MSCA Supervisor: Marcella Bonchio

What does it take to become a successful researcher and a charismatic supervisor? What motivation and goals should drive your research work?

Marcella Bonchio, Full Professor of Organic Chemistry and MSCA-IF Supervisor at the University of Padua, tells us about her international career path and the qualities a researcher should cultivate: “restless curiosity, passion and patience teach you how to enjoy success and how to appreciate failures”.

Marcella Bonchio began her career at the University of Padua where, in 1993, she received a PhD in Physical Organic Chemistry. Since 2001 she has been First Researcher at the Italian National Research Council (CNR), directing research activities at the Institute of Membrane Technology section of Padova. Since 2013 she has been Full Professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences of the University of Padua. Since 2015, she has been Vice-Rector for Research Strategies at UniPd and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine.

Marcella Bonchio has supervised two MSCA Fellows, Elisabetta Benazzi with a project on nitrogen activation and reduction using solar energy, and Deepak Singh, who will work on photocatalytic small molecule activation and the synthesis of bioactive molecules, as well as one MSCA Seal of Excellence @UNIPD fellow, Alberto Vega Penaloza.

Interview:

Prof. Marcella Bonchio, you spent several years abroad, in the US, before arriving at the University of Padua. Could you tell us something about your research path?

I was a Chemistry student at the University of Padua and, in the final year of my Postgraduate programmes, I joined the organic chemistry section led by Prof. Giorgio Modena.  At that time, Prof. Modena was one of the most famous Italian chemists, known worldwide for his visionary approach, charisma, determination and courage. I was fascinated by the “big questions” that Prof. Fulvio Di Furia, a young full professor in the team, presented during the Advanced Organic Chemistry class that I was attending at the same time. Taking part every day in the group’s research activities was great fun. I cannot forget that all group members were asked to take part in these long research group meetings: they could last even more than one day, with brief interruptions, until all the answers had been found. As a Postgraduate programmes student at the very beginning, I often felt inadequate, but I was absorbing all the “qualities” that are needed: restless curiosity, passion and patience, how to enjoy success and how to appreciate failures. I absorbed these as resources to push our limits forward. Last but not least, in our group in those early days, there was a good gender balance and I was working and learning under the direct supervision of Valeria, with whom I still share unforgettable memories. Valeria Conte is now Full Professor of Chemistry at the University of Rome Tor-Vergata, where she directs the Department of Chemical Sciences.

With all this in my heart, I accepted the opportunity to be a visiting PhD student at Brown University (RI, USA), and later I was delighted that my postdoctoral application at Princeton (NJ, USA) was accepted by John T. Groves, a major leader in the field of bio-inspired catalysis for energy and life sciences. I was still in the US when I decided to apply for a position as a CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) researcher in Padova and... here I am. Since 2013 I have been Full Professor at the Department of Chemical Sciences in Padova, and since 2015 I have had the honour of serving my University as Vice-Rector for Research Strategies. This has been a long journey, not without difficult times, but one in which I still enjoy the privilege of continuous learning.

What are the main research projects you are currently pursuing?

Our inspiration comes from the fantastic complexity of the natural machinery that powers our lives every day. In our group, we look for new molecules, pigments, catalysts and materials that can be game changers for Artificial Photosynthesis. Our efforts are devoted to understanding the fundamental principles of solar energy storage to be applied in man-made systems, so as to produce clean fuels, renewable materials and green synthetic methods. We believe that our future will be strongly based on next-generation chemicals. The way we conceive and design these new processes and chemicals will be rooted in what we are learning from Nature, thus respecting our Earth from its very foundations.

We are now involved in a national project focusing on water splitting and CO2 reduction, while two MSCA fellowships, which have recently been approved, deal with nitrogen activation and reduction using solar energy and CO2 photofixation.

You have led several research projects. What tips would you share with a researcher who is thinking of applying for an international research project?

The first and main “go-for-it” green light comes easily: you should love your idea as if it were the one idea that the world is waiting for from you, and that you can no longer hide; you have to share your great dream with the whole world. So, my advice is not technical: you can find the first tip straight in your soul. It is inside you, it is your great dream. Do not settle for anything less.

Once you have found it, you will have to write it down in a successful proposal. Well, here you have to be professional and ask for help. Share your ideas with us at the University of Padua, and we will work together to make them real.

You have supervised many PhD and postdoctoral projects, including some MSCA Individual Fellowship winners. What do you and your lab have to offer an early-career researcher?

We will share our passion and commitment to save the world! In doing this, we will share our state-of-the-art laboratories, instrumentation and knowledge. I think that what we can pass on is a deep attitude towards critical thinking and a restless drive to go beyond borders and move beyond our “comfort zone”, creating a new space where chemistry meets biology, materials science and photonics.

Your research has many potential applications. Is the synergy between theoretical and applied research an important aspect for a project submission in your field?

Absolutely. Let me say that I would rather use the term “Frontier Research”. This is the new definition used by ERC, which goes beyond fundamental and applied research. It means the kind of research that is committed to changing people’s lives and making them better.