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Speakers

Gaetano Scamarcio is Full Professor of Experimental Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Bari (currently on leave). He is internationally known for pioneering advances in quantum optoelectronics and bioelectronics, including the invention of the superlattice quantum cascade laser and detectorless THz nanoscopy. Beyond his scientific discoveries, he has coordinated large European and national research consortia, founded a technological district, and mentored a new generation of physicists who now lead research across Europe.

Gaetano Scamarcio,
Director, CNR – Istituto Nanoscienze, NEST – Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy

“At the Edge of Matter: Quantum Nanostructures and Functionalized Surfaces for Single-Molecule Detection“

New frontiers in soft matter are emerging at the intersection of condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, biophysics, and chemistry. At this crossroads, matter becomes a carrier of information, and molecular interactions can be directly observed and manipulated. Detecting single molecules — capturing and amplifying signals at the very edge of measurability — represents a fundamental challenge and opportunity.
By integrating quantum materials, graphene-based optoelectronic devices, and bio-functionalized surfaces, we are developing new sensing platforms capable of probing individual molecular events. These tools reveal metastable transitions in molecular monolayers and offer insight into nanoscale collective behaviors. This research not only deepens our understanding of complex systems but also opens transformative applications in ultra-early diagnostics, sensing, and next-generation health technologies.

Sebastiano Stramaglia is Full Professor of Physics at the University of Bari and former Director of the Interdepartmental Center for Signal and Image Processing. His research interests focus on complex systems for neuroscience, biology and social sciences, and the use of artificial intelligence in these fields. He spent long periods of research at Boston University, in Bilbao, Ghent and Copenhagen.

Sebastiano Stramaglia,
Director of the department of Physics of Bari
Full Professor of Physics and former Director of the Interdepartmental Center for Signal and Image Processing

“Physics of brain“

Physics has always been interested in the brain, attempting to explain how it works. The knowledge thus acquired has been fundamental to the construction of modern artificial intelligence models: using a historical approach, we will introduce the ideas underlying Large Language models. Then, we will describe how complexity theory has provided deeper insights into the mechanisms that regulate the brain.

Patrick Fiorenza received the M.Sc. in Physics and the PhD in Material Science from the University of Catania in 2003 and 2007, respectively. In 2005, he was visiting scientist at IMEC  (Belgium). Since 2011 he is part of the permanent staff at CNR-IMM and since 2023 he is Senior Researcher. His research activity is mainly focused on carrier transport, trapping phenomena and reliability at MIS and MS interfaces in SiC and GaN. He has a recognized experience in characterization of advanced materials and devices by scanning probe microscopy.  He is co-author of more than 200 papers , 4 patents and three book chapters.

Patrick Fiorenza,
Senior Researcher, Member of the Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (Catania)

“Can (Wide Band Gap) Semiconductors save the World?“

Nowadays the global energy consumption is growing faster than energy production rate. In
particular, novel technologies such as the Artificial Intelligence and the industrial decarbonisation are using an increasing amount of electricity.
Novel materials are needed to fabricate efficient energy conversion systems. In this context, Wide Band Gap Semiconductors are the key characters in this new technological challenge.

Expert in Quantum Physics, Quantum Information and Complexity and Statistical Physics, Saverio Pascazio is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of QuantERA, Section Chair for quantum projects at the Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and General Chair for quantum projects at the Optical Society of America (OSA).

Saverio Pascazio,
Full Professor of Theoretical Physics, Member of the Strategic Advisory Board QuantERA, General Chair of the Optical Society of America (OSA)

“The unlikely path: how Quantum Physics came to be”

“Quantum communication and cryptography: Qubits, keys, and the quantum edge: a journey into tomorrow’s technology“

Professor Paolo Facchi is a full professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Bari and a member of the INFN (National Institute for Nuclear Physics), Bari Division. He made significant contributions to topics such as quantum decoherence, the quantum Zeno effect, quantum control and simulation, and the study of multipartite entanglement. He coordinates the “QUANTUM” research group at INFN Bari, which deals with quantum information, metrology and the foundations of quantum mechanics.

Paolo Facchi,
Full Professor of Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Methods, coordinator of “QUANTUM” research group at INFN Bari

“Quantum games“

Francesco Pepe works at the Bari Physics Department as an associate professor of Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics. He investigates fundamental aspects of quantum dynamics, properties of physical systems
that are relevant for quantum technology implementations, and the possibility to enhance imaging by using quantum correlations. In teaching and dissemination, he is committed to providing an objective narrative of the “second quantum revolution”

Francesco Pepe,
Associate Professor of Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics

“From classical to quantum computation: expectations and reality“

Giuseppe Magnifico obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Physics from La Sapienza University of Rome in 2013. He then earned a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Bologna in 2015, and in 2019 completed a Ph.D. in Quantum and Computational Physics at the same university.
From 2019 to 2023, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Physics and Astronomy “G. Galilei” of the University of Padua. Since 2023, he has been an Assistant Professor (RTDA) at the Department of Physics of Bari.

Giuseppe Magnifico,
Assistant professor of Quantum Physics

“Exploring Quantum Computing: From Complexity to Quantum Platforms“

Milena D’Angelo graduated in Physics from the University of Bari in 1999. In 2004, she obtained a PhD in Physics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and subsequently worked in the quantum optics laboratory of Prof. Yanhua Shih, making important contributions to the development of quantum imaging. In 2005–2006, she held a Marie Curie fellowship at the European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS) in Florence. She is currently a researcher in Physics at the University of Bari, where she has recently established a new laboratory dedicated to imaging and quantum technologies.

Milena D’Angelo,
Associate Professor of Quantum Optics Physics

“Quantum imaging, from 3D to hyperspectral”

Gianvito Lucivero graduated in 2010 in experimental quantum optics from Sapienza University of Rome. In 2011, he joined Professor Morgan Mitchell’s group at ICFO, earning his PhD cum laude with a thesis entitled “Quantum Metrology with High-Density Atomic Vapors and Squeezed Light States.” From 2016 to 2019, he was a researcher at Princeton University in Prof. Michael Romalis’s group, where he contributed to state-of-the-art experiments in optical magnetometry including the first magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurement with quantum sensors in an unshielded environment. From 2019 to 2023, he was an MSCA fellow at ICFO with the awarded project “Integrated Atomic Quantum Sensing”. In February 2023 he joined the University of Bari and started the new AQuTech research group. In 2024 he won the national award Rita Levi Montalcini and became tenure-track assistant professor. In May 2024 he founded QSENSATO Srl with co-founders Annalisa Volpe and Domenico Tulli, an innovative startup to develop and market integrated atomic-photonic chips for quantum sensing and metrology applications.

Vito Giovanni Lucivero,
Assistant Professor of Quantum Sensing and Matter Physics
Leader of the AQuTech group, CEO & Founder of QSENSATO

“Atomic Quantum Sensing and Metrology”

His research focuses on high-energy physics, particularly hadron spectroscopy and the search for new particles. From 2003 to 2011, he was a member of the BaBar collaboration, a high-energy physics experiment located at SLAC in California. Since 2008, he has been a member of the LHCb collaboration located at CERN in Geneva. He served as Deputy Physics Coordinator of the collaboration from 2020 to 2022.

Marco Pappagallo,
Associate Professor of Particle Physics

“Unveiling the Universe: The Standard Model and Beyond“

One of the most captivating aspects of modern physics lies in the profound connection between the evolution and structure of the universe and processes occurring at the microscopic scale. Phenomena such as the disappearance of antimatter, as well as the nature of dark matter and dark energy, represent some of the major unresolved questions that may find explanations within the realm of elementary particle physics.

In this seminar the Standard Model, the theoretical framework that describes the fundamental interactions among elementary particles, will be introduced. Experiments conducted at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN have significantly contributed to validate of the Standard Model, particularly with the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. Nonetheless, compelling experimental evidence suggests that the Standard Model may not constitute the ultimate theory of fundamental physics. The search for phenomena beyond the Standard Model remains a primary goal of future particle physics experiments at CERN. Such investigations may bring us closer to a deeper and more unified understanding of the fundamental laws governing our universe.

Elisabetta Bissaldi is a researcher at the Department of Physics of the Polytechnic of Bari and at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics. She specializes in high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics, particularly gamma-ray bursts. She has worked at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Munich and the Institute for Astro and Particle Physics in Innsbruck, and has carried out research at institutions such as the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the University of Tokyo. She is also active in international collaborations, including the NASA Fermi satellite and the Cherenkov Telescope Array.

Elisabetta Bissaldi,
Associate Professor of General Physics

“Exploring the Cosmos: Satellites and Telescopes Reveal an Explosive Universe“

The Universe is shaped by extreme phenomena, capable of releasing enormous amounts of energy on different timescales. Understanding these explosive sources requires both the study of the physical mechanisms that power them and the development of instruments able to capture their high-energy signals.

In this talk, I will highlight the role of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in unveiling the gamma-ray sky and present the future Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory, which will provide an unprecedented view of the most energetic processes in the cosmos.

Sandra Lucente is a professor of Mathematical Analysis and Science Communication at the Interuniversity Department of Physics and president of the Museum of Mathematics at the University of Bari. She conducts research on partial differential equations in mathematical physics and holds conferences and workshops for popular science. She contributes to science magazines and newspapers and has written two books on mathematical tourism and was a finalist for the 2025 Asimov Prize with “Quanti? Tanti!”

Sandra Lucente,
Professor of Mathematical Analysis and Science Communication, President of the Museum of Mathematics of the University of Bari

“Science and literature: Bohr and Heisenberg in Macondo”

If the history of quantum mechanics were a novel, it would be “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Garcia Marquez. Not only does the time coincide with this centennial year, but the mathematical city this theory constructs is also similar to Macondo. A story in three different languages, with the collaboration of Nicola di Serio, hoping the audience doesn’t collapse!