Giuseppe Sforazzini received his Laurea (master’s degree) in Chemistry at the University of Sassari, Italy in 2005. He then moved to the University of Oxford, UK where he obtained his Ph.D. degree in 2010 under the supervision of Prof. Harry Anderson working in the field of supramolecular wires for organic electronics. Upon completion of his doctorate, Giuseppe Sforazzini returned to Italy to work as a research scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the Center for Nano Science and Technology led by Prof. Guglielmo Lanzani. In 2011 he was awarded a Marie-Curie Fellowship to carry out two years of research in the group of Prof. Stefan Matile at the University of Geneva, Switzerland where his work focused on preparation of supramolecular artificial photosystems. In 2013, Giuseppe Sforazzini joined the Institute of Materials at L’Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he held a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Ambizione grant, and worked in association with Prof. Holger Frauenrath’s Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Materials (LMOM). In 2018, he transitioned to the industry. Two years later, in 2020, he was appointed as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences at the University of Cagliari. In 2023, he was promoted to Associate Professor in the same department, where he has been working ever since.

 

Research Interest

Giuseppe’s research program encompasses projects that lie at the interface of chemistry, physics, material science and biology. He is focused on the design, synthesis, and characterization of new molecular materials for applications in the field of optoelectronics and biomedical science. His research makes use of supramolecular chemistry, molecular material synthesis and polymer science for the preparation of functional molecular materials.

 

Awards and Fellowships

2022 Proof of Concept (PoC) UniCa Grant

2022 PRIN 2022 PNRR Grant

2020 Fondazione Sardegna (FdS) Grant

2020 PON R&I Grant

2016 Fondation pour l'Innovation Technologique (FIT) Grant

2016 Technology Transfer Office (TTO) Enable Grant (EPFL)

2013 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Ambizione

2010 Marie Curie Fellowship (Framework 7)

2006 Regione Sardegna Scholarship (Italian fund for PhD study abroad)

2005 Professional association: Abilitazione per l'Ordine dei Chimici di Italia (awarded with the designation of chartered chemist in the Italian Chemistry Society)

 

Selected Publications

“Photochromic Torsional Switch (PTS): a Light-driven actuator for dynamic tuning of π-conjugation extension” J. Maciejewski, A. Sobczuk, A. Claveau, A. G. Nicolai, R. Petraglia, L. Cervini, E. Baudat, P. Mieville, D. Fazzi, C. Corminboeuf, G. Sforazzini*,  Chem. Sci. 2017, 8, 361-365.         (Highlighted in Synfacts 2017, 13, 0369)

“Toward Oriented Surface Architectures with Three Co-Axial Charge-Transporting Pathways”, G. Sforazzini; E. Orentas; A. Bolag; N. Sakai; S. Matile, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 12082-12090.

“Double-channel photosystems with antiparallel redox gradients:  Templated stack exchange with porphyrins and phthalocyanines” G. Sforazzini, R. Turdean, N. Sakai, S. Matile, Chem. Sci. 2013, 4, 1847-1851.

“Emission colour trajectory and white electroluminescence through supramolecular control of energy transfer and exciplex formation in binary blends of threaded molecular wires” S. Brovelli, G. Sforazzini, M. Serri, G. Winroth, F. Meinardi, H. L. Anderson, F. Cacialli, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2012, 22, 4284 - 4291.

“Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of nonpolar polyrotaxane insulated molecular wires with high solubility in organic solvents” M. J. Frampton, G. Sforazzini, E. Townsend, C. Williams, A. Charas, L. Zelewski, N. S. Kaka, M. Sirish, G. Latini, S. Brovelli, L. J. Parrot, J. S. Wilson, F. Cacialli, H. L. Anderson, Adv. Funct. Mat. 2008, 18, 3367- 3376.