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Dr. Cecilia Blasetti Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy Cecilia Blasetti, PhD in Nanotechnology, works as International Project Officer at the Elettra Synchrotron in Trieste, Italy. She assists researchers in preparing proposals for EU funding. She created the www.wayforlight.eu website as a single entry point to access information about European synchrotrons and free electron lasers. Click here for more information about her background. |
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Dr. Tracy Walker Canadian Light Source, Canada Tracy is the Education Programs Lead at the Canadian Light Source, Canada's only synchrotron research facility. The education team creates experiential learning opportunities for educators to explore connections between synchrotron science research & science teaching while weaving Indigenous Ways of Knowing together with western science processes. She has been engaging with learners at the pre-kindergarten, elementary, high school, and university levels in addition to the informal science education programs at CLS. Her passion for experiential transformative learning was the subject of research in achieving a Master’s of Education degree. |
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Dr. Jasper Plaisier Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy |
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Dr. Benedetta Marmiroli Graz University of Technology, Austria Benedetta Marmiroli has a master in materials engineering, and a PhD in industrial engineering obtained at University of Ferrara (Italy). She currently is senior scientist for Graz University of Technology (Austria), working at the Austrian SAXS beamline at Elettra synchrotron (Italy). She is also collaborating in the management of the Deep X-ray Lithography beamline and the associated Microfabrication Laboratory. Her scientific interests involve the interdisciplinary combination of microfabrication and characterization techniques, for the construction of micro/nano devices based on advanced functional materials. |
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Dr. Iulia Cojocariu Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy Iulia Cojocariu is a researcher at the Nanospectroscopy beamline at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. She studied Physical Chemistry at Sapienza University of Rome and completed a PhD in Physics at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. Her research interests focus on 2D materials, from metal-organic assemblies to carbon- and boron-based interfaces, with particular emphasis on magnetism and electronic structure characterization. |
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Dr. Georgios Kourousias Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy |
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Dr. Giovanni Birarda Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy Giovanni Birarda is a staff research scientist at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste and in charge of the SISSI-Bio laboratory, where he works in infrared spectroscopy, imaging, and nanospectroscopy. His career focuses on infrared-based methods, microfluidics, and chemometrics, with applications in biology, environmental science, and materials research. He earned an M.Sc. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Trieste in 2006 and a Ph.D. in nanotechnology there in 2010. Before joining Elettra in 2015, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Since then, he has developed spectromicroscopy workflows, supported external users, and contributed to beamline development and open-source data analysis tools. |
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Dr. Mirwat Shamshad School of Astronomy and Physics, Islamabad, Pakistan Mirwat is a passionate secondary school physics educator in Islamabad, Pakistan, dedicated to making science exciting and meaningful beyond the classroom. She participates in research-driven educational projects to create engaging, inclusive learning environments while connecting students with national and international platforms to broaden their scientific perspectives. Currently, she serves as the National Astronomy Education Coordinator for the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the National Node for the International Day of Light (IDL), a STEP UP advocate for the American Physical Society's Pakistan chapter, and a CERN Teacher's Programme ambassador. She also runs the non-profit "School of Astronomy and Physics" to foster scientific culture at the high school level. |
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Dr. Giorgio Paolucci Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste, Italy Giorgio Paolucci is an internationally renowned physicist specializing in photoelectron spectroscopy and innovative X-ray instrumentation. After graduating from Sapienza University of Romein 1981, he worked at the Fritz Haber Institut in Berlin before building his career in Trieste. Here, he contributed to the creation of the TASC National Laboratory and held top executive roles at the Elettra synchrotron, where he currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer. From 2014 to 2019, he was the Scientific Director of SESAME, the Middle East synchrotron, where he remains a Scientific Advisory Committee member. Author of over 140 scientific papers and former Professor of Solid State Physics, he sits on prestigious international committees. In 2000, he was honored as an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. |