At the end of 2020, Francesco Simone Ruggeri has joined as Assistant Professor the units of Organic Chemistry and Physical Chemistry at the Department of Biomolecular Sciences of Wageningen University, where he created the laboratory of "Nanoscale Microscopy and Spectroscopy".
Before his appointment in Wageningen, he has completed his independent Junior Research fellowship at the Darwin College and his post-doctoral research at the Department of Chemistry & Centre for Misfolding disease at University of Cambridge (UK).
He holds a PhD in biophysics obtained in 2015 at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, where he acquired a strong expertise on scanning probe microscopy and single molecule methods. He has also acquired deep expertise in scanning probe microscopy, surface science, spectroscopy, data analysis, image processing and single particle characterisation.
In particular, in his previous research, he has first demonstrated the application of peak-force tapping mode and of infrared nanospectroscopy (AFM-IR) to correlate the nanomechanical, chemical and structural properties of biological samples at the nanoscale. This approach has brought new insights into the formation and structural characterization of misfolding of proteins and their correlation with the onset of neurodegenerative disorders.
The objective of his present and future research is the development and application of novel Physical methods at the interface with Chemistry and Biology. He will continuously push the boundaries of the nanoscale microscopy and spectroscopy to shed light on the molecular processes underlying life, cell function and the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, as well as study advanced functional surfaces and biomaterials.