Speaker: Professor Francesco Simoni, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
Date: 5 May 2009
Time: 2pm
Venue: B53 Seminar Room
Abstract:
The lecture give a brief summary of the research activity carried out by the Photonic Materials group at Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy. Recent results obtained on the following topics will be reported: holographic patterning, optical data storage, organic microlaser, nonlinear optics of liquid crystals, optical micromanipulation.
Biography:
Francesco Simoni is full professor of General Physics since 1994 at Università Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona, Italy. He got the degree in Physics at "Universita' di Roma" "La Sapienza" in 1973, where he carried out the scientific activity until 1977. From 1977 to 1986 the research activity has been carried out at the "Universita' della Calabria", as fixed term professor and from 1983 as associate professor. From 1986 to 1994 he was associate professor at "Universita' di Napoli" “Federico II”. He also spent research stages in the USA at University of Southern California and at North Texas State University and, as visiting professor, at Université d'Artois (France).
Nonlinear optics of liquid crystals have been the main topic of the scientific activity. The most recent activity is devoted to the study of organic materials for optical data storage, optical patterning of photonic structures, optical micromanipulation and organic microlasers. He is author of more than 150 articles on peer reviewed international journals and books, he is single author of a book on the nonlinear optical properties of liquid crystalline materials and co-editor of three books.
He is involved in scientific organization being member of several committees of international meetings; he is stable Co-Chair of the International Topical Meeting on Novel Optical Materials and Applications (NOMA) and regional editor of the international journal Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals. From 1998 to 2002 he has served as President of the Italian Liquid Crystal Society. He is member of the Board of Directors of the Scientific National Consortium CNISM (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze Fisiche della Materia) gathering 38 Italian Universities, and from November 2006 he serves as Vice-President.
He is presently Chair of the COST MP0604 Action "Optical Micro-Manipulation by Nonlinear Nanophotonics"(2007-2011), network involving groups from 18 European countries and Australia.
Francesco Simoni serves as expert project reviewer for several European and Not –European Research Agencies and as referee of the major international journals in physics and optics.
He has been recently nominated Fellow of the Optical Society of America.