Mario Pagliaro

Mario Pagliaro lecturing in Moscow at
                    Russia Academy of the Sciences in 2017
High-resolution photos available for download (for the press, the photos made by Alberto Cristofari, Contrasto)

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 a Highly Ranked Scholar, and ranks 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 and in 2020 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 nearly 360 frequently cited research papers, 39 of which featuring on the cover of journals such as Materials Advances, ChemSusChem, Nanoscale, Catalysis Science & Technology and Chemical Communications.
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, Russia, one of the six plenary lectures at the XX International Sol-Gel Conference, the leading conference on sol-gel material science and technology. In 2005 he was appointed “Maître de conférences associé”at Montpellier’s Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie.

In 2017, he was recognized as 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. In March 2016 he was found in the top 10% of highly cited authors in the general chemistry portfolio of RSC journals.

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 his joint book Flexible Solar Cells. Between September and December 2015 he was president of Palermo's energy utility AMG Energia.

He has authored or co-authored 22 books some of which have become the reference in their field. 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.

Currently, he co-edits the themed issue "Green Extraction of Natural Products After Farid Chemat" of Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy dedicated to the memory of Farid Chemat. In 2018 he co-edited with Bert Sels the "Supported Molecular Catalysts" thematic issue of ChemCatChem. In 2015 he guest-edited with Paolo Fornasiero the "Pd Catalysis" issue of ChemCatChem, following the 2014 "Hybrid Materials" Nanoscale themed issue with Jean-Marie Nedelec. In 2011 he co-edited with with Graham Hutchings the "Heterogeneous Catalysis for Fine Chemicals" issue of Catalysis Science & Technology which later on led to the inauguration of the FineCat symposia in Sicily. In 2017 he edited the "Catalysis and Biocatalysis" themed issue of Chimica Oggi-Chemistry Today.

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 scientific journals including Nature and Science and 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.  

In June 2017, following an invitation from the Russian Academy of the Sciences he gave two invited lectures in Moscow. In May 2012 he held in Quebéc one of the invited key lectures at the 22nd Canadian Symposium on Catalysis. The subsequent October he was invited by Zurich's ETH to lecture on solar hydrogen. In 2008 the University of Amsterdam invited him to give the "John van Geuns Lecture". In 2010 he was invited to give a keynote lecture at the 8th Eurofedlipid Congress in Munich.

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 Board of Chemical Society Reviews, Energy Technology, Journal of Physics: Energy, Energy Science & Engineering, ChemistryOpen, Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy and Chimica Oggi/Chemistry Today. He is a member of the Editorial Board of 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
Twitter: @helionomics