Invited Speakers

  • Dr. Riccardo d’Agostino - Plasma Solution

Dr. Riccardo d'Agostino is professor of Chemistry and was director of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bari, Italy (94-96 and 01-03). His research is focused on low pressure plasma processes and diagnostics for the modification of materials.

His memberships include the managing committee of Plasma Science Technique Division of IUVSTA and, as chairman, the IUPAC Committee on Plasma Chemistry (1989-1991). As such, he was as well Director of IUPAC schools of Cold Plasmas in Beijing (1997), Prague (1999), Orleans (2001), Taormina (2003) and Toronto (2005).

He was President of Plasma Surface Engineering 2008 (PSE 2008) in Garmisch, of the 16th Int Symposium on Plasma Chemistry, ISPC-16 , in Taormina, 2003,  of Plasma Deposition and Treatments of Polymers, MRS, Boston, 1998, of Plasmas and Polymers, ACS, S. Francisco, 1996, of NATO ASI on Plasma Treatments and Deposition of Polymers, Acquafredda di Maratea 1996, and of the 9th  Int. Symposium on Plasma Chemistry, ISPC-9, Pugnochiuso, 1989.

He was granted several awards in Japan, including the Avogadro-Minakata award of the Chemical Society of Japan, 1996, and the Plasma Chemistry Award of International Society of Plasma Chemistry, in Kyoto, 2007.

He served as co-editor of the journal Plasmas and Polymers (until 2003) and chaired numerous international conferences. In 2004 he becomes President of Spin Off Plasma Solution and editor in chief of Plasma Processes and Polymers (Wiley-VCH) (www.plasma-polymers.org), with C. Oehr (DE) , P. Favia (IT), M.R. Wertheimer (CA). During is career, he authored 210 scientific papers, twelve International patents and edited seven books and six international proceedings.

 

  • Prof. Jas Pal Badyal - Durham University

 

Jas Pal Badyal obtained BA/MA (Natural Sciences) and PhD (Surface Science) degrees from Cambridge University, in 1985 and 1988 respectively. Subsequently he remained in Cambridge where he held a King’s College Fellowship and the Oppenheimer Fellowship. In 1989 he moved to Durham University to take up a lectureship and was promoted to Professor in 1996. He has published 148 refereed research articles and 22 industrial patents. He has been recipient of the Harrison Prize from The Royal Society of Chemistry; Burch Prize from The British Vacuum Council; and an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship. During the past 5 years, his research has directly led to 3 spin-off companies: Dow Corning Plasma Ltd (atmospheric plasma processing), P2i Ltd (stain-repellent garments), and Surface Innovations Ltd (bioactive coatings).


 

  • Dr. Ulrich Kroll - Oerlikon Solar-Lab SA

After his diploma in Physics obtained at the University of Konstanz (Germany) in 1989, Dr. Ulrich Kroll worked for his PhD at the ”Institut de Microtechnique, Université de Neuchâtel” in Switzerland. After finishing the PhD in 1994 he still continued to work as R&D Project Leader in this institute. In 2003 he joined Oerlikon Solar-Lab SA. He became soon the Managing Director of this legal entity and Head of R&D in Neuchâtel.

 

  • Dr. Daniele Pullini - CR Fiat

 

Degree in General Physics, University of Turin; PhD in Electronics Engineering and Communications at Politecnico of Torino. Daniele is a fifteen years experienced researcher in academic and industrial contexts. Daniele authored several publications on peer-reviewed international journals and more than thirty patents valid in Europe, USA, Russia, China, and Japan on microsystems, nanomaterials, and nanotechnology.
 

Today, in the frame of the Business Line Process Research of CRF, Daniele manages the micro and nanotechnology (MNT) program in tight connection with the MNT-department manager. In this context, the Daniele's mission is to open up the exploitation perspectives of micro and nanotechnology in the automotive context as well as to drive the use of the expertise created and the results achieved in fall-out high-tech contexts.
 

In the National and European contexts, Daniele co-ordinated several research and training initiatives; particularly, in the frame of European research programs, Daniele have been contributing to the FET, NMP, ICT and Energy themes as project leader and evaluator. Today, Daniele is an active member of the steering committee of the European technology platform on materials, named EUMAT, where he co-ordinates the working group on nanomaterials, and more recently of NANOFUTURES.

 

  • Dr. Antonio Santana - Ionbond

Dr.Santana obtained his PhD from the EPF in Lausanne in the field of thin film physics and worked at CERN in thin film development for applications in Ex-treme High Vacuum. Both at CERN and at EPFL he cumulated 8 years of broad experience in Plasma Physics and Solid State Physics which he complemented with an MBA at the Geneva University. Since joining IonBond in 2005 as an R&D manager, Dr. Santana has been responsible for developing new coatings for the medical market as well as for many other industrial appli-cations.

In 2008, Dr.Antonio Santana has been named as European Product Manager for IonBond's Medical Segment "Medthin". Dr.Santana is in charge of market and product development for the region and provide expertise and support to customers throughout Europe through IonBond's vast coating network. This network includes dedicated medical coating facili-ties in both Switzerland and the UK.

 

  • Prof. Mari-Ann Einarsrud - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Mari-Ann Einarsrud has nearly 25 years of research experience in ceramic and inorganic materials science and engineering. She has published about 130 papers in internationally peer review journals, 22 conference proceedings and holds 2 patents. Her research interests are materials science and engineering with particular focus on synthesis of inorganic and nanostructured materials, coatings, sol-gel technology, ceramic powder processing technology, sintering, physical, chemical and mechanical characterization. She has supervised 28 MSc students, 16 PhD candidates, (additional 7 as co-supervisor) and 7 post docs. She received the Esso prize for best doctor thesis (1988). She has been elected member of the executive broad for NTNU for two periods. She is an elected member of Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences, The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters and The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

 

 

  • Dr. Sophie Senani – EADS Innovation Works

It was during her undergraduated studies and a first internship at the Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris in the team of Professor Clément Sanchez that “she fell into the Sol-Gel pot”. After being graduated Chemical Engineer in 2000, she pursued her graduated studies at the University of Pierre & Marie Curie (Paris VI). In 2004, she obtained her Ph.D. degree magna cum laude from the same University under the supervision of Dr Florence Babonneau and in collaboration with Rhodia Recherches, for work on the study of organoalkoxysilane’s grafting onto silica nanoparticules. From 2005 to 2007, as postdoctoral research chemist Dr. Senani studied Erbium-doped nanoparticules for amplifiers for Alcatel and Iron oxides nanoparticules for hyperthermia application at the University of Paris VI in the Lab of Ionic Liquids and Charged Interfaces.

In 2007 Dr. Senani joined EADS Innovation Works, the Research Center of the group located at Suresnes near Paris in France. She was appointed as permanent research staff member, in the Surface Engineering team to develop Sol-Gel materials for aeronautic already initiated in the group thanks to his high background in this field. His current research interests focus on the elaboration and characterization of innovative protective coatings especially by Sol-Gel chemistry for aeronautical applications, like corrosion protection of metallic alloys or smart sensitive coatings on composite parts.