research project SAFIPPCRY (“Self-assembled films for plasmonic photonic arrays”), supervised by Prof. Brusatin Giovanna of the  Department of Industrial Engineering (DII) of the University of Padua consists of a synthesis and study of long-range ordered hybrid organic-inorganic films as novel photoresists for hybrid plasmonic- photonic arrays with potential applications as highly sensitive optical biosensors.
alfredofrancoperez@gmail.com

Website of the project: www.hymat.dii.unipd.it (under construction)

  Lewis Topley - Restricted finite W-algebras (RFWA)

Lewis Topley comes from United Kingdom. He took his PhD in Pure mathematics in Manchester under the supervision of prof. Alexander Premet. After completing his degree he was awarded an EPSRC doctoral prize fellowship for one year at the University of East Anglia, where he worked with Vanessa Miemietz. He undertook a three-month contract at the University of York with Maxim Nazarov, and finally the Piscopia fellowship. His research project RFWA (“Restricted finite W-algebras”) supervised by prof. Costantini Mauro of the Department of Mathematics aims to develop the understanding of the module category of the reduced enveloping algebras of restricted Lie algebra, by studying the  associated restricted finite W-algebras. One of the principal goals is to formalise the relationship between representations and sheets containing the chosen p-character.
lewis@math.unipd.it

  Stefano Urbinati - Moduli of Vector Bundles and Positivity (MVBP)

Stefano Urbinati comes from Italy. He achieved his Ph.D. at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (2012) under Christopher D. Hacon. He then travelled first to France (Strasbourg) and Warsaw (Poland). He is interested in Algebraic geometry, and in particular birational geometry and positivity properties. His current project MVBP (“Moduli of Vector Bundles and Positivity”) supervised by dr. Ernesto Carlo Mistretta of the Department of Mathematics of the University of Padua involves several aspects of Algebraic Geometry and pure mathematics, including Vector Bundles (and their positivity properties), linear series and Newton-Okounkov bodies. Part of the project will focus on Tropical varieties and  problems in positive characteristic.
urbinati.st@gmail.com

RadioBue interview to Stefano Urbinati