Paola Castrucci

Paola Castrucci is Associate Professor of Structure of Matter at the Department of Physics of University of Roma Tor Vergata.

Over the last two decades she has dealt with nanostructures as Ge quantum dots; carbon, AlN and Si nanotubes; Si nanowires; applications of carbon nanotubes in solar cells and in photodetectors. She is currently working on the growth and characterization of two dimensional materials like silicene; on the fabrication and characterization of photodetectors based on the graphene/Si and Bi₂Se₃ thin film/Si heterojunctions; on the investigation of the fundamental properties of topological material like Bi₂Se₃ thin films and nanobelts.

She has experience in: chemical vapor deposition, molecular beam epitaxy and thermal evaporation growth processes; structural and electronic characterization through spectroscopic (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron and Auger electron diffraction, Near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, Electron energy loss spectroscopy, optical absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence…), microscopic (scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic and magnetic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy) and diffraction (X-ray diffraction, X-ray standing wave technique,…) techniques; fabrication and characterization of solar cells and photodetectors.

She has published about 140 refereed publications in prestigious ISI-peer reviewed journals, obtaining an H-index of 29 (Google Scholar) and 25 (Scopus), with around 2100 citations. The results of her R&D work has been presented at about 50 among national and international conferences. She is member of the organizing committee or program of 7 International Conferences and referee of 23 international ISI referenced journals. Referee of Projects for the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) (UK) and for the American Chemical Society Petroleum Fund, University of Firenze and MIUR. Member of the Advances in Nano Research editorial board edited by TechnoPress (SouthKorea). Principal investigator in several research projects and participant in dozens. She has held about 40 among Physics courses and exercitations. She has been tutor or supervisor of about 20 students (three-year, master and doctorate degrees) and post-doc. Since 2017 she is member of the Commission of PhD in Physics. She was rewarded in 2016 with the "Nanoscience Prize" for his "Outstanding Achievements in Nanoscience" by ACSIN-13 and in 2010, together with her Canadian colleagues, with the Venice-2010 Award of Excellence from the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Canada for excellence, quality and productivity of collaboration between an Italian and a Canadian group.