Prof. Silvia Giordani
Professor Silvia Giordani is Full Professor Chair of Nanomaterials at Dublin City University (DCU), where she served as Head of the School of Chemical Sciences from 2020 to 2023. She is also Principal Investigator at the Life Science Institute (LSI).
Born in Bergamo, Italy, she earned a degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Milan and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Miami (USA). During her career she has held academic and research positions at Trinity College Dublin, the Italian Institute of Technology, and the University of Torino, where she founded and led internationally recognized research groups.
Her research focuses on the design and development of nanomaterials and supramolecular systems for biomedical, environmental, and energy applications. She has authored more than 150 scientific publications in leading international journals, which have received over 11,000 citations, and she holds a patent on carbon nano-onions.
Her awards include the President of Ireland Young Researcher Award, the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science fellowship, the Richard O'Kennedy Award and the DCU President’s Research Award. She was recently appointed Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (OMRI) by the President of the Italian Republic in recognition of her outstanding scientific achievements and her contribution to promoting Italian excellence internationally (comparable in prestige to a knighthood in the UK).
Research Interests
My research interests are in the design, synthesis, and characterization of hybrid smart nanomaterials for biomedical, energy and environmental applications. The research is highly multidisciplinary, since it conjugates competencies coming from different backgrounds, such as organic chemistry, chemical physics, materials engineering, pharmaceutical chemistry and biology.
Bibliometrics
Since 2001, I have published over 160 papers in international peer-reviewed scientific journals (including Nature Nanotechnology, PNAS, JACS, ACS Nano, Advanced Materials and Chemical Society Reviews and top-tier specialist journals in the area of supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology) collecting over 11,000 citations, H-index: 57 (Scholar Google). 6 Web of Science highly cited papers received enough citations to be placed in the top 1% of the academic field of Materials Science. I have also authored 1 patent, 10 book chapters, 1 encyclopaedia chapter, 9 conference proceedings, 7 covers of journal issues and over 200 abstracts in the proceedings of international conferences.
Research Area and Interests
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Supramolecular Materials Chemistry |
Design, synthesis and characterization of photoactive molecules and materials for sensing and light-activated delivery. |
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Nanomaterials |
Synthesis, functionalization and characterization of carbon nanomaterials for imaging, sensing, drug delivery, catalysis, environmental and energy applications. Nanomaterial safety. |
Funding Highlights
- EU, Horizon-EIC-2025-Pathfinder Open, Multianalyte Digital Sensing With Qr-Code Microneedles for Minimally Invasive Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer, €499,633, 01/03/2026-28/02/2029
- Research Ireland, EPS Postdoctoral Application, Light Activation Of Carbon Dots For Photodynamic Therapy and Drug Release In Pancreatic Cancer, € 134,682, 01/02/2026-31/01/2028
- DCU, Co-Funding Call for PhD scholarships 2025, PhD co-fund scholarship, €66,000, 1/09/2025-31/08/2029
- Research Ireland, Research Ireland – Wales Innovation Network | Research Alliance Award, Laser-Assisted Carbon Nano-Onion Photothermal Therapy: A Feasibility Study, € 28,771, 01/07/2025-31/06/2026
- Science Foundation Ireland, Frontiers for the Future, Bio-inspired functionalization of nanoplatforms for targeted delivery of therapeutics, €1,200,000, 01/05/2024-30/04/2029
- Irish Research Council, EPS Postgraduate Application, Modulation of carbon nanoparticles for pancreatic cancer therapy (MONARCH), € 92,265, 01/09/2024-31/08/2027
- Irish Research Council, EPS Postgraduate Application, Development of carbon based nano platform for cancer therapy, € 110,000, 01/09/2023-31/08/2027
- Irish Research Council, EPS Postdoctoral Application, design of Carbon bAsed nanoplatfoRm tO TargEt paNcreatic cancEr (CAROTENE), € 90,606, 01/09/2023-31/08/2025
- Irish Research Council, Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, Carbon nano-onions For Theranostic Applications (CAFTAN), € 110,000, 01/09/2021-31/08/2025
- Irish Research Council, Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, Engineering of nanomaterials for cancer therapy (ENACT), € 104,353, 01/09/2019-31/08/2023
Gallery
CV
External Positions
- Associate Professor, Università degli Studi di Torino23/12/2016 – 30/09/2018
- Senior Researcher/Head of the Nano Carbon Materials Lab, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia09/01/2013 – 22/12/2016
- Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin01/09/2005 – 01/07/2006
Academic Qualifications
- PhD, University of MiamiProject: Chemistry, Thesis: “Digital processing and communication at the molecular level”Award date: 01/01/2004
- Master's Degree, University of MiamiProject: M.Sc., ChemistryAward date: 01/01/2001
- Bachelor's Degree, University of MilanProject: B.Sc., Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology, Thesis: “Pure-Oxygen Wastewater Treatment Plant in Bergamo: Study of the Contaminants Removal Efficiency”Award date: 01/01/1999