Mario Pagliaro

Mario Pagliaro is Research Director at Italy's Research Council based in Palermo, Italy, where he leads a research Group focusing on nanochemistry, solar energy, green chemistry and the bioeconomy. In 2021 "due to outstanding achievements as a researcher" he was elected ordinary member of the Academia Europaea. In 2014, in recognition of his "significant contributions to the chemical sciences" he was designated Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

He is one of the two Highly Ranked Scholars, prior five years, affiliated with Italy's CNR. Besides ranking in the top 2% World Ranking list of Scientists in all fields of science. Dr Pagliaro also ranks within the Top Italian Scientists in material and nano sciences. In 2020, he was found 2nd amid the world's top 10 bioeconomy scholars.

Developed in co-operation with leading researchers based in more than 20 countries, his Group's research is reported in over 380 frequently cited research papers, 41 of which featuring on the cover of journals such as Materials Advances, ChemSusChem, Nanoscale, Catalysis Science & Technology and Chemical Communications.
He has authored or co-authored 22 books some of which have become the reference in their field.

• Publication list
• Educational activities

New materials and new processes

“IntegroPectin”, "CuproGraf", “NiGraf”, “CytroCell”, “GrafeoPlad”, “CytroCav”, “AquaSun”, “SiliOrange”, “AnchoisOil”, “Omeg@Silica”, “LimoFish” “AnchoisFert”, “SiliaSun”, “TitaniaSun”, “HyTan”, and “GreenCaps” are some of the names created by Dr Pagliaro to identify new functional materials and new enabling technologies jointly developed by his Lab,

Frequently cited for his excellence in teaching, he has given more than 100 invited public presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings on the topics of his research and educational activities. On August 28, 2019, he gave in St. Petersburg one of the six plenary lectures at the XX International Sol-Gel Conference. In 2005 he was appointed “Maître de conférences associé”at Montpellier’s Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie.

In 2017, he was one of the most highly prolific authors for ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering in the past 4 years. In 2016 he was selected first among the top five highly prolific authors of Organic Process Research & Development.

His work has been widely highlighted by national and international press, including by MIT Technology Review, Advanced Science News, Italy's national television, newspapers and magazines.

In 2008, when a few scholars believed in the forthcoming emergence of photovoltaic technology as a significant contributor to the global energy generation mix, Dr Pagliaro introduced the term "helionomics" in book Flexible Solar Cells.
@helionomics is also his Lab's Twitter account.

Between September and December 2015 he was president of Palermo's energy utility AMG Energia.

Guest edited themed issue

• In 2024 he jointly edited the "Green Extraction of Natural Products After Farid Chemat" themed issueof Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy.
• In 2022 he edited with Laura M. Ilharco the "The Systems Thinking Approach to Science Education" of Education Sciences.
  
• In 2018 he co-edited with Bert Sels the "Supported Molecular Catalysts" themed issue of ChemCatChem.
• In 2017 he edited the "Catalysis and Biocatalysis" themed issue of Chimica Oggi-Chemistry Today.
• In 2015 he guest-edited with Paolo Fornasiero the "Pd Catalysis" issue of ChemCatChem.
• In 2014 he edited with Jean-Marie Nedelec the "Hybrid Materials" themed issue of Nanoscale.
• In 2011 he co-edited with with Graham Hutchings the "Heterogeneous Catalysis for Fine Chemicals" issue of Catalysis Science & Technology.

Student mentor and reviewer

He has mentored several M.Sci. and Ph.D. students in Italy and abroad in the context of international collaborations. Some of his former sudents and post-docs today work at prestigious universities, publishers and innovative companies.

Dr Pagliaro has been appointed in several international committees with appointments so far in Doctoral evaluation committees from Liverpool University (UK), Khalifa University of Science and Technology (UAE), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain), Université Lille 1 Sciences et Technologie (France), Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria (Italy), as well as in the professional evaluation committee of the Ariel University and of the Sami Shamoon College of Engineering for a position of Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

Besides acting as reviewer for most chemistry, energy and materials science journals, he regularly evaluates research project for national and international research agencies and science ministries, including France Research Agency, Israel Ministry of Science, Dutch Research Council NWO, Royal Society, Fonds de recherche du Québec, Israel Science Foundation, São Paulo Research Foundation, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, Pazi Foundation, US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Research Foundation - Flanders, Estonian Research Council, Poland National Science Centre, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. 

Invited lectures

On Sept.2, 2024 he gave the invited lecture "Reshoring fine chemical and pharmaceutical productions" at the the first Symposium on New Technologies for the Synthesis and Application of Biomass Based Fine Chemicals, Xi'an, China.
On Jul.1, 2024, he gave the invited lecture on NiGraf at HyCeltec 2024
On Jun.5, 2023 he gave an invited lecture "Natural product extraction via hydrodynamic cavitation" at the University of MIlan
On Nov.22, 2022 he gave the lecture "Europe’s chronic lack of investment in new energy technologies - How it started and what to do now" at University of Palermo's MA Course in Entrepreneurship and Management.
On Sept.12, 2021 he gave an  invited lecture at 11th Probiotics, Prebiotics & New Foods, Rome.
On Sept.7, 2021 he gave the plenary lecture "IntegroPectin: Una nuova pectina di Citrus con più elevata e vasta attività biologica" at AicIng 2021.
On Sept. 4, 2020 he gave the plenary lecture "Waterborne photocatalytic sol-gel coatings" at International Symposium on Advanced Catalyst Design and Molecular Catalysis, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.
In June 2017, he gave two invited lectures in Moscow invited by the Russian Academy of the Sciences.
On May 2012 he held in Quebéc, Canada, one of the invited lectures at the 22nd Canadian Symposium on Catalysis.
On Nov.16, 2012 he gave an invited lecture on solar hydrogen at Zurich's ETH Polytechnic.
ON Nov.12, 2008 he gave the John van Geuns Lecture "Is glycerol as a platform chemical here to stay?" organized by the University of Amsterdam

Conference chair

In 2009 he chaired the 10th FIGIPAS Meeting in Inorganic Chemistry held in Palermo with over 300 scientists originating from more than 50 different countries  («A smashing success»). Between 2011 and 2017 he co-chaired the “SuNEC - Sun New Energy Energy Conference” and the “FineCat - Symposium on heterogeneous catalysis for fine chemicals”, both held yearly in Sicily. The meetings saw the lectures of scientists of international standing in chemistry, solar energy and new energy science and technology.

Between 2004 and 2017, he organized the prestigious Seminar "Marcello Carapezza" whose 2011 edition was hosted by Italy’s Parliament.

Educational studies and journal board memberships

An advocate of research-based scientific education, Dr Pagliaro has also published several studies in catalysis, open science, solar energy, energy management, chemistry and nanochemistry education.

Dr Pagliaro is or has been a member of the Advisory or Editorial Board of Chemical Society Reviews, Energy Technology, Journal of Physics: Energy, Energy Science & Engineering, ChemistryOpen, Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy and Chimica Oggi/Chemistry Today, ChemistrySelect, Molecules, 4Open, Silicon, Green Technology, Resilience and Sustainability, Coatings, General Chemistry and Letters in Organic Chemistry. 

Between 2017 and 2020, he wrote the “Biomaterials & Nanomaterials” column of Chimica Oggi - Chemistry Today.

In early 2019, ChemistryOpen dedicated to him its first Meet the Board editorial. In 2013 Professor Rossi published in Silicon an account of his early achievements in science and in education. 

Contact

E-mail: mario.pagliaro@cnr.it