Chemical reactions are normally conducted in bulk solution. In some cases, the rate of such bulk reactions is quite slow, limiting the throughput of a synthetic route. In recent years, a novel field of research based on microdroplet chemistry is emerging as an analytical tool for reaction monitoring, as well as a mean for accelerating chemical reactions. By using droplet chemistry, reaction rates can be increased by several orders of magnitude compared to the bulk counterpart. It is therefore beneficial to systematically investigate the reactivity of microdroplets and to understand the role of the underlying mechanism and individual parameters that can influence their reactivity (e.g., pH, temperature, concentration and surface effects). A better fundamental knowledge will make microdroplet reactions faster and allow for novel approaches to be developed. The goal of my research proposal is to achieve a broader fundamental understanding of microdroplet chemistry, and use this knowledge to investigate the novel field of plasma-microdroplets interaction, which is expected to open the doors for a completely novel chemical reactivity. The highly reactive species generated by plasmas will be allowed to react with the highly reactive surface of microdroplets. The possible outcome is a substantial increase in reactivity, promoting reaction pathways normally not significant in bulk or even droplets. By exploiting the unexplored field of plasma-droplets interaction, I plan to identify reaction pathways that can significantly increase reaction yields of high added-value compounds, aiming at more sustainable, efficient and competitive industrial synthetic processes, and at the possible conversion of existing waste products into chemicals which could still be useful for our society.

Quality control processes maintain mitochondrial health, enabling cellular functions such as bioenergetics, metabolism, Ca2+ signaling, and cell death regulation. Mitochondrial proteases, unfolded protein response, asymmetric fission, vesicle shedding, and mitophagy all contribute to organelle quality. However, the specific triggers for these processes remain unclear. While unfolded protein accumulation appears to be a common trigger, the mechanism by which it initiates diverse responses remains uncertain. To investigate this question, we developed advanced tools for real-time imaging of protein aggregation in mitochondrial subcompartments. Aggregates in the matrix and intermembrane space induce mitochondrial fission and elicit distinct functional responses based on their location. Live imaging revealed that intermembrane space aggregates initially seed in the mitochondrial midzone and then sort through transient side-by-side fusion with neighboring mitochondria. In the matrix, aggregates seed at one pole and are selectively sorted to daughter mitochondria through asymmetric fission. Our preliminary experiments unveiled an early seeding and sorting process of protein aggregates according to their intramitochondrial location. In the INTEGRATE project, we aim to comprehensively understand the underlying principles and consequences of this process. By combining advanced imaging techniques, omics analysis, biochemistry, functional assays, and unbiased screenings, we will decipher the rules governing aggregate formation, seeding, sorting, cellular fate, and response in various mitochondrial subcompartments. INTEGRATE seeks to establish the occurrence and downstream responses of this newly discovered early phase of mitochondrial quality control. Clarifying this fundamental mechanism will provide insights into mitochondrial and cell biology, with significant implications for pathological conditions and aging, where mitochondrial quality control is compromised.

EcoSF investigates the prominence and distinctive representation of ecological issues in Italian science fiction (1952-2019). The project, which provides one of the very first extensive academic studies dedicated to this genre in Italy, examines the debate surrounding its cultural status and traces its evolution in relation to Italian history and culture. An ecocritical perspective is adopted, interrogating the relationship between literary imagination and the environment. Through such approach, EcoSF shows how literature is important to generate awareness of ecological issues and explore literary responses to the current ecological crisis. The cognitive estrangement raised by the imaginative effort of science fiction is central to the necessary re-thinking of current cultural and epistemological paradigms based on anthropocentrism, human exceptionalism, and ecophobia. Furthermore, by interrogating our current relationship with the environment, and imagining known environments after ecological catastrophes, science fiction can provide a tool to investigate our cultural heritage. Combining the innovative critical tools of ecocriticism and the speculative imagination of science fiction, EcoSF offers an alternative genealogy of our understanding of the environment outside an ecophobic perspective. The dissemination of the research will adapt dystopian imagination to the case of Venice, thus employing the theoretical categories of the project to reflect on local communities and landscapes.